International Workshop “Changing Modes of Parliamentary Representation”

11. 10. 2011

The workshop will take place at the Academic Conference Center, Prague 1, Jilská 4a, on 14-15 October 2011.

International Workshop “Changing Modes of Parliamentary Representation”

is organized by IPSA’s Research Committee on Legislative Specialists (RC08) and 6th FP project RECON – Reconstituting Democracy in Europe, WP3. Host Institution is Institute of Sociology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.

The purpose of the workshop is to address the current issues in parliamentary research and broaden the research agenda. Organizational issues of the workshop include discussion of the final results and theoretical contributions of the WP3 “Representation and Institutional Make-up” to the REON Project and RCLS Meeting aimed at discussing practical and organizational aspects of RC LS such as future events, publications etc.

The processes of Europeanization and globalization fundamentally influence the roles and functioning of the parliaments on many levels. Within the evolving system of multinational governance, parliaments on national, subnational and supranational level respond and adapt to these changes in multiple ways. The first topic will thus concentrate on exploring the patterns in which parliaments function within transnational governance. Case studies as well as comparative contributions are welcomed (and the latter strongly encouraged).

Another change facing the parliaments is the changes within the representation chain and accountability. The second panel thus explores the transforming linkages between democratic legitimacy, representation and accountability, concentrating both on theoretical and empirical aspects. Some topics included in the second panel are transformation of the representation, the effects of transnationalization of political parties, Recruitment patterns and career patterns of MPs in the system of multilevel governance. Theoretical as well as empirical contributions are welcomed.

The third panel addresses another current issue, related to legitimacy and accountability - the direct interaction between parliaments and organized interests. The topics of the third panel include the interaction between parliaments, organized interest groups, civil society organizations, as well as lobbying groups. Case studies as well as comparative contributions are welcomed (and the latter strongly encouraged).