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Abstract
Based on a recently published English-language global database on constitutional case law linked to the global pandemic, my contribution aims at analysing the currently underestimated link between constitutional review and the emergency operation of parliaments. Although the fact, that huge research endeavors have been devoted to the evaluation of parliamentary solutions adapting to the Covid-19 pandemic, the role of constitutional review has not been understood more deeply in this process until now. However, several constitutional constitutional courts have heard significant matters of parliamentary law during and shortly after the public health emergency, and despite the mostly deferential character of constitutional/supreme courts, the relevant rulings from around the world provided meaningful orientations how to describe rliamentary margin of movement to regulate internal structure and organisation during such extraordinary periods. This contribution will enumerate such constitutional/supreme court decisions and will assess their added value to maintain effective parliamentary work under the shadow of unprecedented challenges.
Abstract
The Centre for Parliamentary Research at the Ferenc Deák Faculty of State and Law of Széchenyi István University organized between 9–10. May 2024 for the ninth time this year an overview of Hungarian and international parliamentary research within the framework of the Day of Parliamentarianism conference series. On the first day of the two-day international conference “Parliaments in Europe”, researchers shared their research results in Hungarian, while on the second day, attendants could listen to lectures in English.
Abstract
Artificial Intelligence (ai) is on the rise and already affecting parliaments around the world. In the framework of a long-term and on-going research project, a series of interactive workshops have been organized between 2021 and 2023 in three national parliaments, in Greece, Argentina, and Canada, with the objective to assess the relevance and priority of a pre-defined set of 210 proposals, primarily regarding the use of ai-based tools and services in the parliamentary workspace. Reflection groups within each parliament evaluated these proposals providing invaluable results that can be utilized in manifold ways by the institutions, for instance towards structuring digital strategies, designing future it systems, or training intra-parliamentary stakeholders. This article presents a comparative analysis of the results obtained by all three parliaments. The analysis sheds light in a rapidly developing field of disruptive parliamentary technology (ParlTech) that with define the parliaments of the future.
Abstract
Often mentioned only as a brief reference, the port town of Ende was a crucial player in a network connecting Arabic, Chinese, Indian, and Javanese merchants with the trade in valuable commodities from Eastern Indonesia. This article explores the cultural and economic exchanges at the heart of Endenese identity through archival research, historical ecology, oral histories, and ethnography. Known to the Dutch as a pirate and slaving centre, Ende was the most significant force in the Savu Sea until 1907. With the local economy reshaped to produce agricultural staples in the early twentieth century, Ende experienced a minor boom by exporting copra, or dried coconut husks. In this article, I reconstruct the complex commodity dynamics that silently shaped Ende. “Invisibilised” by colonial and Indonesian forces, I identify Ende’s peripheralisation as the deliberate consequence of the consolidation of governance power among outside elites and the disempowerment of local groups. I conclude by showing the value of ethnographic tools in retelling the stories of those who were once at the centre of the world.
Summary
Why do Member States agree to create supra-state institutions? Do institutional frameworks affect outcomes? This study employs theory-testing process tracing to contribute to liberal intergovernmentalism by examining the configuration process of the European External Action Service, negotiated within two innovative institutional settings: the Convention and the Quadrilogue. The study concludes that liberal intergovernmentalism needs to be nuanced, as institutional settings are crucial in building supra-state institutions by shaping actors’ behaviour through available choices and conclusions. The bargaining was supra-state rather than intergovernmental. Preference formation was domestic but not liberal, as no interest group, other than the diplomatic corps, was involved. The European External Action Service was agreed upon as a package deal based on benefits to Member States and EU institutional actors, along with control mechanisms. Evidence comes from sixty in-depth elite interviews with EU officials and member state representatives directly involved in the negotiations.
Abstract
This study examines the Meloni-Casellati institutional reform in Italy. This reform constitutes a relevant political fact that could potentially affect the functioning of political institutions and the behavior of political actors in the country. The reform aims to strengthen the link between voter preferences and government formation and enhance government stability. The proposal, consisting of four substantive articles, abolishes life senators, modifies the Head of State’s dissolution powers, introduces the direct election of the prime minister and a peculiar confidence mechanism. This study explores the historical context and motivations behind the reform proposal, examining its potential impact on the country’s politics. Then, it describes the various steps of the reform drafting. Finally, it compares the Meloni-Casellati proposal with Israel’s 1992–2001 experiment concerning the direct election of the prime minister, scrutinizing similarities and differences. If approved, the reform will introduce a new, unprecedented government system in Italy, that has never been adopted elsewhere. As such, this topic poses relevant theoretical challenges for political science research, eliciting scholarly attention about Italian politics, government forms, institutional design, and ruling and opposition parties behavior.
Abstract
The article analyses the role of parliament in the face of a constitutional crisis, drawing on Poland’s experience from 2015–2023. The issue discussed focuses on the impact of changes to the judiciary and other key democratic institutions, which have resulted in Poland being perceived as a state with illiberal constitutionalism or authoritarian populism. The article emphasises the importance of analysing patterns and scenarios of constitutional crisis, pointing to the ‘avalanche effect’ whereby changes in one country can affect other countries in the region. The paper focuses on the role of the parliament as a key democratic body responding to difficult challenges and attempts to curb violations of the rule of law in Poland. The research objective is to analyse the constitutional mechanisms conducive to the protection of the rule of law during periods of populist rule, and by analysing these aspects, the paper contributes to the debate on the condition of contemporary parliamentarism.