In most countries, parliament has the constitutional mandate to both oversee and hold government to account. In light of the increased focus on good governance, academics and legislative strengthening practitioners are re-examining parliament's oversight function with a view to increasing public...

The paper shows that the quality of democracy is significantly affected by a legislature's ability to perform its oversight function. Building on a growing body of research and analysing original data from 97 national legislatures, the paper first provides a theoretial justification for why...

Effective legislatures are fundamental to promoting good governance and are a critical component in a country's overall governance framework. Although differences exist across government systems, legislatures, through their constitutional mandates, fulfill three core functions: representation,...