Downloads

Your Parliament: Make it work for you

2008-07-24T11:29:00Z

Your Parliament explains the basics of the British political system: the work of Parliament, the role of MPs and peers, and how laws are made. It also describes how to get involved: through voting, contacting your MP or visiting the Houses of Parliament.

The Your Parliament pamphlet provides clear, straightforward explanations on questions such as:

What is Parliament? How is the UK run?
Who are MPs and peers? What do they do?
What are political parties?
How do I vote?
How are new laws made?
What goes on in Parliament?
Why should I get involved?
How can I get involved or find out more?

Your Parliament is part of the Hansard Society's ongoing work to inform and educate the public on the workings of Parliament and the political system. It is revised and updated from the 2004 version, and is published jointly with the Houses of Parliament.

To download a free copy of Your Parliament, click here.

Audit of Political Engagement 5 (Mar 2008)

2008-03-27T13:11:00Z

ISBN: 978 0900432 34 7
Free download

The annual Audit of Political Engagement carried out by the Hansard Society measures the nature and extent of political engagement and reveals where views have changed - and where they remain constant. It offers a yearly snapshot of political knowledge and engagement in Britain.

Audit 5 includes a special section on constitutional issues to discover how much the public know about how our constitutional arrangements operate, which areas they are satisfied with and which they think are ripe for reform. This report is valuable source of information and debate for all those who are concerned with the health of our democratic system.

For more information about the Audit of Political Engagement Series, click here. The raw survey data from the opinion polling carried out by Ipsos MORI for Audit 5 is available here.

Audit 5 was funded by the Ministry of Justice and the House of Commons.

Digital Dialogues - Second Phase Report (Sept 2007)

2007-11-06T12:17:00Z

Ross Ferguson, Barry Griffiths and Laura Miller
ISBN 978 0900432 09 5
Free download [PDF 1.94MB]

Digital Dialogues is an independent review of ways in which central government can use information and communication technology to engage the public.

The report contains evaluations of 12 case studies, including Downing Street webchats, the Secretary of State for the Environment's blog and the FCO's forum on the European Youth Parliament. The report concludes that government has made good progress in online engagement from a ‘standing start’. The report concludes with 10 recommendations to government relating to how it can sustain its use of social media.

Digital Dialogues was commissioned by the Ministry of Justice.

Parliament for the Future (P4tF) (September 2007)

2007-10-21T20:38:00Z

Ross Ferguson and Laura Miller
ISBN 978 0900432 19 4
Free download (PDF 1MB)

P4tF addresses the use of the internet by Parliament to provide information to the public, to promote legislative scrutiny and to enhance representation, and seeks to map:

1. How technology has been used in these areas to date;
2. Which technologies or processes may emerge in these areas over the next five years;
3. How Parliament can plan strategically towards future ICT investment and provision.

To address these questions the Hansard Society formed an incubator group of academics, technologists and practitioners; this report showcases those ideas. The report outlines some recommendations about how Parliament can develop and enhance its use of online forms of engagement.

P4tF was funded by the UK Parliament's Group on Information for the Public.

Available only via download.

Democracy and Intervention (Jul 2007)

2007-09-28T15:54:00Z

Lord Parekh with commentaries by Kate Jenkins, Dr John Chipman and Lindsey Hilsum
ISBN 978 0 900432 73 6
Available free via download

This fifth publication in the Democracy Series brings together leading experts to consider whether democracy is a universal good and whether it should be actively promoted. The publication debates: whether democratic values can or should be exported from one country to another, how democracy can best be promoted and sustained and if the tensions between religious based democracy and liberal democracy are able to be resolved.

The Democracy Series is supported by the Ministry of Justice.

Law in the Making (Jun 2007)

2007-09-27T16:06:00Z

Alex Brazier, Susanna Kalitowski and Gemma Rosenblatt
Available free via download

Law in the Making is an initial discussion paper from the Hansard Society's major research project looking at how laws are made and the influences that are brought to bear on the legislative process. A final report looking at Parliament's impact on legislation will be published in spring 2008.

This project is generously funded by the Nuffield Foundation.

Audit of Political Engagement 4 (Mar 2007)

2007-09-26T16:15:00Z

Hansard Society/Electoral Commission report
Available free via download

The fourth Audit undertaken jointly by the Hansard Society and the Electoral Commission. It considers the barriers to greater political participation; what people want from MPs and from political parties; and what, if anything, people are prepared to do to be involved in politics.

