Representative Democracy

Democratic structures are shaped by the individuals who operate within them, so we have an ongoing interest in the role of MPs and Peers. The Parliament and Government programme looks at who represents the public at Westminster, how our politicians operate and, more broadly, the effectiveness of representative democracy.

 

 

Representative Democracy in Parliament

Briefing Papers (2009-)

The Parliament & Government programme has started producing a series of briefing papers, considering the issues around Representative Democracy. The first in the series examines House of Commons Reform.

No Overall Control (2008)

There was increasing speculation in late 2007 and early 2008 that the next general election would produce a Parliament in which no single party holds a majority of seats in the House of Commons. To examine the impact of this possibility, we brought together a group of distinguished commentators to discuss the implications of a ‘hung parliament’. These essays brought together under the title No Overall Control: The impact of a 'hung parliament' on British politics.

A Year in the Life: From member of public to Member of Parliament (2005-06)

In 2006 we published our findings on the experiences of the 2005 intake of MPs in A Year in the Life: From member of public to Member of Parliament. This report provides an insight into the background of elected representatives at Westminster, including what they hope to achieve and how they operate day-to-day.

 

Representation of Women and Minority Groups

Women at the Top (1990-2010)

In 1990 the Hansard Society held a Commission to examine women's representation in politics and in public life more widely, producing the Women at the Top report. Every five years subsequently a follow-up report has been produced, the most recent one being Women at the Top 2005: Changing Numbers, Changing Politics?, which examines the presence and role of women in political life today. The Parliament & Government programme are currently considering how to mark the 20th anniversary of Women at the Top in 2010.

The Hansard Society is also a member of the Women and the Vote coalition that campaigns for better representation of women in politics.

Speaker's Conference (2009)

The Parliament & Government programme has given evidence to the Speaker's Conference on Parliamentary Representation. Programme Director Ruth Fox and Hansard Society Chairman Peter Riddell appeared before the Conference to answer questions at an oral evidence session. A transcript will appear on this webpage and a video can be found here. The Society's written evidence will be published by the Conference in due course.

No Politics, Please...We're Women! (2008)

In 2008 the programme put together a briefing paper collating all our statistical research from the Audit of Political Engagement and other reports on women's attitudes to politics, and the Society held an event in Parliament to discuss the findings. A copy of the paper, a summary of the event, and audio recordings of the speeches can be found here.

 

The Nature of Representative Democracy

Democracy Series (2006-07)

The programme published a series of thought-provoking essays and commentaries which are of interest to a wide ranging audience. The Democracy Series pamphlets considered subjects such as political parties, voting, exporting democracy, capitalism and Islam.

Neglecting Democracy (2005)

The health of our representative democracy was examined in Neglecting Democracy. This pamphlet presents a defence of the representative system from its philosophical roots to its application in 21st century mass societies like the UK.