| Publication |
2008.
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| Summary/Abstract |
India's parliament is failing as a platform for representing and aggregating
citizens' preferences to form public policy. Policies increasingly
pass without discussion and disruption seems to be replacing
debate. While most of the public and academic critique of the Parliament
focuses on the members and discusses reforms to the electoral
system or membership criteria, this paper steps back to consider how
well the institution is equipped to represent the population in policy
deliberations. India's parliamentary procedures stand out among parliaments
around the world in the limitations they place on most members'
ability to represent their constituents in the normal course of
debate or policymaking. This article argue that these features may
contribute to the observed disruption, lack of debate, and decline in
standing. The conclusion suggests some institutional reforms.
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