Cristina Leston-Bandeira – författare

A fresh perspective on an evolving institution; Exploring Parliament offers an engaging and real-life insight into the inner workings, impact, and relevance of the twenty-first century UK Parliament. Short academic and practitioner chapters are combined with highly relevant and practical case studies, to provide a new and accessible introduction to Parliament's structures, people, and practices.As well as covering the broader structure of the UK Parliament, this text explains the role of backbench MPs in scrutinising government and campaigning the design and space of Parliament and the challenges facing MPs. It offers illuminating case studies on highly topical areas such as Brexit, COVID-19, and recent pieces of legislation such as the British Sign Language Act and Online Safety Act.New to this Edition- This edition has been updated to include content on the 2024 General Election. - Over half of the chapters are new or newly authored to reflect the changing nature and scholarship in the field. - An increased focus on diversity, including a new chapter on diversity and representation in the House of Commons.- Expanded coverage on devolved parliaments, including a new chapter on interparliamentary relations.Key Features- Draws on the perspectives of academics and parliamentary practitioners, to give students an authentic insight into the workings of Parliament.- Provides a series of evidence-based case studies so that students can fully understand the reality of Parliament in practice.- Explores the relationships between the different structures, parliamentarians and practitioners within Parliament on both a formal and an informal level, to enable student to truly understand the key processes and actors that shape Parliament.

A fresh perspective on an ancient institution; Exploring Parliament offers an engaging and real-life insight into the inner workings, impact, and relevance of twenty-first century Parliament. Short academic and practitioner chapters are combined with highly relevant and practical case studies, to provide a new and accessible introduction to Parliament's structures, people, and practices. As well as covering the broader structure of UK Parliament, this text explains the role of small parties in law making, the design and space of Parliament, and offers illuminating case studies on highly topical areas such as the Backbench Business Committee, the Hillsborough Inquiry and recent pieces of legislation such as the Assisted Dying Bill.This text is complemented by the following online resources for students and lecturers:- Video tours of Parliament- Podcasts to explain and explore the work of Parliament- Web links to help students to explore Parliament even further

Britain Votes 2017 offers a comprehensive analysis of one of the most extraordinary elections ever, with an outcome few predicted. It contains dedicated chapters on the results; the fortunes of each the major parties; the campaign and outcomes in each country of the UK; the Brexit context; campaign finance; party campaigning and digital strategies; engagement, disengagement and populism; women voters; young voters; the roles of the media; and much more.The latest in a distinguished series of election volumes produced by the Hansard Society and Oxford University Press, Britain Votes 2017 features the work of a range of top academics, including Tim Bale and Paul Webb on the Conservatives, John Curtice analysing the outcome, Eunice Goes on Labour, Matthew Flinders on engagement, disengagement and populism, Emily Harmer and Rosalynd Southern on women voters, James Dennison on UKIP, Sarah Harrison on young voters, and Sara Hagemann on the Brexit context. Britain Votes 2017 is essential reading for anyone interested in the campaign, outcome and consequences of the 2017 General Election.

This comprehensive book analyses the development of the legislatures in the Iberian countries over the past 40 years, since democracy was introduced, to comparatively understand their role in these political systems and in sustaining their democratic systems. Sharing many historical developments and institutional characteristics, Spain and Portugal also present crucial differences, notably Spain’s pure parliamentary system, a King as Head of State and a quasi-federal structure, and Portugal’s semi-presidential democracy. Starting with a historical and institutional contextualization of these two legislatures, the book examines the most important organizational and behavioural features of legislative life in Iberian legislatures in a comparative perspective. It also shows how new legislatures develop resilience capacity to support lasting democratic systems as fully fledged institutionalized bodies.This book will be of key interest to scholars and students of Spain and Portugal, legislative politics and parliamentarianism, and more broadly to European politics and comparative politics, journalists and practitioners.

This book develops a critical analysis of the Brazilian legislature, specifically the role of its lower chamber, the Chamber of Deputies, in policy making and how this combines with its public engagement role, namely in terms of promoting participation and transparency. The book draws from Nelson Polsby’s theoretical conceptualization about transformative and arena legislatures. The purpose is not to reach a consensus about the exact categorisation of the legislature in Polsby’s classification. On the contrary, the chapters are mainly concerned in challenging this classification through interdisciplinary perspectives drawn from within the legislative studies in Brazil.The book’s first chapters introduce the reader to an historical overview of the Brazilian legislature’s policy making and organization, identifying its role in proposing public policies and scrutinising proposals from the Executive Branch. The subsequent chapters focus on its public engagement role and address contemporary elements – such as political participation and transparency – and how these interlink, or not, with legislative practices and influence the production of law. The book provides a unique insight into the operation and power of the legislature of a key global power, Brazil, in a presidential political system context. The chapters originally published as a special issue in the Journal of Legislative Studies.

