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Audit 2017: How effective is the Westminster Parliament in scrutinising...
The House of Commons is one of the oldest and foremost legislatures in the world – yet in the past it was also a byword amongst political scientists for weak legislative control of government. Recently...
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Embattled political elites embrace democratic reform to save themselves
When they fear they are losing people’s trust, Western European governments start to bring in democratic reforms. The same thing happens when governments change frequently. Camille Bedock (Université...
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Why is it taking so long to appoint a new Intelligence and Security Committee?
For the past five months the Intelligence and Security Committee has been in abeyance. Yet its job of scrutinising the work of the security agencies is even more vital at a time when Britain is...
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Audit 2017: How democratic is the Brexit process?
Many political and constitutional steps are needed in order to for the UK to leave the European Union, after 44 years as a full member. Cumulatively they form one of the biggest constitutional changes...
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Many government consultations are more about meeting legal requirements than...
Consultations are often a legal requirement for government departments – but this sometimes means they are formulaic and ineffective. In an extract from his report, Creating a democracy for everyone:...
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A helping hand? Tracking changes in support to All-Party Parliamentary Groups...
There are over 600 All-Party Parliamentary Groups in the Westminster Parliament. Paul EJ Thomas (Carleton University) discusses the monetary and in-kind support these informal groups receive, and...
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‘Desperately seeking an elderly gentleman with a large majority … to persuade...
Or a woman MP for that matter, write Rosie Campbell and Sarah Childs (Birkbeck). But they must be adored by their parliamentary and local constituency party so that both will be happy for them to stand...
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Everyone loves select committees these days. But have they really changed?
The Wright reforms have been widely credited with reinvigorating select committees. Stephen Bates, Mark Goodwin (University of Birmingham) and Steve McKay (University of Lincoln) take issue with this...
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How Parliament’s campaign of attrition forced the government to open up about...
The real battle over Brexit has not been about whether Parliament will get a final vote, writes Ben Worthy (Birkbeck University of London). The true fight is about information – about what kind of...
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Does the online tool WriteToThem foster meaningful communication with...
Some predicted the internet would be the silver bullet that could deal with the deficits of representative democracy. Others were less optimistic about its potential to foster democracy. Hartwig Pautz...
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Where would an English Parliament be located?
Ongoing UCL Constitution Unit research is exploring options for an English Parliament. The choice of location would have major practical implications, as well as being of high symbolic importance. Jack...
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Book review | Legislation at Westminster: Parliamentary Actors and Influence...
In Legislation at Westminster: Parliamentary Actors and Influence in the Making of British Law, Meg Russell and Daniel Gover offer a comprehensive and empirically rigorous assessment of the role that...
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How are PMs held to account? A survey of procedures in 32 parliamentary...
How are prime ministers held to account by their parliaments, and how do UK mechanisms on the matter fare in comparison to those in other countries? Ruxandra Serban (University College London) explores...
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Online abuse is driving women out of public life. It’s time to act
Public scrutiny is one thing, but the degree of online abuse now suffered by female political candidates is another. The Independent Committee for Standards in Public Life has recommended that...
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Majoritarianism reinterpreted: why Parliament is more influential than often...
Though Westminster is often seen as lacking the teeth to affect government policy, this is not the case, writes Felicity Matthews. She argues that reforms to shift the balance between government and...
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The optics of a cabinet reshuffle: PR vs reality
Increasing the number of women in Cabinet is widely perceived as a positive move, and Theresa May’s January reshuffle was presented as a bold step to make the government more diverse, writes Jessica...
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Engaging the public with the scrutiny of legislation requires more than just...
Cristina Leston-Bandeira and Louise Thompson examine the impact of a stage of the legislative process piloted by the House of Commons in 2013, during which the public were invited to comment on a bill...
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A citizens’ convention for UK democracy is more necessary with every passing day
Many democratic societies have benefited from establishing conventions of citizens chosen at random to deliberate on major constitutional questions. Now is the time for the UK to have its own citizens’...
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The UK and Canada: democratic legitimacy could matter more than geographic...
Upper chambers have the potential to represent different geographic groups within a multinational state, and so accommodate minority identities. However, research by Mike Medeiros, Damien Bol and...
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More women at the top? Why we see variation in local–national gender gaps for...
There is considerable variation in the representation of women in elected chambers between different levels of government, but the differences are not uniform between countries. By examining the...
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