Seven Committees and the legislature
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Bernadette Connaughton
Abstract
As the legislature, Oireachtas Éireann has three main tasks in policy making: providing legitimacy for public policy; participating in the legislative process; and performing control and scrutiny functions. This chapter focuses on policy analysis and observes these tasks from the perspective of the role of legislators in Dáil Éireann. It also explores the historical and contemporary role of parliamentary and other political committees, and the institutional supports that enable their function in policy making. Arguably, the sheer dearth of assistance and resources available to Teachtaí Dála (TDs) has contributed to an underwhelming legislative performance over time. Developments since 2011 provide an important context for exploring the role of the Irish parliament in policy analysis in this chapter, given the relative deficiencies in earlier reform initiatives and the systemic policy failures highlighted by the crisis. An agenda to introduce political-administrative reform post-2011 included building policy analysis capacity within the Oireachtas and addressing the significant imbalances in executive–legislative relations. The chapter begins with a sketch of the Irish parliament to provide an outline of the constitutional underpinning of the Irish parliament and its relationship to government. It then proceeds to discuss the degree to which Dáil Éireann developed a role in policy analysis, including an outline of key reforms from 2011. In particular, three areas of interest are explored: access to information and research capacity for policy analysis, including the emerging Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), which may encourage more meaningful contributions in the public policy process; the development of the committee system and its activities; participation in inquiries.
Abstract
As the legislature, Oireachtas Éireann has three main tasks in policy making: providing legitimacy for public policy; participating in the legislative process; and performing control and scrutiny functions. This chapter focuses on policy analysis and observes these tasks from the perspective of the role of legislators in Dáil Éireann. It also explores the historical and contemporary role of parliamentary and other political committees, and the institutional supports that enable their function in policy making. Arguably, the sheer dearth of assistance and resources available to Teachtaí Dála (TDs) has contributed to an underwhelming legislative performance over time. Developments since 2011 provide an important context for exploring the role of the Irish parliament in policy analysis in this chapter, given the relative deficiencies in earlier reform initiatives and the systemic policy failures highlighted by the crisis. An agenda to introduce political-administrative reform post-2011 included building policy analysis capacity within the Oireachtas and addressing the significant imbalances in executive–legislative relations. The chapter begins with a sketch of the Irish parliament to provide an outline of the constitutional underpinning of the Irish parliament and its relationship to government. It then proceeds to discuss the degree to which Dáil Éireann developed a role in policy analysis, including an outline of key reforms from 2011. In particular, three areas of interest are explored: access to information and research capacity for policy analysis, including the emerging Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), which may encourage more meaningful contributions in the public policy process; the development of the committee system and its activities; participation in inquiries.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures, tables and boxes vii
- List of abbreviations viii
- Notes on contributors xi
- Editors’ introduction to the seriesr xv
- Acknowledgements xvii
- Foreword xix
- Preface xxiii
- Contextualising policy analysis in Ireland 1
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History, styles and methods of policy analysis in Ireland
- The evolution of economic policy analysis in Ireland 19
- The evolution of social policy analysis in Ireland: from a theocentric to an econocentric paradigm? 33
- The changing policy analysis capacity of the Irish state 47
- Introducing evidence into policy making in Ireland 63
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Policy analysis at various levels of government: from local to the EU
- Ireland’s ‘unique blend’: local government and policy analysis 79
- Committees and the legislature 93
- Policy analysis in the civil service 107
- Europeanised policy making in Ireland 123
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Think tanks, interest groups, political parties and gender-based policy analysis
- The social partners and the NESC: from tripartite dialogue via common knowledge events to network knowledge 141
- Thinks tanks and their role in policy making in Ireland 157
- Civil society organizations and policy analysis 171
- Political parties and the policy process 187
- Gender expertise and policy analysis 203
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The public, science and the media: the wider policy analysis environment in Ireland
- Democratic innovations and policy analysis: climate policy and Ireland’s Citizens’ Assembly (2016–18) 219
- Irish science policy: a case study in evidence-based policy design for small open economies 235
- Media discourses on the economy in Ireland: framing the policy possibilities 249
- Index 263
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures, tables and boxes vii
- List of abbreviations viii
- Notes on contributors xi
- Editors’ introduction to the seriesr xv
- Acknowledgements xvii
- Foreword xix
- Preface xxiii
- Contextualising policy analysis in Ireland 1
-
History, styles and methods of policy analysis in Ireland
- The evolution of economic policy analysis in Ireland 19
- The evolution of social policy analysis in Ireland: from a theocentric to an econocentric paradigm? 33
- The changing policy analysis capacity of the Irish state 47
- Introducing evidence into policy making in Ireland 63
-
Policy analysis at various levels of government: from local to the EU
- Ireland’s ‘unique blend’: local government and policy analysis 79
- Committees and the legislature 93
- Policy analysis in the civil service 107
- Europeanised policy making in Ireland 123
-
Think tanks, interest groups, political parties and gender-based policy analysis
- The social partners and the NESC: from tripartite dialogue via common knowledge events to network knowledge 141
- Thinks tanks and their role in policy making in Ireland 157
- Civil society organizations and policy analysis 171
- Political parties and the policy process 187
- Gender expertise and policy analysis 203
-
The public, science and the media: the wider policy analysis environment in Ireland
- Democratic innovations and policy analysis: climate policy and Ireland’s Citizens’ Assembly (2016–18) 219
- Irish science policy: a case study in evidence-based policy design for small open economies 235
- Media discourses on the economy in Ireland: framing the policy possibilities 249
- Index 263
