April 04

Global Parliamentary Report... Inter-Parliamentary Union, United Nations Development Programme

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The changing nature of parliamentary representation By Peggy Garvin, Docubase

+ Link to full report (PDF; 3 MB)

+ Link to executive summary (PDF; 1.5 MB)

From the press release (PDF):

Parliaments today are facing greater public scrutiny and pressure than ever before with fundamental questions on their ability to hold governments to account, but they have never been more essential to the political life of a country, says a joint report launched today by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The first Global Parliamentary Report (GPR), which examines “The Changing Nature of Parliamentary Representation”, argues that to address the current low-level of trust in them, parliaments must engage with citizens, stay closely attuned to their needs and make every effort to meet them.

The report, in which more than 125 parliaments and 660 members of parliament (MPs) participated, aims to help both legislative assemblies and politicians better understand and respond to the public pressures they are facing.

October 15

Public Protector's Investigative Report On Minister Sicelo Shiceka

South Africa Parliamentary institutions Ethics Trackbacks (0)
Report No 11 of 2011/12 of the Public Protector on an investigation into allegations of a breach of the Executive Ethics Code by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Sicelo Shiceka, MP.

http://us-cdn.creamermedia.co.za/assets/articles/attachments/35534_shiceka_report-_final_version_7-signed.pdf

February 11

Guide To The European Parliament. BBC

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BBC Guide to the European Parliament
This handy Web page was produced by the BBC, to act as a guide to the European Parliament, the only directly elected European Union body. There are sections about its powers, where it meets, political party groupings, enlargement of the EU and how that affects the parliament, and salaries of MEPs. Finally, there is a section on apathy and how fewer voters are turning out in European elections - with statistics. There are links to news about the parliament, to Mark Mardell's euroblog which is essential reading on the EU and to news. A question and answer section helps you to understand the European Parliament elections in June 2009. From Intute.ac.uk
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7824346.stm
January 14

Panel Of Experts Report On Parliament: Newspaper Reports

South Africa Parliamentary institutions Trackbacks (0)

BUSINESS DAY

CAPE TOWN — A top-level panel of experts is calling for changes to electoral laws and a shake-up for MPs in a bid to reinvigorate SA’s democracy and salvage Parliament’s image after a series of embarrassing ethics scandals in recent years.

On their list is another look at the arms deal investigation, measures to avert a repeat of the Travelgate corruption scandal, and the introduction of a form of a constituency system to make MPs more accountable to voters and less beholden to party bosses.
The assessment, by 11 eminent persons, including Stellenbosch University chancellor Frederik van Zyl Slabbert and leading political analysts Judith February and Sipho Seepe, was commissioned by Parliament itself.

The chairwoman of the panel, former African National Congress MP Pregs Govender, said yesterday one of the most important findings was that the electoral system needed to be changed to make MPs more accountable to voters.

The panel agreed that there should be a combination of both proportional representation and a constituency system...[more recommendations]

MAIL AND GUARDIAN

The National Assembly's battered image could be restored if Parliament reopens discussions on the arms deal, an independent panel reviewing the performance of the legislature said on Tuesday.

Presenting the panel's report on Parliament's performance review initiated in 2006, the panel's chairperson Pregs Govender said controversies surrounding the arms deal had done tremendous damage to the legislature....[more]
February 28

Edelman Trust Barometer : Annual Survey Of College Graduates

NGOs and NPOs Parliamentary institutions Business University graduates Media Trackbacks (0)
Edelman Trust Barometer The Edelman Trust barometer is an annual survey of college graduates which surveys levels of trust and credibility in highly educated citizens from over a dozen nations worldwide. These include USA, United Kingdom, China, France and Germany. It compares levels of trust and confidence in the national government, business, NGOS (non-governmental organisations) and the media. All annual surveys from 2004 onwards can be downloaded free of charge from the website. Details on the survey methodology are provided. Intute.ac.uk
http://www.edelman.co.uk/trustbarometer/
October 05

Parliaments Of Arab Nations

Middle East North Africa Parliamentary institutions Arab nations Trackbacks (0)
Arab Parliaments : a parliamentary development portal for the Arab region
This website is maintained by the Parliamentary Development Initiative in the Arab Region, a joint initiative of the Global Programme on Parliamentary Strengthening (GPPS) and the Programme on Governance in the Arab Region (POGAR). It serves to provide information and a voice to parliaments in Arab nations. Nations covered include: Algeria; Bahrain, Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. The website provides free access to factual information about the parliaments, legislatures and electoral systems of all the nations concerned. It also includes papers and reports from the project and its many working groups which are examining the progress and future development of parliamentary reform in these regions. Key topics include women and politics; law making, political representation and strengthening democracy. Intute.ac.uk
http://www.arabparliaments.org/