"Legislatures have one core defining function: that of giving assent to measures that, by virtue of that assent, are to be binding on society. In practice, they have usually performed other roles as well, such as debating measures or the conduct of public affairs. They have existed for centuries. They span the globe. Most countries have one; federal states have several. Commentators throughout the 20th century have bemoaned the ""decline"" of legislatures, yet the number shows no sign of declining; if anything, the reverse and their prominence has increased in the 1990s because of developments in central and eastern Europe. The volumes in this series seek to advance our understanding of those parliaments; they do so by examining the relationship between parliaments and the three principal actors in a liberal democracy:
governments, pressure groups and citizens. Governments are not particular to a liberal democracy but the relationship between parliaments and governments in such a system is qualitatively and quantitatively different to that in a non-democratic state. This second volume explores the relationship between parliaments and pressure groups. Pressure groups - or interest groups, to use a more neutral term - are intrinsic to a liberal democracy. Little is known about the relationship between parliaments and pressure groups in western Europe. This may be because such activity is hidden, non-existent, or deemed to be of no importance, but it is important
to know which it is in order to understand fully the workings of a political system."
Edited by:
Philip Norton
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: annotated edition
Dimensions:
Height: 216mm,
Width: 138mm,
Spine: 23mm
Weight: 385g
ISBN: 9780714648347
ISBN 10: 0714648345
Pages: 200
Publication Date: 31 October 1999
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
,
A / AS level
,
Further / Higher Education
Replaced By: 9780714643861
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Chapter 1 Introduction:Putting Pressure on Parliaments, Philip Norton; Chapter 2 The United Kingdom: Parliament Under Pressure, Philip Norton; Chapter 3 Germany: Bundestag and Interest Groups in a ‘Part y Democracy’, Thomas Saalfeld; Chapter 4 Parliament and Pressure Groups in Italy, Vincent Della Sala; Chapter 5 Belgium: Insider Pressure Groups in an Outsider Parliament, Lieven De Winter; Chapter 6 The Netherlands: Parliamentary Part ies Rival with Pressure Groups, M.EC.M. Van Schendelen; Chapter 7 Parliaments and Pressure Groups: The Irish Experience of Change, Eunan O'halpin, Eileen Connolly; Chapter 8 The European Parliament: Getting the House in Order, Mark E Shephard; Chapter 9 Conclusion: Conflicting Pressures, Philip Norton;
