Does government dominate the legislative process?

Abstract

This thesis addresses parliamentary impact on government legislation using the Scottish Parliament as a case-study. It contributes to the ongoing debate about whether government dominates the legislative process, bringing a practitioner perspective. It makes the case for re-evaluating expectations about what government and parliament are seeking to achieve in the legislative process, demonstrating the need to take account of the type of legislation brought forward by government in interpreting parliament’s response. It highlights the importance of the choice of method in avoiding over– and under-stating parliamentary impact in the legislative process. It proposes re-evaluating the Scottish Parliament’s legislative performance, arguing that the legislative process in Scotland is largely defined by the sort of consensus politics which its proponents wished to see. This thesis addresses significant gaps in understanding of the Scottish Parliament’s legislative process in particular, but its focus on the role of parliament and government in the legislative process more generally should make it of interest to scholars in the wider legislative studies discipline.