ABSTRACT
Over the last decade parliaments around the world have followed paradoxical
paths: on the one hand the value of parliamentarism has expanded considerably,
on the other, parliaments have become the public face of political disengagement.
Whilst the value of parliamentarism has been reinforced, the scepticism towards
legislatures has in fact increased. Also paradoxically, whilst trust in parliaments
has steadily declined, these institutions have never been more active in develop-
ing mechanisms to engage with the public.