Southern European Parliaments in Democracy analyses the development of the parliaments of Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Turkey since the mid-1980s. This book considers the challenges of the transition to democracy and outlines how the Parliaments of Southern Europe have adapted to the pressures of a democratic polity. Its focus is an assessment of the main changes that have taken place since the periods of transition to democracy right up to the present day. Chapters are country specific and consider a variety of indicators, from legislation and scrutiny to the social background of MPs. This book was previously published as a special issue of the Journal of Legislative Studies.

The relationship between parliaments and citizens is one of the least studied subjects in legislative studies, yet this is a crucial dimension to understand parliaments and the role they play in our political systems. Furthermore, this relationship has gained considerable visibility over the last decade thanks in part to the development of new media, but also as a reaction to the trends of political apathy. In a context of increasing political disengagement, parliamentary discourse shifted attention from the traditionally predominant relationship with government to the relationship with citizens. Issues of legitimacy became more directly associated with the link between parliament and citizens, resulting in investment in new and more complex mechanisms for contact with citizens, even in the more centralised systems.This book looks at a wide range of case studies across Europe and beyond, assessing overall strategies in the move towards stronger engagement with citizens. It assesses the extent to which the shift in discourse has led to actual changes in parliamentary practice.This book was published as a special issue of the Journal of Legislative Studies.

This book is unique as the only book on the Portuguese parliament in English. The Portuguese parliament is a valuable case study to understand the different stages of development of a newly democratic parliament. From Legislation to Legitimation shows that, as democracy developed, the role of the Portuguese parliament changed considerably. Whereas in the first years of democracy the Assembleia da Republica was centred on its legislative role, during the second decade its legitimation role expanded, making scrutiny parliament's main function.

This comprehensive book analyses the development of the legislatures in the Iberian countries over the past 40 years, since democracy was introduced, to comparatively understand their role in these political systems and in sustaining their democratic systems. Sharing many historical developments and institutional characteristics, Spain and Portugal also present crucial differences, notably Spain’s pure parliamentary system, a King as Head of State and a quasi-federal structure, and Portugal’s semi-presidential democracy. Starting with a historical and institutional contextualization of these two legislatures, the book examines the most important organizational and behavioural features of legislative life in Iberian legislatures in a comparative perspective. It also shows how new legislatures develop resilience capacity to support lasting democratic systems as fully fledged institutionalized bodies.This book will be of key interest to scholars and students of Spain and Portugal, legislative politics and parliamentarianism, and more broadly to European politics and comparative politics, journalists and practitioners.

This book develops a critical analysis of the Brazilian legislature, specifically the role of its lower chamber, the Chamber of Deputies, in policy making and how this combines with its public engagement role, namely in terms of promoting participation and transparency. The book draws from Nelson Polsby’s theoretical conceptualization about transformative and arena legislatures. The purpose is not to reach a consensus about the exact categorisation of the legislature in Polsby’s classification. On the contrary, the chapters are mainly concerned in challenging this classification through interdisciplinary perspectives drawn from within the legislative studies in Brazil.The book’s first chapters introduce the reader to an historical overview of the Brazilian legislature’s policy making and organization, identifying its role in proposing public policies and scrutinising proposals from the Executive Branch. The subsequent chapters focus on its public engagement role and address contemporary elements – such as political participation and transparency – and how these interlink, or not, with legislative practices and influence the production of law. The book provides a unique insight into the operation and power of the legislature of a key global power, Brazil, in a presidential political system context. The chapters originally published as a special issue in the Journal of Legislative Studies.

The relationship between parliaments and citizens is one of the least studied subjects in legislative studies, yet this is a crucial dimension to understand parliaments and the role they play in our political systems. Furthermore, this relationship has gained considerable visibility over the last decade thanks in part to the development of new media, but also as a reaction to the trends of political apathy. In a context of increasing political disengagement, parliamentary discourse shifted attention from the traditionally predominant relationship with government to the relationship with citizens. Issues of legitimacy became more directly associated with the link between parliament and citizens, resulting in investment in new and more complex mechanisms for contact with citizens, even in the more centralised systems.This book looks at a wide range of case studies across Europe and beyond, assessing overall strategies in the move towards stronger engagement with citizens. It assesses the extent to which the shift in discourse has led to actual changes in parliamentary practice.This book was published as a special issue of the Journal of Legislative Studies.

This book is unique as the only book on the Portuguese parliament in English. The Portuguese parliament is a valuable case study to understand the different stages of development of a newly democratic parliament. From Legislation to Legitimation shows that, as democracy developed, the role of the Portuguese parliament changed considerably. Whereas in the first years of democracy the Assembleia da Republica was centred on its legislative role, during the second decade its legitimation role expanded, making scrutiny parliament's main function.

With trust in Parliament and politicians at a seriously low level, there is an increasing need to rebuild our public institutions. This innovative book questions what Parliament should be in the 21st century and how it can be reimagined. It shows how a new democratic parliamentary space can be created to better represent and engage with citizens; to furnish a safe, inclusive and fair working environment for all staff and members; and to secure greater responsiveness and accountability of government.Bringing together a vibrant group of parliamentary scholars and practitioners, it proposes an institutional world of possibilities beyond the present Westminster village, to help restore faith in democracy..