This book is unique in analysing the new Scottish Parliament from a systematically comparative perspective. Its basic premise is that since devolution in 1999 Scotland can be considered a Scandinavian-style democracy with several features of a Scandinavian-style parliament. The basic research question, therefore, is: 'Has the Scottish Parliament in its first four-year term manifested a Scandinavian-style politics in the sense that there has been a high incidence of inter-party negotiation within Parliament?'The architects of the Scottish Parliament saw the committees as the motor of a 'new politics' and gave them extensive powers. Outside Austria, only the Swedish and Icelandic committees have comparable powers. Accordingly, the study sets out to describe and analyse the workings of the committees in the Scottish, Swedish and Icelandic Parliaments. The concluding chapter also discusses the operation of the Danish, Finnish and Norwegian committees.
Author(s): David Arter
Edition: annotated edition
Year: 2003
Language: English
Pages: 160
Book Cover......Page 1
Half-Title......Page 2
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Contents......Page 7
List of Tables......Page 9
Preface......Page 11
PART I THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES: THE MOTOR OF A NEW POLITICS?......Page 14
CHAPTER 1 The Creation of a Scandinavian-Style Parliament in Scotland......Page 16
A SCANDINAVIAN-STYLE PARLIAMENT IN SCOTLAND......Page 18
A SCANDINAVIAN-STYLE PARLIAMENTARISM IN SCOTLAND?......Page 28
SCOTLAND AS A ‘POWER-SHARING DEMOCRACY’ RATHER THAN A ‘BARGAINING DEMOCRACY’......Page 33
NOTES......Page 39
CHAPTER 2 An Analytical Framework for the Comparative Study of Parliamentary Committee Systems......Page 44
THE RESTRUCTURING OF THE SCOTTISH COMMITTEES AFTER ONLY 18 MONTHS......Page 45
THE POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF THE SCOTTISH COMMITTEE SYSTEM......Page 49
A FRAMEWORK FOR ANALYSING COMMITTEE SYSTEMS......Page 53
CONCLUSION......Page 57
NOTES......Page 58
CHAPTER 3 Hypothesising on the Legislative Capacity of the Scottish Committees......Page 62
SMALL COMMITTEES ARE STRONG COMMITTEES?......Page 64
SMALL COMMITTEES ARE WEAK COMMITTEES?......Page 70
A RUDIMENTARY CONSIDERATION OF THE ‘COMMITTEE AUTONOMY’ HYPOTHESES......Page 73
NOTES......Page 85
CHAPTER 4 Leading the Scottish Committees: The Challenges of the Convenor’s Role......Page 88
THE PRIMARY CHALLENGES OF THE CONVENOR’S ROLE......Page 91
CONCLUSION......Page 104
COMMITTEE SIZE AND EFFECTIVE LEGISLATIVE SCRUTINY?......Page 106
COMMITTEE EXPERTISE AND A CORPORATE ‘COMMITTEE CULTURE’?......Page 112
COMMITTEE POWERS AND PERFORMANCE: AGENDA-SETTERS OR EXECUTIVE-LED?......Page 119
COMMITTEE TRANSPARENCY: OPEN COMPROMISE OR OPEN CONFLICT......Page 128
CONCLUSIONS......Page 135
CHAPTER 6 The Scottish Committees as the Motor of a ‘New Politics’......Page 138
THE FOUR CSG PRINCIPLES FOR THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT......Page 139
THE COMMITTEES AND ‘NEW POLITICS’: THE CONVENORS’ PERSPECTIVES......Page 143
PART II THE STANDING COMMITTEES IN A ‘BARGAINING DEMOCRACY’: THE CASE OF THE SWEDISH RIKSDAG......Page 152
CHAPTER 7 The Challenges of Chairing a Swedish Riksdag Committee......Page 154
THE MAIN FEATURES OF THE RIKSDAG STANDING COMMITTEE SYSTEM......Page 155
COMMITTEE CHAIRS AND THE CHALLENGES OF THE ROLE......Page 159
NOTES......Page 165
CHAPTER 8 The Riksdag Committees as Legislative Initiators......Page 168
NOTES......Page 176
CHAPTER 9 The Deliberative Function of the Riksdag Committees—Engine Room or Record Office?......Page 178
NOTES......Page 189
CHAPTER 10 The Growing Investigative Capacity of the Riksdag Committees......Page 190
CONCLUSIONS......Page 200
NOTES......Page 204
PART III ‘OLD POLITICS’ IN AN ANCIENT PARLIAMENT? THE CASE OF THE ICELANDIC ALTHINGI......Page 206
CHAPTER 11 The Challenge of Chairing the Althingi Committees......Page 208
CAMERAL CHANGE AND THE MODERNISATION OF THE ALTHINGI COMMITTEES......Page 210
COMMITTEE CHAIRS AND THE CHALLENGES OF THE ROLE......Page 215
NOTES......Page 221
THE LEGISLATIVE FUNCTION: COMMITTEE BILLS AND MEMBER’S BILLS IN THE ALTHINGI......Page 222
THE DELIBERATIVE FUNCTION OF ALTHINGI COMMITTEES......Page 227
THE INQUIRY FUNCTION OF ALTHINGI COMMITTEES......Page 235
TOWARDS A COMMITTEE CULTURE IN THE ALTHINGI?......Page 238
CONCLUSIONS......Page 247
PART IV CONCLUSIONS......Page 250
CHAPTER 13 Scotland: Towards a Scandinavian Style Parliamentarism?......Page 252
THE COMMITTEES IN SCOTLAND, SWEDEN AND ICELAND—SOME CONCLUDING COMPARISONS......Page 253
COMMITTEE PRACTICE ELSEWHERE IN SCANDINAVIA—DENMARK, FINLAND AND NORWAY......Page 259
THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT: TOWARDS A SCANDINAVIAN-STYLE PARLIAMENTARISM?......Page 272
SOME CONCLUDING REMARKS......Page 279
NOTES......Page 281
THE ISSUES AND THE CAMPAIGN......Page 284
THE RESULT......Page 290
NOTES......Page 298
APPENDIX......Page 299
References......Page 302
Index......Page 308
