Contents
List of figures, tables and boxes;
List of contributors;
1 Introduction to the Handbook of Parliamentary Studies;
2 On the concepts of parliament, parliamentarianism and parliamentary democracy;
Part I: Theory and History;
3 The history of Parliament;
4 The prehistory of parliaments;
5 Aspects of a conceptual history of parliamentary politics;
6 Theories of parliamentarism, philosophies of democracy;
Part II: Law;
7 Parliament in constitutional law;
8 Parliaments in comparative legal and political analyses;
9 Beyond neglect and disrespect: legislatures in legal scholarship;
10 Sources and origins of parliamentary law;
11 Parliaments and fundamental rights;
Part III: Political Science;
12 Political science approaches to legislatures;
13 Parliaments and democratic transitions;
14 The comparative institutional analysis of parliamentary ethics;
15 Legislatures and the administrative state: political control, bureaucratic politics and public ac;
16 Parliaments and regionalism;
17 Parliaments in an age of populism;
Part IV: Political Economy;
18 The economic approach to assembly decisions;
19 Formal approaches to the study of parliaments;
20 Historical political economy of parliaments;
21 Legislatures and executive vetoes;
Part V: Sociology and Anthropology;
22 Anthropology of parliaments;
23 Sociology of parliaments: new trajectories;
24 Feminist studies and parliaments;
25 Parliament in the policymaking process: toward a sociology of law-making;
26 Parliaments as places of discourse;
Index

"This comprehensive Handbook takes a multidisciplinary approach to the study of parliaments, offering novel insights into the key aspects of legislatures, legislative institutions and legislative politics. Connecting rich and diverse fields of inquiry, it illuminates how the study of parliaments has shaped a wider understanding surrounding politics and society over the past decades. Through 26 thematic chapters, expert contributors analyse parliamentary institutions from various disciplinary perspectives (history, law, political science, political economy, sociology and anthropology). A wide range of approaches is covered, including the sociological study of members of parliaments, gender studies and the mathematical conceptualisation of legislatures. Exploring the history of parliament, the concepts and theories of parliamentarism, constitutional law, the linkages between parliaments and the administrative state or with populism, this incisive Handbook provides a panoramic view of this institution. Chapters also map the main trends, patterns of developments and controversies related to parliaments, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of current research and identifying a range of promising avenues for further study. Drawing together international and comparative approaches, the Handbook of Parliamentary Studies will be a critical resource for academics and students of parliamentary politics, political science, political economy, public law and political history. It also provides a vital foundation for researchers of legislative and political institutions"-- Provided by publisher.