PARLIAMENT AND DEMOCRACY - Inter-Parliamentary Union

112 I PARLIAMENT AND DEMOCRACY IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
Study of Public Policy, University of Aberdeen). When it comes to the established
democracies, there is little evidence of a decline in social trust to match
the secular decline in the standing of parliaments. Other social changes
typical of most advanced industrial countries seem to be more relevant. With
social structures becoming more fragmented, it proves more difficult to legislate
without antagonising one or other vocal minority, and the social base of
established parties becomes eroded. Attitudes towards authority have also
become less deferential, and its deficiencies are more widely publicised. At
the same time, the processes of globalisation have put some of the forces
that affect the wellbeing of citizens beyond the reach of national political
institutions. Together these factors have contributed to the decline in public
confidence noted above.
Parliaments can influence public opinion
Whatever the differences between the world’s regions, one conclusion can
be drawn that is common to them all: some at least of the factors influencing
public levels of confidence in parliaments are attributable to broader social
processes which parliaments do not directly control. Yet there is still much
they can do to improve their public standing. Many of the changes and innovations
described in previous chapters – to make parliaments more representative,
transparent and accessible – have been initiated in response to concerns
about public confidence, and in some cases to specific criticisms from opinion
surveys. There is also evidence that reforms in individual parliaments can
raise their public profile and standing. So, for example, the Swedish
Parliament reports a modest recent improvement in public support; and notes
that, as a result of its actions over ten years to increase its openness and transparency,
‘more people feel that the Riksdag is easy to contact [than previously],
and interest in knowing more about the Riksdag has grown.’ The
Turkish Parliament reports that, as a result of its recent initiatives to create a
more open and accessible parliament, ‘its credibility among public institutions
has risen from 10 th to 4 th place.’
These examples suggest that it is possible to improve public confidence in
parliament as an institution. They also suggest the considerable value to
parliaments of themselves initiating more systematic polling across time to
help them keep track of how they stand with their electorates, and also to
assess the public impact of the democratic improvements they have already
introduced, as a contribution to their own accountability.