Parliaments Under Pressure: Advances and Challenges in Parliamentary Research

Abstract: Parliaments are a core element of representative democracies and constitute the connection between citizens and representatives. However, due to a general increase in disenchantment with political institutions and the growing success of populist parties, parliaments have recently come under pressure. This section combines Panels that seek to advance the study of the role of legislatures in representing citizens and shaping public policy. This encompasses the behaviour of individual MPs and parties in the law-making process, the substantive representation of women, as well as their parliamentary careers. This section also includes Panels on the impact of populist parties on legislative representation, the internal organization of parliaments, and on the relationship between parliaments and governments. We further envision Panels on the European Parliament and on methodological advances in the study of legislatures. We welcome theoretical as well as empirical papers from all methodological approaches. The section is endorsed by the ECPR Standing Group on Parliaments. Short Biographies: Daniel Höhmann is research fellow at the Department of Political Science at the University of Basel. His research focuses on legislative studies, political representation, women and politics, and coalition governance. Maria Thürk is a research fellow in political science at the University of Basel. She publishes on legislative-executive relations and currently serves in the Steering Committee of the ECPR Standing Group on Parliaments.