Ragnhild Louise Muriaas
Women have made great strides towards equal representation in parliaments across the world. Their short parliamentary careers, however, still stop them from representing their constituents as effectively as men colleagues, write Ragnhild L. Muriaas and Torill Stavenes, guest editors of The Loop’s blog series to mark International Women’s Day on Friday 8 March Read more
Ragnhild Louise Muriaas
In recent decades, women across the globe have entered parliaments in greater numbers. Few of them, however, end up as senior MPs with long experience. This, write Ragnhild Louise Muriaas and Torill Stavenes, means that women – even in advanced democracies – are still much less powerful than men in parliaments Read more
Philipp Bien
When we consider national parliaments, we think of the domestic arena. However, there are rarely observed foreign dimensions to the work of national legislators. Philipp Bien, Meray Maddah and Thomas Malang argue that, through fora like the Inter-Parliamentary Union, national legislators have become an important group in international politics Read more
Giovanni Capoccia
The Italian general election produced a clear majority for the right-wing coalition headed by the Brothers of Italy, following a significant shift of votes within the coalition. The parties of the centre-left failed to forge an electoral alliance to stop the right. The political landscape remains volatile, says Giovanni Capoccia Read more
Kandida Purnell
Kandida Purnell explains the significance of the transition between the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the crowning of King Charles III. There is a strange (yet strategic) legal-theological history and tradition which gives the UK's monarch two ‘bodies’. In doing so, it breathes life into the still commonly deployed metaphorical ‘body politic’ Read more
Felix Wiebrecht
Almost every country in the world has a legislature. They are at the centre of democratic politics, but also take on crucial roles in authoritarian regimes. Felix Wiebrecht illustrates how a multidimensional approach both helps us to understand their role in dictatorships, and paves the way for more research Read more
Thomas König
Thomas König, Nick Lin, and Thiago N. Silva argue that opposition can challenge government agenda dominance in parliaments through the control of committee chairs. This also impacts how coalition partners manage governance. Read more
Joop Van Holsteyn
Coronavirus dominated the Dutch elections to the virtual exclusion of all else. The outcome, write Joop van Holsteyn and Galen Irwin, is a parliament with a record number of parties. Although the current coalition has sufficient seats to return to power, this may not happen. The Liberal Party again has the biggest share, and it is likely Mark Rutte will return as Minister-President Read more
