Publications

Government must take risks to achieve successful online engagement, says new Hansard Society report

2008-08-13T11:10:00Z

Digital Dialogues Third Phase Report: August 2007 - August 2008

An independent review into the use of online technologies to enhance engagement between central government and the public.

Digital Dialogues 3, a new report from the Hansard Society, shows that government can successfully use the internet to engage, consult and build public trust - providing it follows a few simple rules:

* Government departments must be adaptable and willing to take risks;

* Transparency and timely feedback to participants is essential;

* Government departments must be clear about the purpose of the consultation and the ways that participants' contributions will be used;

* The right people - ministers and senior policy makers - must be involved;

* Evaluation is essential to ensure that departments learn and improve on the basis of experience.

For more information, click here

New Research on Influence in the Legislative Process Published

2008-07-17T09:09:00Z

Law in the Making: Influence and Change in the Legislative Process is the most recent publication to be launched by the Hansard Society.

"Law in the Making is a fine piece of scholarship, which is forensic, balanced and informative. It is a thorough exploration of how policy ideas gradually evolve into binding law" – Rt Hon Jack Straw MP

This original, in-depth research carried out by the Hansard Society, analyses the influences and elements that come together in making an act of Parliament. It looks at the role of external actors such as, the media, voluntary organisations, governmental bodies, professional associations and businesses, as well as Parliament and government departments in the process of making the law.

This two year study, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, draws upon the findings from five detailed case studies and over 80 exclusive interviews with ministers, MPs, peers, government and parliamentary officials and pressure groups. The case studies examined were:

The Export Control Act 2002;
The Equality Act 2006;
The Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006;
The Legislative and Regulatory Act 2006;
The Welfare Reform Act 2007.

The research tracks these, along with selected private members' bills, through all the various stages of the legislative process.

ISBN: 978 0900432 39 2

For more information, click here.
This publication costs £10 (+ p&p). To order please click here.

*** Special offer on Law in the Making - click here ***

Audit of Political Engagement 5 (March 2008)

2008-03-27T12:32:00Z

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.

No Overall Control? The impact of a 'hung parliament' on British politics (March 2008)

2008-03-10T17:23:00Z

Edited by Alex Brazier and Susanna Kalitowski
ISBN: 978 0900432 29 3
£10

There has been increasing speculation that the next UK general election might produce a parliament in which no single party holds a majority of seats - a ‘hung parliament'. It is over 30 years since the last hung parliament so what would be the modern day consequences for Parliament, the political parties, individual MPs, and the public? Would a hung parliament strengthen Parliament and better reflect the wishes of the electorate or would it render government indecisive and unstable?

This edited collection of essays from distinguished commentators, academics and parliamentarians discusses the implications of a hung parliament and presents a range of different views on the subject.

No Overall Control? was supported by The Nuffield Foundation.

Digital Dialogues - Second Phase Report (Sept 2007)

2007-11-06T11:53:00Z

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)

2007-10-31T16:05:00Z

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.

Democracy and Intervention (Jul 2007)

2007-10-22T10:57:00Z

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)

2007-10-21T11:01:00Z

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)

2007-10-20T11:04:00Z

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)

2007-10-19T11:14:00Z

Professor Paul Webb with commentaries by John Healey MP, Geoff Mulgan and Baroness Shephard
ISBN 978 0900432 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)

2007-10-18T11:18:00Z

Dr Phil Parvin
ISBN 978 0900432 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)

2007-10-17T11:25:00Z

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)

2007-10-16T11:41:00Z

Lord Dahrendorf with commentaries by Professor Gerry Stoker, Ruth Lea, Stewart Wallis and Vincent Cable MP.
ISBN 978 0900432 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)

2007-10-16T11:37:00Z

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)

2007-10-15T12:58:00Z

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.