ABSTRACT
The Doring (1995a) edited volume illustrates in superb detail the extent of institutional differences, and consequently of institutional power, across 18 European countries. Yet that volume concentrates on the fonnal rules and powers of the government, committees, and the like. The creation of the 'Study of the Parliamentary Passage of Legislation, 1981-1991' (SPPL) data set provides a rare opportunity to examine how those rules are put into practice.
