African Parliaments

This book offers in-depth analysis of parliamentary development set in a historical context informed by Africa's post-1990s democratic resurgence. In particular, it illustrates how African parliaments are caught between the twin processes of being part of the machinery of government while exercising the function of holding government accountable.

Working together across religious, ethnic, and class divisions, African women are helping to formulate legislation and foster democracies more inclusive of women's interests. Women in African Parliaments explores this phenomenon, examining the impact and experiences of African women as they seek increased representation in national legislatures. The authors' carefully constructed case studies allow cross-national comparisons of the range of strategies that African women have used to achieve greater involvement in national politics. A unique feature of the work is the voices of African women themselves, who explain how they achieved or continue to fight for electoral success, how they learned to work with lifelong adversaries, and how they have begun to transform their parliaments.

Parliaments play a pivotal role in governance, and yet little is known about how evidence is used for decision-making in these complex, political environments. Together with its practice companion volume, African Parliaments: Systems of evidence in practice, this volume explores the multiple roles legislatures play in governance, the varied mandates and allegiances of elected representatives, and what this means for evidence use. Given the tensions in Africa around the relationships between democracy and development, government and citizen agency, this volume considers the theories around parliamentary evidence use, and interrogates what they mean in the context of African governance.

Parliaments play a pivotal role in governance, and yet little is known about how evidence is used for decision-making in these complex, political environments. Together with its practice companion volume, African Parliaments: Systems of evidence in practice, this volume explores the multiple roles legislatures play in governance, the varied mandates and allegiances of elected representatives, and what this means for evidence use. Given the tensions in Africa around the relationships between democracy and development, government and citizen agency, this volume considers the theories around parliamentary evidence use, and interrogates what they mean in the context of African governance.

Explores the functions of three regional and five national parliaments, with a view to using these experiences in the development of the Pan-African Parliament of the African Union (AU).

The role parliaments play in governance is fundamentally political, and as a result, the institutional side of parliamentary organisations is often overlooked. This volume, together with the theoretical volume African Parliaments: Evidence systems for governance and development, takes a practical look at African parliaments as institutions, and explores the ways in which their structures and processes influence the use of evidence for decision making. A comparative approach helps the reader get a practical view of how this governance interplay is enacted within portfolio committees, on chamber floors, and on the campaign trail. This volume looks at various models parliaments have used to institutionalise evidence use, and considers the implications this has for governance.

This book presents recent reforms in selected African parliaments - Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Benin, Zambia, Ethiopia, Liberia and Nigeria. It also presents cross-cutting innovations by African parliaments - in fighting corruption, in providing development to constituents and in combatting climate change.