This year, the PSA Parliaments Group Annual Conference will take place in Belfast, Northern Ireland, hosted by the Northern Ireland Assembly in Parliament Buildings, Stormont. The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Making Sense of Parliaments’ – a timely and pertinent question in the Northern Ireland context, given that the region’s legislature has not reconvened since the colla[pse of the devolved institutions in January 2017. Our conference seeks to highlight the best research into legislatures, shining a light on how we make sense of scrutiny, representation, governance, and all aspects of parliamentary life.
Our conference, where members present and discuss their latest research, is the most important event of the year for those interested in parliaments and legislatures. The conference includes not only academic panels but a keynote practitioner panel, the formal presentation of the winner of the Group’s undergraduate essay competition, and provides opportunities for networking between academics and practitioners in the field of parliamentary studies.
PAPERS AND PANELS:
Panel 1: Legislative Influence
- Eloise Ellis (UEA) 'Constitutional Scrutiny by Parliamentary Committee'
- Matthew Williams, Jonathan Jones and Ruth Dixon (Oxford) 'Making Sense of the EU (Withdrawal) Bill: Computer-Assisted Analysis of Amendments in Parliament'
- James Strong (QMUL) 'The House of Commons' influence over military action: what can we learn from history?'
- James Kelly (Concordia) 'Stormont and Human Rights: An assessment of rights-based scrutiny by the NI Assembly'
Panel 2: Parliaments and the Public
- Nicole Nisbett and Cristina Leston-Bandeira (Leeds) 'Online Public Engagement: The Organisational Structure'
- Thales Torres Quintao (Minas Gerais, Brazil) 'Participation in Legislatures: Meanings and Justifications'
- Lawrence Mckay (Manchester) 'Proof communication matters: linking inputs and outputs in Westminster MPs' constituency communication'
- Aileen Walker (Global Partners Governance) 'Public trust in parliaments and links to stability'
Panel 3: MPs and their Roles
- Richard Kwiatkowski and Warren Greig (Cranfield) 'Stepping in the same river: Change, constancy and the psychology of Members of Parliament'
- Nicholas Allen (Royal Holloway), Gabriele Magni (Princeton) and Donald D Searing (North Carolina, Chapel Hill) 'What is a career politician? Theories, concepts and measures'
- Mark Bennister (Lincoln) 'What Do You Do Mr Speaker? Up Close Observation in the Everyday Life of Parliament'
Panel 4: Devolved and Subnational Developments
- David Torrance (House of Commons) 'Contradictory Unionism: the impact of Stormont on British devolution debates'
- Diana Stirbu (LMU) 'Strengthening the National Assembly for Wales through strategic re-positioning'
- Khemvirg Puente (National Autonomous University of Mexico) 'Legislative institutionalisation in Mexican subnational legislatures'
- Margaret Arnott (UWS) 'Brexit & Interparliamentary Relations in the Devolved UK: Challenges and Solutions?'
Timings will be published closer to the time, but please be aware that the conference takes place over two half-days and we welcome your attendance for the full conference.
For further information, please contact Dr Marc Geddes (marc.geddes@ed.ac.uk) and Dr Louise Thompson (louise.thompson-4@manchester.ac.uk).
Please note that this event is recommended for an academic audience.
