The influence of standing committees on the forms of government

Parliaments have changed substantially over time, particularly in the new century, as a consequence of new phenomena appearing in the institutional landscape, such as the transfer of significant normative powers from legislatures to executives, the crisis of the parliamentary legislation and of the long standing representative function of political parties and legislatures, globalization and the deepening of processes of regional integration, mediatisation and personalization of politics, as well as the rise of populist movements. By the same token, for example we have witnessed a shift in the balance between the exercise of the legislative and the oversight function in legislatures in favour of the latter. This paper argues that, in spite of the transformations of parliaments, standing committees, also by way of constitutional, legislative or standing orders’ reforms, have accommodated their role accordingly, and are still influential in shaping the form of government.