Parliaments and Representatives

This report compiles the results of a seminar entitled, "Parliament and the Budgetary Process, Including From a Gender Perspective," held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in May 2003.

This case study, an excerpt from Women in Parliament, Beyond Numbers, provides an overview of the experiences of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in the field of women's parliamentary activities.

Citing examples from the New Zealand House of Representatives, this paper tests the claim that women can influence political decisions only once they achieve a critical mass within legislative bodies.

By describing the concepts of transformative leadership and transformative politics, this paper explains the importance of women’s leadership and highlights the roles they can play in transforming politics and governance.

This report documents a seminar held by the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs in Nepal in July 1997. The seminar presented a comparative perspective on parliamentary practices with respect to parliamentary discipline, parliamentary whips, and anti-defections legislation.

This handbook is designed to provide recommendations and suggestions for organizing and conducting constituency outreach activities. It is based on lessons learned in Namibia and other democracies.

This paper examines the role of presiding officers in three general models of legislatures: the Westminster Model, the U.S. Congress Model, and the French Bureau Model.

This paper identifies some of the central characteristics of bicameral and unicameral legislatures and offers evidence as to why countries may have chosen one model over the other. It also provides information on other legislative structures and examples of cameral changes.

This handbook was written as a guide to help Members of Parliament in Malawi work effectively with their constituency.