While conceiving economic development as the enlargement of human freedoms, Indian economist Amartya Sen, once stated that “the practice of democracy gives citizens an opportunity to learn from one another, and helps society to form its values and priorities. […] the understanding of “economic needs,” requires public discussion and exchange of information, views, and analyses”. Hence, this perspective underscores the importance of examining the evolution and the future of parliamentary work in a rapidly changing world, today marked by global shockwaves threatening the progress made in international development over the past decades.

The Covid-19 crisis made evident the urgency for the transformation of Parliaments around the world. As the virus spread, legislative institutions had to make pressing decisions in order to protect the lives and livelihoods of their constituents by voting bills, extending extraordinary powers to governments, and exercise their oversight role over governmental responses and public expenditure. However, as contagion levels rose and shutdowns were becoming a universal response, Parliaments had no option but to carry their activities virtually or be paralyzed in a time of greatest need.

To keep legislative activities running, Parliaments had to enter the 4th industrial revolution by adopting new information and communication technologies (ICTs) and adapting their working procedures. According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s (IPU), in 2020 alone, 65% of 116 Parliaments held virtual or hybrid committee meetings, and 33% of them held a virtual or a plenary meeting. This movement towards digitalization of parliamentary practices had to be accompanied by remote working practices, greater reliance on cloud-based tools and digital solutions, adaptation of procedural rules, as well as a movement towards increased training and support regarding new tools and promoting infrastructural changes.

In the context of the crisis, World Bank experts stated “although the timing and nature of the next pandemic spark is unknowable, it is certain to happen”. This reality highlights the need for sustaining these efforts of modernization deemed crucial to build preparedness in Parliaments to respond faster and better in the wake of future outbreaks. Therefore, how does a modern Parliament look like? What can we expect Parliaments to become in the future? are questions that are worth examining in this context of legislative transformation.

The idea of modern parliaments is not a new one, but can be traced back to the turn of the millennium. In September 2000, an expert group serving the European Union (EU) Speakers’ working group expressed their concerns about the effects of globalization and scientific expertise on democratic processes, the increased importance of civil society in political debates, and the role of agencies in designing and implementing policy. According to them, a modern Parliament would have to assure certain core functions such as policy-making, legitimation of collective decisions and policies, oversight of government and other authorities, maintenance of public space for discussion and reflection, and the protection of transparency, accountability, and open democratic process.

In order to do so, in a globalized and increased digital world, Parliaments would need to adopt in their functioning modern ICTs, notably implying reforms in working practices and regulations, the establishment of training programmes to new technologies, and the modernization of their technological infrastructures. Access to the digital era, beyond building preparedness for future crises, will allow Parliaments to enhance their access to a wider array of information and data used in deliberation, their capacity to monitor and regulate public policy, as well as to increase public participation, knowledge sharing and their links with constituents and civil society.

Indeed, the information era has opened the door to more diverse and competing sources of data and knowledge of modern issues. While this improvement helps legislative institutions not to rely on only few and, sometimes partial, sources of information; it exposes Parliaments to an excess of data requiring the establishment of information selecting mechanisms which can be achieved through institutional and infrastructural reforms.

Furthermore, the digital era provides Parliaments with tools and informational supports for public policy evaluation and regulation such as statistics, reports, diagrams, and mapping technologies. These documents facilitate knowledge processing, while they set Parliamentarians on an equal foot, via the access to relatively objective information for policy evaluation in the process of holding governments accountable.

Besides, new ICTs bring with them websites and social media platforms which can be used by constituents to hold Parliaments accountable while strengthening the link between elected representatives and the people. Indeed, monitoring digital platforms such as parliamentary websites, observatories of public policy, and social media keep the electorate informed about parliamentary activities, as well as on the political position and the bills proposed or passed by their respective representatives. Furthermore, the latter can also use social media to consult and have a picture of their constituents’ opinion on certain subjects, as well as to inform them about policies and actions in real time.

This constant and rapid flow of information can result in increased national and international knowledge sharing processes and partnerships with other Parliaments, international institutions, non-profit and civil society organizations. Such situation is favorable to international cooperation and coordination in public policies, which is indispensable when it comes to facing pressing global challenges such as development and climate change. In this context, the exchange of knowledge and experiences is key to improve development outcomes since policy makers can obtain examples of public policies to inspire themselves from the success of others, as well as to learn from past mistakes to avoid them in the future.

As a result, the future of Parliaments can be a bright one for democracy and public policy improvement by opening new possibilities and potentialities in legislative work, transparency and accountability. Nonetheless, this can only be achieved by facilitating Parliaments’ access to digital technologies, infrastructure, and training; as well as through the establishment of regulations and rules of procedure to minimize the risks of the digital age that they entail.

References:

European Commission. 9 November 2000. The Future of Parliamentary Democracy: Transition and Challenge in European Governance. Paper Review, Brussels: European Governance team.

Inter-Parliamentary Union. 2021. World e-Parliament Report 2020. Geneva: Inter-Parliamentary Union.

Juan Pablo Uribe, Priya Basu, Magnus Lindelow. 2021. “Preparing for the next pandemic: What will it take?” World Bank Blogs. November 15. Accessed June 23, 2022. https://blogs.worldbank.org/voices/preparing-next-pandemic-what-will-it-take.

Sen, Amartya. 1999. “Democracy as a Universal Value.” Journal of Democracy 3-17.