The following publication provides an introduction to the operation of legislative services in parliaments, a summary of recommendations adopted at legislative services workshops, an outline of the operations of select legislative departments, and examples of different legislative opinions produced by parliamentary services.
Lawmaking
The Jordanian Parliament Monitor (the Monitor) is an independent, non-partisan project launched by Al-Quds Center for Political Studies in 2008 with the support of the National Democracy Institute for International Affairs (NDI). It is aimed at developing partnership between Parliament and civil society organizations by enhancing parliamentary practices both at the legislative and oversight levels through the provision of best international practices and expertise.
NDI has developed a first-of-its-kind analytical framework to assess the level of “good governance” in a country. With funds from the United Nations Development Programme, NDI used the framework for a pilot assessment in Montenegro that measured the degree to which its system of governance is transparent and accountable and how it measures up against the criteria for membership in the European Union.
Legislatures have a critical role to play in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). This guide provides legislators with information about the EITI process and offers practical suggestions for them to encourage the government to participate and ensure that the EITI program is successful. It is designed primarily for legislators and their staff, but political leaders, government officials, civil society organizations and international actors may also find it helpful.