Deliberative Accountability in Parliamentary Committees

Erscheinungsjahr 2022
ISBN: 978-0-19-284787-4
Verlag: Oxford University Press

Buch, Englisch, 288 Seiten, Format (B × H): 166 mm x 242 mm, Gewicht: 640 g

In recent decades, we have seen an explosion in expectations for greater accountability of public policymaking. But, as accountability has increased, trust in governments and politicians has fallen. By focusing on the heart of public accountability--the reason-giving by policymakers for their policy decisions (i.e. deliberative accountability)--this work offers an empirical route for understanding why more accountability may not always deliver more public trust.

The focus is on the British Parliament, where both the Treasury Select Committee and the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee hold hearings on monetary policy, financial stability, and fiscal policy. The intent in these hearings is to challenge policymakers to explain their decisions, and thus the dialogue is expected to be deliberative. But how do we judge the quality of this deliberative accountability? Three metrics are explored and measured: respect, non-partisanship, and reciprocity. The approach is multi-method, including (1) quantitative text analysis to gauge the verbatim transcripts in committee hearings; (2) qualitative coding combined with an experimental design to gauge the role of nonverbal communication in the hearings; and (3) interviews with the MPs, peers, central bankers, and Treasury officials who participated in the hearings. The first method measures the content of 'what' was said, the second examines 'how' the words and arguments were expressed, and the third provides a more reflective 'why' component by asking participants to explain their motivations. This merging of the 'what', the 'how', and the 'why' offers a novel template for studying both accountability and deliberation.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Schonhardt-Bailey, Cheryl

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politikwissenschaft Allgemein Politische Theorie, Politische Philosophie
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Regierungspolitik Wirtschafts- und Finanzpolitik
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Verwaltungswissenschaft, Öffentliche Verwaltung
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Wirtschaftspolitik, politische Ökonomie
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Demokratie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

- 1: Introduction

- 2: Deliberation as Words, Arguments, and Themes

- 3: Nonverbal Behaviour in Parliamentary Hearings on Economic Policy

- 4: A View from the Inside

- 5: Conclusion

- Appendix 1: List of 37 Hearings Over 2010-15 Parliament

- Appendix 2: Details of Committee Members

- Appendix 3: Members and Witnesses Attending Hearings

- Appendix 4: Keywords and Phrases Joined for Lemmatization

- Appendix 5: Coding Scheme

- Appendix 6: Detailed Codes

- Appendix 7: Example of Questions for Experiment (Pre-Group Discussion)

- Appendix 8: Video Content for Hearings and Topics Covered in Each Hearing

- Appendix 9: Group Discussion Results from Nonverbal

- Appendix 10: Analysis of Exchange Dynamic Dichotomous Variable for Questioner by Nonverbal Behaviour Response Variable

Über Autor(innen)

Cheryl Schonhardt-Bailey is Professor in the Government Department at the London School of Economics and Political Science and is a Fellow of the British Academy. Her research interests are in political economy, legislatures, deliberation, accountability, and mixed methods research. She is author and editor of many books on trade policy, monetary policy, legislative committees, and recently, on the history of the LSE Government Department.