Reforming parliamentary democracy / edited by F. Leslie Seidle and David C. Docherty.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Seidle, Leslie, Author.

Contributor:

Seidle, F. Leslie.

Docherty, David C. (David Campbell), 1961-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Legislative bodies--Reform.

Legislative bodies.

Representative government and representation.

Legislative bodies--Canada--Reform.

Comparative government.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (viii, 245 pages)

Place of Publication:

Montreal ; Ithaca : McGill-Queen's University Press, 2003.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The authors address issues of representation - the move to a proportional electoral system in New Zealand, the unsuccessful attempt to establish a domestic head of state in Australia, and the reform of the British House of Lords - and demonstrate that citizens increasingly want legislative institutions to more closely reflect the societies they serve. To discuss responsiveness, the governance of indigenous communities and their place within the broader society in Canada and New Zealand are examined, as is the role of institutions other than legislatures that are involved in protecting minority rights and responding to various forms of diversity. A separate chapter analyses the basis for and merits of proposals to reform the Canadian House of Commons. In addition, authors review the dynamics of federalism, intergovernmental relations, and other processes of multi-level governance in Canada, the United Kingdom, and South Africa. Public debate about adapting governance processes to changing conditions and citizen values is a necessary condition of successful democracies and there is much to learn from progress and false starts in other parliamentary democracies. Contributors include Jonathan Boston (Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand), Paul Chartrand (consultant, Victoria, British Columbia), Stéphane Dion (minister of Intergovernmental Relations, Government of Canada), David Docherty, Mason Durie (Massey University), Robert Hazell (University College London), Christina Murray (University of Cape Town), Cheryl Saunders (University of Melbourne), Leslie Seidle, Jennifer Smith (Dalhousie University), and Lord Wakeham (former chairman of the Royal Commission on House of Lords Reform).

Contents:

Institutional change in a small democracy : New Zealand's experience of electoral reform / Jonathan Boston

Australian republic : act I / Cheryl Saunders

Solving the conundrum of second chamber reform in the United Kingdom / Lord Wakeham

Canada and the Aboriginal peoples : from dominion to condominium / Paul L.A.H. Chartrand

Mäori in governance : Parliament, statutory recognition, and the state sector / Mason Durie

Debating the reform of Canada's Parliament / Jennifer Smith.

Interdependence of governments in Canada / Stéphane Dion / UK's rolling program of devolution : slippery slope or safeguard of the union? / Robert Hazell

Designing Parliament for cooperative federalism : South Africa's National Council of Provinces / Christina Murray

Conclusion, Can Canada learn some lessons? / David C. Docherty.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based upon print version of record.

ISBN:

1-282-86094-1

9786612860942

0-7735-7082-9

OCLC:

929120677