Hansard Society

Programmes

Parliament and Government

Research and ideas on Parliament and politics

What we do

The Parliament & Government Programme undertakes cutting edge, high quality research in the field of politics and democracy. The only research programme of its kind in the UK, our core area of work is focused on reform of the Westminster Parliament. As such our innovative research is at the forefront of debate about the role of Parliament and parliamentarians, the future of representative democracy, and the public's engagement with politics and the political process.

Our impact

As Parliament's 'critical friend' we have a long-standing reputation for developing challenging but realistic and workable policy recommendations to reform Parliament, particularly in the field of legislative scrutiny, many of which have subsequently been implemented at Westminster. Our rigorous, evidence based research is often quoted in parlimentary reports and utilised by government departments, our team are regularly called to give evidence to parliamentary select committees and we advise parliamentary officials on initiatives for reform both here in the UK and abroad. Our publications and reports are regularly covered in the media and used by academics in their research both nationally and internationally.

Our work also engages with a broad audience both at home and abroad through our journal, Parliamentary Affairs, published in conjunction with Oxford Journals (Oxford University Press). The journal consists of peer-reviewed articles by leading academics in the fields of political history and political science as well as commentary articles for a broader audience including teachers and students of politics and citizenship.

We provide advice and support to the Associate Parliamentary Group on the Constitution, Parliament and Citizenship, the International Parliamentary Strengthening Network, the Global Organisation of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC), and the Women and the Vote campaign. We are also an active supporter of the Study of Parliament Group and our Programme Director represents the Hansard Society on its Executive Committee.

Supporting our work

Generous suport for current and past projects has been provided by a wide variety of organisations including: Accenture, BBC, CIPFA, DLA Piper, Electoral Commission, House of Commons, House of Lords, KPMG, Ministry of Justice, National Audit Office, Nuffield Foundation, OFCOM and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

If you share our concern about the need to strengthen Parliament and promote democracy and would therefore like to support our research, please contact the Programme Director, Dr Ruth Fox.

Who we are

Our research team:

Dr Ruth Fox - Programme Director
Matt Korris - Research Fellow
Diana Stirbu - Researcher

A number of the Programme's projects also benefit from the consultancy advice and support of Hansard Society Fellow Alex Brazier.

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Representative democracy article for Democracy Live

To mark the launch of the BBC's new Democracy Live website, Ruth Fox, Director of the Parliament and Government Programme, was asked to give her thoughts on the current state of democracy in the UK. Her article can be accessed on the Democracy Live website, and is reproduced here.
Timetabling of business in the House of Commons

The Parliament & Government programme has submitted evidence to the Procedure Committee inquiry on the timetabling of business in the House of Commons. We argue that there is a pressing need to reform timetabling and the use of programme motions to rebalance scrutiny in favour of Parliament, and set out a number of recommendations for improving the system.
Hansard Society evidence on MPs' expenses

Peter Riddell, Chair of the Hansard Society, and Dr Ruth Fox, Director of the Parliament and Government Programme, have appeared before the Committee on Standards in Public Life to give evidence to assist the Committee's investigation into MPs' expenses. They recommended to the Committee that 'thorough changes' to the system are needed, and that the Committee should 'aim above the bar'.

The appearance followed the Hansard Society's submission of written evidence to the Committee, which presented the findings of our research in the areas of public trust and engagement and made a range of suggestions for reforming the current expenses system.
Restoring Trust in the House of Lords

Recent events in the House of Lords have raised serious questions about standards of conduct within the second chamber, including questions around allowances, peers' external interests and enforcement of sanctions for misconduct. The Hansard Society co-hosted a seminar, with the Lord Speaker, in May 2009 drawing together a group of peers, academics, journalists, and people with a background in complex ethical and regulatory matters, to explore these issues.

This new briefing paper, produced by the Parliament and Government programme, draws on some of the views discussed at the seminar, supplemented by our own research. It examines these issues and sets out a range of measures for reinstating public trust in the House of Lords.
Lords Committee report on fast-track legislation

The House of Lords Constitution Committee has published the report on its inquiry into Fast-track Legislation (previously termed 'emergency legislation'), to which the Parliament & Government programme gave evidence earlier this year.

The Committee's report quotes the Hansard Society's written submission and Dr Ruth Fox's oral evidence extensively, and agrees with a number of our recommendations.
Reforming the House of Commons

The crisis in public trust in Parliament, sparked by the revelations on MPs' expenses, has provoked a wider debate on reform of democratic institutions in Britain. At the Hansard Society we welcome the increased attention to an area of debate we have long been actively involved in.

To contribute to the ongoing reform discussions, the Parliament & Government programme has produced a briefing paper summarising the issues around parliamentary reform, and setting out our proposals for strengthening Parliament in relation to government and improving its workings.
Evidence to the Speaker's Conference on Parliamentary Representation

Peter Riddell, Hansard Society Chair, and Dr Ruth Fox, Director of the Parliament & Government programme, have given oral evidence to the Speaker's Conference on Parliamentary Representation. The Conference is considering, and will make recommendations for rectifying, the disparity between the representation of women, ethnic minorities and disabled people in the House of Commons and their representation in the UK population at large.

A transcript of the hearing will appear on this webpage and a video can be found here. The Speaker's Conference is also currently hosting an online forum where the public can give their views on the issues under consideration.
People and Parliament: Hansard Society gives evidence to the Lords Information Committee

The Hansard Society has given oral and written evidence to the House of Lords Information Committee's inquiry on People and Parliament, which is looking into how the House of Lords can improve public understanding of its work and role, and how people would like to interact with the House of Lords and Parliament.
The inquiry was prompted by a debate in the Lords initiated by Lord Norton of Louth, for which we produced a briefing paper, and during which the Hansard Society's work received many favourable references.
Audit of Political Engagement 6

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 6 has a special focus on the public's attitudes to political participation and citizenship and explores issues such as the degree to which people want to be actively involved in decision-making locally and nationally, how influential in decision-making they feel they are, and how satisfied they are with the system of governance in Britain. This Audit indicates that an ‘Obama effect' may be developing among British black and ethnic minorities (BMEs):

- 41% of BMEs agree that ‘when people like me get involved in politics, they really can change the way that the country is run' compared to 31% of whites - a 10% increase since 2007
- 42% of BMEs are ‘very' or ‘fairly' interested in politics -a 15% increase since 2007
- 43% think the present system of governing works well compared to 32% of whites - the first time in six annual Audits that BME respondents are more optimistic than whites

Download the full Audit of Political Engagement 6
Handling a legislative emergency

Hansard Society gives evidences to the Lords Constitution Committee

Dr Ruth Fox, Director the Parliament & Government Programme, recently appeared before the House of Lords Constitution Committee inquiry on emergency legislation.

Whether it’s the Banking (Special Provisions) Act 2008 which facilitated the nationalisation of Northern Rock or the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, emergency legislation has often been controversial.