National Parliaments as a Global Institution: An Institutionalist View

This book scrutinizes national parliaments as an institution: how the current world order comprising national legislatures evolved, how the parliaments work, and how they form a global network or field in that there is a travel of ideas and information between them. It shows that in their structures and practices, legislatures are very similar. Phrases used, say, in the opening words of a session can be verbatim copies of those in other parliaments. Through such isomorphic, invariant practices, legislatures symbolize, sanctify, and naturalize the nation-state as the component part of world society. The global standardization of parliamentary practices has also constituted what is the world over understood by politics, radiating to the forms that political organization into parties, ideologies, and movements has assumed. Furthermore, the sacred principles observed constitute parliamentary practices as rituals. These principles are honored in frontstage sessions, whereas bargaining between conflicting group interests takes place in backstage occasions. Yet frontstage performances are important because they frame the issues and justify the decisions taken by commonly approved virtues and principles. In addition to passing (or proposing) laws, national parliaments legitimate rule and serve as switchboards in global governance and travel of ideas.