Understanding governance within the organisation of parliamentary administrations

Abstract

Parliaments need to acquire information, consulting and technical support, relying on administrative and professional staff in order to perform effectively democratic tasks in legislative, policy making and oversight functions. Parliaments select a strategy and then tailor the structure to fit. Consulting, registration and mixed models of parliamentary administration or support staff may emerge over time. Roles and mechanisms of governance within parliamentary administration depend upon the relationship between political and administrative spheres. The Office of Speaker or Bureau and the Secretary-General are the main actors within governance, management and organisation of parliamentary administrations. Bureau could act coherently with roles which a board may assume within public organisations. The study aims to elucidate how the Bureau may assume several roles of governance coherently with changing organisational complexity that relies on combining several models of Parliament and parliamentary administration. Following a contingency approach on organisational governance, boards may play over time roles of governance in relation to organisational complexity of parliamentary administration or support staff. Roles and mechanisms of governance are changing and evolving in relation to historical, political and organisational contingencies.