1.1 Introduction
Parliaments as one of the key state institutions in a democratic system have a critical role to play in promoting democracy and good governance. As the democratically elected representatives of the people, members of parliament have the task to ensure government by the people and for the people. Where parliamentarians have established strong relations with their constituents, parliaments are well equipped to identify lingering and emerging grievances. 1 As elected representatives of the people, parliamentarians can speak on behalf of the poor and disadvantaged groups and other vulnerable and excluded communities. They can ensure that development plans are informed by the actual demands from them and are shaped by real priorities on the ground. In the performance of their key functions of legislation, representation and oversight parliaments can actively engage in the development and implementation of laws, policies, budgets and practices that promote democracy and good governance. 2 It is apparent from different UN and international treaties, resolutions and commitments 3 that parliament has a crucial role in shaping democracy and enhancing its effectiveness. So, for example, the UN âdemocracy frameworkâ adopted by the General Assembly in 2007 4 asserts that, âdemocracy, development and respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms are interdependent and mutually reinforcingâ, and specifically underlines the âcentral role of parliaments and the active involvement of civil society organizations and media and their interaction with Governments at all levels in promoting democracy , freedom, equality, participation, development , respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and the rule of lawâ. 5
Development efforts of such magnitude are more likely to meet their targets when parliaments engage effectively in the policy deliberations and corresponding budget process. Typically it happens when parliaments engage in budget formulation, and oversight of both âexecutive and donor expendituresâ. However, it might be difficult, even counter-intuitive to count on government executives to provide sufficient resources and technical support for parliamentsâ proper oversight of their performance. Many parliaments and similar legislative and oversight institutions are also chronically under-staffed and ill-informed. Often, they are sorely under-resourced and vital research and other capacity is often in short supply. That is why parliaments in many emerging democracies look to the international community for support, as do civil society organizations. Support for parliaments and parliamentarians is a relatively new, but a rapidly growing area of cooperation provided by different donors, often known as âdevelopment partnersâ, to national governments and representative institutions. These include, among others, parliament, legislative body, National Assembly and sub-national legislative bodies. Members of parliaments, also known as âparliamentariansâ, can be powerful advocates for development initiatives, and changes. They can promote political, institutional, economic reforms, and democratic transitions in countries either providing or receiving development assistance. There remains a distinct gap in the literature of studies of the impact of aid to parliament. This book seeks to consider the work of international organizations and donors with the parliaments of different countries in terms of their capacity to make a difference to the strengthening of parliamentary development and oversight.
Traditionally, support to legislative strengthening or âParliamentary Development Assistanceâ (hereinafter referred as âPDAâ) is a term which refers to the development aid to legislative bodies. The aid includes, among others, processes by which a parliament of either a developing, a post-conflict, or a transitional country receives technical and/or financial assistance from an external actor, organization or agent with the purpose of defining and improving parliamentâs core business, capacities or performance in any possible way to promote change or reform in a series of pre-established areas or goals.
As elected representatives, parliamentarians have an important role to play in ensuring democratic participation in governmentsâ development programmes and policies, oversight of the management of development resources, strengthening accountability mechanisms and anti-corruption approaches, and building public awareness of development policy issues. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, parliaments are attempting to find space in an increasingly competitive public sphere, where citizens have multiple routes to influence policy or challenge governmental decisions. This trend has been further accelerated by the growth of communication technologies (i.e. social networks, new media and content management system, and dynamic content production) in recent decades. Whereas the parliaments of the mid-twentieth century might have been able to assume a certain authority within the public sphere when they were the principal route for representation, this is no longer guaranteed. The traditional roles of these institutions have evolved and developed over time in response to the demands of the respective societies. Some parliaments that started as purely consultative bodies began to assert their legislative powers, which in turn played a role in the governance of their countries. In representative democracies, as they became increasingly institutionalized, their members developed ways of using their existing power to create additional roles and greater authority. Consequently, this has affected their composition, powers, functions and Rules of Procedure.
Barring some exceptions, a more educated, informed and demanding citizens and voters are placing new expectations on their representative institutions. The challenge for the development of parliaments around the world is to understand the nature of these changes, determine what they mean for parliamentary representation, lawmaking, and oversight, and, identify ways of adapting to what seems to be the ever-quickening pace of change. It leads to greater civic engagements with parliament and exposes parliaments to public scrutiny as well. Understanding such demand-driven bottom-up process is important to appreciate fully the real impact of parliamentary development work. The critical roles played by both the parliament and the parliamentarians draw considerable interest among development partners. In fact, the first ever Global Parliamentary Report 2012 jointly produced by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) while reinforcing parliamentsâ vital role in a democracy clearly indicated that in a complex and fast-moving environment, many parliaments have to change the way they perform in order to retain their legitimacy and relevance. 6
A large number of organizationsâintergovernmental, governmental and non-governmental bodiesâare involved in the Parliamentary Development Assistance. They range from bilateral donors such as USAID, SIDA, CIDA and DFID, to multilateral organizations including UN, UNDP and the World Bank, to parliamentary networks and political party foundations such as the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC), the National Democratic Institute (NDI), and an assortment of research and capacity-building organizations such as the Canadian Parliamentary Centre, think tanks, not-for-profits and private-sector organizations. The approaches taken to parliamentary strengthening vary from those which are focused on parliamentarians themselves, to those which are focused on parliament as an institution, to those such as International-IDEA, which deal with aspects of the wider political system within which parliaments operate, such as elections and political parties. While the function of such institutions and processes as arenas for debate and for parliamentary development or democratization is of great importance, it is the first functionâthat of parliamentary oversightâwhich forms the focus of this research.
Efforts to ...