Guidebook on Strengthening the Representative Capacity of Legislatures

This background paper was prepared for a UNDP staff training seminar entitled, “Strengthening the Legislature – Challenges and Techniques,” held in Brussels in October 2001. It is intended as a practical guide for those designing programs to strengthen the representative capacity of legislatures in emerging democracies. It surveys the various program options that exist for strengthening the representative capacity of legislatures, and highlights some of the most common problems encountered in the implementation of these programs.