Suchergebnisse

Text in English and French on opposite pages. ; Attributed to George Benjamin--Bibliography of Canadiana / Toronto Public Library (no. 4105). ; Added t.p. in French: Tactique de l'Assemblée législative. ; Electronic reproduction. ; Mode of access: Internet. ; 44

Abstract
This article sheds light on the relationship between politicians and the voting public to establish the grounds on which the electorate build their legitimate expectations that both members of the legislative authorities and government ministers should act in the public interest in order to fulfill their fiduciary duty.
Both members of parliaments and ministers in government are expected to promote the interests of their constituents in parliaments and to serve the political interests of their parties when joining the government. They should comply with the principles of 'Public Duty' and 'Duty as a Representative', that is, they should act on behalf of their electorate and also in accordance with the public trust placed in them. This underlying duty could be elevated to a 'fiduciary duty' on elected members and ministers to act in the interests of their constituents, the beneficiaries, as an underscore of all models of representation, and as an emphasis of the ethical decision-making, which includes impartiality, accountability and integrity.

AbstractThe Congress of Deputies should supposedly represent the entire Spanish population and the Spanish Constitution provides mechanisms to ensure geographic representation in the lower house. However, the mobility of the members of parliament (MPs) across constituencies can generate territorial representation imbalances. Based on the territorial component of descriptive representation, this article analyses the unequal geographic representation of autonomous communities in the Congress. A descriptive statistical assessment was conducted based on MPs' autonomous community of birth, the autonomous community for which they have a seat, the role played by political parties, and the way in which territorial representation occurs within the hyper elite. Special attention was paid to the representation of peripheral regions and to the drivers of overrepresentation (and underrepresentation) of some regions in the Congress. It was observed that—with few exceptions—territorial peripheries include more native MPs, export fewer MPs, and are generally underrepresented in the Congress and within the hyper elite. In contrast, the Basque Country (an exception), Madrid, and other central territories are overrepresented in the Congress. Finally, four models of descriptive territorial representation were identified, which correspond to Spain's different territorial tensions.

Abstract
Leaving parliament is often a time of significant financial, employment and emotional difficulty for MPs. However, few studies have examined the support provided by parliaments to departing and former members. Consequently, parliaments lack access to best-practice case studies to improve the transitional experience for MPs. This article develops five benchmarks for supporting former MPs, covering transitional financial assistance; retirement income; career, financial, life transitions and redundancy counselling; mental health and medical services; and social and networking opportunities. These benchmarks are used to assess the support provided to former members by 22 selected 'professional parliaments'. Although most of these parliaments offer adequate retirement income, none currently provide sufficient transitional financial assistance for MPs who depart before pensionable age. In all cases, improvements are also required to mental health and other counselling services. Most parliaments provide adequate social and networking opportunities. Implementing and extending these measures will improve the transitional experience of former MPs and enhance democratic rotation by reducing impediments to high-quality candidates from diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds from seeking political office, while easing the exit of MPs who are ready to leave.