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Questions regarding the origin and evolution of legislative institutions are at the heart of comparative legislative studies. Much research in this area focuses on the US Congress; in contrast, comparative studies of European democracies have been more limited. Addressing this imbalance, this special issue showcases newly emerging research on legislative organisation in Europe. In doing so, it brings together contributions that explore the rationales behind the emergence of, and variation in, national European voting practices, investiture rules, minority rights, committee power, agenda control, debating rules and individual MPs’ rights. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The sudden collapse of Mali's democracy in 2012 revealed the fragility of the state's legitimacy and authority. This article argues that the decay of democracy was linked to the weakness of the country's legislature. Malian MPs collectively failed to scrutinize an increasingly discredited executive and parliamentarians typically operated in isolation from the vast majority of citizens. As a result, rising levels of popular discontent were rarely channelled into the formal political process, and the interests that did enter the political arena were largely restricted to the personal support networks and electoral constituencies of individual MPs. The prevalence of these particularistic interests undermined collective parliamentary scrutiny of matters of national interest. By demonstrating the link between these failures and the collapse of Mali's democracy, this article contributes to the expanding body of literature examining the limited role of African parliaments in processes of democratic consolidation. In doing so it confirms the challenges that executive dominance poses to democratization, while highlighting the importance of representative legislatures to Africa's democracies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article offers the author's insights on the history and development of the modern parliament representation. He says that parliaments in the 21st century democracies are elected by the citizens to represent them and ensure government by the people. He mentions that the parliament's changing nature is driven by trends of shifts in all areas of the society such as the development of new and advanced communications technology.

The article discusses the evolution of parliamentary democracy in Ghana. The history of Ghana's legislature under the British colonial government is described. Ghana's adoption of the Westminster model of Parliamentary democracy when it gained independence from Great Britain, details of several military interruptions, and efforts to move away from the Westminster model and stabilize democracy are all discussed. Details of the Golden Jubilee Sitting of Ghana's Parliament are also offered. INSET: GOLDEN JUBILEE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT.

Presents a historical context for reelection rates and congressional turnover through citizen legislatures and incumbent processes since the founding of American democracy. Indirect elections of senators in the House of Representatives; Mandatory rotation of offices; Transformation into the industrial nation-state; 18th century Republicanism; Dangers of political careerism.