Organising the European Parliament: The Role of Committees and their Legislative Influence Contributor(s): Yordanova, Nikoleta (Author) |
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ISBN: 1907301399 ISBN-13: 9781907301391 Publisher: ECPR Press OUR PRICE: $51.30 Product Type: Paperback Published: June 2013 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Political Science | Comparative Politics - Political Science | Political Process - Political Parties - Political Science | American Government - Legislative Branch |
Series: ECPR Monographs |
Physical Information: 0.45" H x 6.14" W x 9.21" (0.67 lbs) 200 pages |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: The recent empowerment of the European Parliament makes this a timely study of the impact of its internal organisation on legislative politics, interest representation and democracy within the Union. Using data on all legislators and legislative proposals in the sixth parliamentary term, the book confronts alternative theories of legislative organisation in rigorous statistical analyses supported by rich interview information. The findings indicate that the internal setup and legislative output of the parliamentary committees serve the policy goals of parties in the European Parliament, and in particular the working majority party, rather than special interests or purely informational needs, which the author explains with the formal and informal parliamentary rules. As the committees advance party politics instead of particularistic policies, she concludes that legislating within the committees is positive for democracy in the European Union and raises concerns about the loss in transparency, legitimacy and accountability that the increasingly common fast-track bicameral decision-making outside the committees entails. |