Democracy and Political Parties (Mar 2007)

2007-09-25T16:20:00Z

Professor Paul Webb with commentaries by John Healey MP, Geoff Mulgan and Baroness Shephard
ISBN 978 0 900423 68 2
Available free via download

The fourth publication in the Democracy Series discusses the role of political parties in the 21st century. How can they improve their relevance to the public? How can they engage more closely with local communities? How can they respond to a changing democractic system?

The Democracy Series is supported by the Ministry of Justice.

Friend or Foe: Lobbying in British democracy (Jan 2007)

2007-09-24T16:26:00Z

Dr Phil Parvin
ISBN 978 0 900423 63 7
£5 or available free via download

The Hansard Society's report, Friend or Foe? Lobbying in British Democracy, published earlier this year, revealed that 62% of MPs claim that they are more persuaded by arguments put forward by charities and interest groups than businesses.

This report was kindly supported by Ellwood and Atfield.

A Year in the Life: From member of public to Member of Parliament (Dec 2006)

2007-09-23T16:40:00Z

Gemma Rosenblatt
ISBN 978 0900432 58 3
£7.50 or available free via download

The Hansard Society report, A Year in the Life, tells the story of what happens when members of the public become Members of Parliament. We give an insight into what actually takes place after the votes are counted, the acceptance speeches have been made and the champagne drunk. In other words, once the real work begins.

The Hansard Society spent twelve months monitoring the 2005 intake of first-time MPs. We looked at their experiences, ambitions, how they operate and their views on Parliament. The report sets out how they set about learning the trade and the hurdles they faced during a year in the life of an MP.

This project was kindly supported by Accenture.

Democracy and Capitalism (Dec 2006)

2007-09-22T16:34:00Z

Lord Dahrendorf with commentaries by Professor Gerry Stoker, Ruth Lea, Stewart Wallis and Vincent Cable MP.
ISBN 978 900432 48 4

Available free via download

The third publication in the Democracy Series discusses the relationship between democracy and capitalism. What are the connections and conflicts between democracy and capitalism? Are they intertwined or should they be seen as separate forces? How should we regard the relationship between capitalism and democracy in an age of globalisation?

The Democracy Series is supported by the Ministry of Justice.

Digital Dialogues - Interim Report (Dec 2006)

2007-09-22T11:21:00Z

Ross Ferguson
ISBN 978 0900432 04 0
Free download [PDF 817KB]

Digital Dialogues is an independent review of ways in which central government can use information and communication technology to engage the public. The interim report contains policy overviews, case studies, data and draft guidance for government officials.

The findings demonstrated that online engagement had tangible communications, policy and delivery benefits. The data also showed that for the majority of those citizens who participated in the Digital Dialogues case studies, this was their first interaction with the policy process and that they would be inclined to do so again.

Digital Dialogues was commissioned by the Ministry of Justice.

Parliament in the Public Eye 2006: Coming into Focus? (Nov 2006)

2007-09-21T16:43:00Z

Gemma Rosenblatt, Editor.
ISBN 978 0900432 43 9
Available free via download

The Puttnam Commission recommended a radical transformation of both the way that Parliament communicates its work to the public and also the way that the media covers Parliament. Parliament in the Public Eye 2006: Coming into Focus?, considers the progress that has been made since the launch of the Commission findings in May 2005.

ICT Foresight - consultation and campaigning in the age of participatory media (Oct 2006)

2007-09-20T16:46:00Z

Ross Ferguson, Megan Griffiths, Milica Howell and Karl Wilding (Hansard Society/NCVO).
Available free via download

Consultation and campaigning in the age of participatory media is the first in a series of ICT Foresight reports looking at how new information and communications technologies are changing the environment in which VCOs work, and the way they carry out their core activities.

This report explains key technological, political and social trends, highlights current innovative practice in the use of ICTs and discusses both risks and opportunities for the third sector.

The Hansard Society began this collaboration with the NCVO in Autumn 2005. It provided a welcome opportunity to compare the use of ICT by VCOs with practice in Parliament and government, which the Society has been tracking since 1997.

Democracy and Voting (Oct 2006)

2007-09-19T16:53:00Z

Dr Chris Ballinger with commentaries by Dr Ben Rogers, Dr Ken Ritchie and Professor Helen Margetts.
ISBN 978 0900432 38 5
Available free via download

In this second publication in the Democracy Series, Dr Chris Ballinger challenges those who assert that compulsory voting would enhance democratic engagement. Dr Ben Rogers argues in favour, while Dr Ken Ritchie places the issues within the wider context of electoral reform and Professor Helen Margetts considers some alternative solutions to promote engagement, including greater use of information technology.

The Democracy Series is supported by the Ministry of Justice.