David M. Olson Livres

The book delves into the evolution of democratic institutions in former Communist Eastern European countries, analyzing how different committee systems are structured. Contributors examine the relationship between the strength of these committees and the overall power of each country's legislature. A cohesive theoretical framework unifies the essays, providing a comprehensive understanding of the political dynamics at play in the region's transition to democracy.

This text summarizes the research on, and experiences of, democratic legislatures around the world. It focuses on what legislatures are and what they do - as both consequence of and contributor to democratic self-government.

What role have parliaments played in the dramatic changes occurring in Eastern and Central Europe? Adopting a common research framework, the contributors analyze in detail the role and operations of parliaments in ten of the new democracies. They focus on what determines their capacity to have some impact on public policy. They identify the significance of parliaments operating in often hybrid systems of government, with the relationship between the executive and legislature not well defined, and with an absence of constraining influence that typify western political systems