New and Notable Titles
A selection of recent publications relating to parliamentary studies prepared with the assistance of the Library of Parliament (November 2021 – February 2022).
“The public squared – A fairer way to vote?” Economist 441 (9276): CS16-CS18, December 18, 2021.
- The intellectual roots of a new democratic vision.
Carson, Lyn, Walker, Iain, Keutgen, Julia. “An introduction to deliberative democracy for members of parliament.” Westminster Foundation for Democracy/newDemocracy Foundation 40p., September 28, 2021.
- This guide is designed to support the needs of elected representatives and their advisors—those who would like to strengthen how elected politicians engage with their voters. It is meant for those decision-makers who want to be inspired by new and innovative ways to bring citizens to the heart of the decision.
Cladi, Lorenzo. ”Damned if you do and damned if you don’t: the use of Prime Ministerial discretion and the royal prerogative.” Parliamentary Affairs 75 (1): 2174-94, January 2022.
- …this article analyses how the UK Government has made use of the royal prerogative in terms of deploying the armed forces, making and unmaking international treaties and proroguing Parliament [and] argues that Prime Ministers’ discretion has in fact become more meaningful as their political capital is invested in decisions concerning prerogative powers.
Erikson, Josefina, Verge, Tània. “Gender, power and privilege in the parliamentary workplace.” Parliamentary Affairs 75 (1): 1-19, January 2022.
- This introduction to the Special Section ‘Parliaments as workplaces: gendered approaches to the study of legislatures’ makes the case for revisiting the conditions under which male and female Members of Parliament and staff carry out their parliamentary duties…
Feldman, Charlie. “Charter of Rights statements: a new practice develops growing pains.” The Loophole – Journal of the Commonwealth Association of Legislative Counsel 2: 2-15, October 2021.
- Recent amendments to Canada’s Department of Justice Act require the Minister of Justice to table in Parliament for every government bill ‘a statement that sets out potential effects of the Bill on the rights and freedoms that are guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.’ This article explores the origins of these Charter statements and the parliamentary practices surrounding them.
Maddox, Bronwen. “It is right to update the whips’ office for modern politics.” Institute for Government blog 2p: January 21, 2022.
- UK MP William Wragg’s accusations about whipping practices reflect an important change in how MPs now see their role.
Magyar, John J. “The slow death of dogma? The prohibition of legislative history in the 20th century.” Common Law World Review 50 (2-3): 120-54, 2021.
- It is commonly believed that the rule prohibiting reliance on legislative history as an aid to statutory interpretation was firmly in place in the United Kingdom, and indeed throughout the English-speaking common law jurisdictions of the world, long before the turn of the 20th century…as the rule lost traction…a growing accumulation of justifications for the rule has been assembled, and an ongoing debate has been taking place about the efficacy of reliance on legislative history…
Marland, Alex. “Vetting of election candidates by political parties: centralization of candidate selection in Canada.” American Review of Canadian Studies 51 (4): 573-91, 2021.
- Election candidates resigning when confronted by moral outrage over their indiscretions is now a routine aspect of Canadian elections…
Stedman, Ian. “Distinctive or not, our Canadian model of parliamentary ethics is in need of modernization.” Canadian Public Administration / Administration publique du Canada 1-7, 2022.
- The author argues that parliamentary ethics rules in Canada are not keeping pace with Canadians’ expectations about the ethical conduct of elected officials.
Verge, Tània. “Too few, too little: Parliaments’ response to sexism and sexual harassment.” Parliamentary Affairs 75 (1): 94-112, January 2022.
- Despite the increasingly reported incidence of sexual harassment among female elected representatives and staff members around the world, many more cases may not surface due to the power asymmetries, partisan logics and male organisational culture underpinning parliaments…this article shows that most legislative chambers in Europe and the Americas lag behind the adoption of adequate preventative measures, complaint mechanisms and reparation measures.