Parliamentary outreach and the pandemic

This paper presents the first results from a case study on parliamentary responses to COVID-19, conducted by the Inter-Parliamentary Union as part of a joint report (with the United Nations Development Program) on how parliaments engage with publics. The findings for this case study are based on an extensive research program, including a literature review (of institutional responses to COVID-19 and other historical crises) as well as a focus group with representatives from a diverse range of countries. In doing so we discuss the importance of continued public engagement during times of crisis, when citizens’ demands for information from their representatives increases substantially. We also discuss the various political, institutional and technological challenges to parliaments, and the ways in which parliaments respond to these challenges. These responses include an increased focus on core functions, a changed application of technology, and attempts to reach ‘offline’ communities and other hard-to-reach groups. This case study also examines the likelihood of these responses enduring beyond the context of COVID-19, and becoming institutionalised as long-term practices. In this way, we will illustrate the challenges and opportunities that COVID-19 has presented (or revealed) to parliaments.