Turning public engagement into standard practice: institutionalisation in the work of the South African Parliament

Odeyemi, Temitayo Isaac, Olorunshola, Damilola Temitope and Ajibola, Boluwatife Solomon (2023) Turning public engagement into standard practice: institutionalisation in the work of the South African Parliament. Journal of Legislative Studies, 29 (3). 406 - 424. ISSN 1357-2334

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Abstract

Previous research and observed practices demonstrate that as hubs of public participation in governance, parliaments are devising means and prioritising resources that promote more public-facing initiatives to reach out to different segments of society. The diverse means through which these happen, across contexts, pose the ‘danger’ of randomness and spontaneity which ultimately limits institutional memory and consistency. This article explores how parliaments can enhance content and outcomes through the institutionalisation of public engagement. It demonstrates how legal and institutional frameworks–as a system of rules and formalised standards–are combined to set clearly defined templates, and how these align with processes for enhanced public engagement practices. In using South Africa to frame its analysis, the article draws on the 2022 IPU-UNDP Global Parliamentary Report interviews and document analysis of relevant frameworks and reports. We show how leveraging historical, geographic, social-linguistics, and demographic contexts help to strengthen parliament-public interface through institutionalisation.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/fjls20
Additional Information:	© 2023 The Authors
Divisions:	International Development
Subjects:	J Political Science > JF Political institutions (General) J Political Science > JQ Political institutions Asia
Date Deposited:	27 Apr 2023 23:23
Last Modified:	25 Apr 2024 16:03
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/118750

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