Suchergebnisse

1. What this Book is About 2. A Review of Theories and Literature on Committees' Roles and Purposes 3. Theoretical Framework. Congressional Rationales in a PPG-Centred Context 4. Analysing Structural Features of Committee Systems 5. Analysing Criteria to Select Committee Members6. Committee Workings. What Can Committee Members Do?7. Conclusion. Specialised Committees in Parliaments with Strong Parliamentary Party Groups

This book examines the working procedures of parliamentary party groups within specialized committees - the backstage but primary means for MPs to influence policy. It explains which MPs specialize in particular policy areas, how they make policy choices in committees and, subsequently, how these individual decisions are aggregated and 'unified' within and via parliamentary party groups. In doing so, the book expertly reveals the internal working procedures of parliaments and the role of individual MPs vis á vis the parliamentary party group leadership. Based on an analysis of more than 3,000 committee assignments and over 100 in-depth interviews with MPs, it shows that individual experts in committees have a central role and decision-making power which is more varied and decentralized from the leadership than commonly assumed. It demonstrates that most policy decisions are prepared bottom-up rather than dictated top-down and that parliamentary party group are not strictly hierarchical organizations dominated by elites. This book will be of key interest to scholars and students of legislative and parliamentary studies, representative democracy, comparative politics, and journalists and practitioners within parliaments.

An extension of competences of European Union institutions bears the challenge for national parliaments to continue to exert an effective control function over their governments. Parliaments have reacted with adaptative processes in order to secure their influence in EU matters. The Danish Folketing and its European affairs committee, being able to mandate the negotiation position of its government, is often seen as having the strongest system in this regard. However, an examination of the amount of accepted negotiation mandates between 2006 and end 2009 revealed that the government, despite of not having a parliamentary majority behind it, gets its position mandated in almost every case. Subsequently, the article examines whether and when the parties in the committee exert effective influence on the proposed position and reaches the conclusion that there are hardly any interventions and discussions during the final meetings of the committee. However, agreements during the preliminary stages and cooperation among EU-friendly parties secure the influence of the parliament and the committee. Adapted from the source document.