ABSTRACT
This introductory chapter begins by making the case that, for various (academic and non-academic) reasons, the Assembly matters and merits attention. It then proceeds to outline the overarching aim of the book, which is to examine how the Assembly goes about fulfilling four core functions expected of a legislature: representation, linkage, scrutiny, and policy-making. The chapter then sets the research in context by sketching the historical and political backdrop to the Assembly. The main consociational features of Northern Ireland’s devolution model are then explained, after which further information is provided on the data and research methods used in subsequent chapters. The chapter concludes with a note on terminology.
