Youth emigration could cost Serbia up to €1.2 billion per year and 4 out of 5 young Serbs think about emigrating. That’s according to new research which WFD and think tank the Institute for Development and Innovation have published. Serbia has one of the highest youth emigration levels in the Balkan region. While the main [...]
As parliaments worldwide start to pay more attention to implementation of legislation, the University of Hull and Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) recently organised in London an expert seminar on Post-Legislative Scrutiny, bringing together academics, parliamentary researchers, parliamentarians and legislative impact specialists. Lord Norton of Louth captured the evolving expectations on the increasing role [...]
Former Conservative MP, Rt Hon Sir Simon Burns, reports back on his time in Indonesia observing the world's third largest democracy in action. Indonesia is the third largest democracy in the world with an electorate of about 193 million voters. The election on 17 April was unique because for the first time the country's [...]
Quality education is essential for a country to alleviate poverty. That is why this week, a delegation from the Union Parliament of Myanmar visited South Africa to learn more about education policy, as they strive to push for landmark reforms. South Africa has faced its own challenges over the last few decades as the [...]
In March 2019, IPSA hosted the world’s first conference for international parliamentary regulators. We brought together colleagues from 13 countries on five continents: Australia, Chile, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Republic of Korea, Scotland, Wales, Zambia and the UK. We talked about the challenges of ‘Transparency and Trust’ in deciding how [...]
As election day in Indonesia comes to an end, will the appointment of over 20,000 new legislators make its parliament more open and transparent? Indonesia is the world’s third largest democracy and 192 million voters are going to the polls today. That is why, as in any democracy, it is important to have an open [...]
Women’s political leadership improves societies around the world – raising economic productivity, reducing child and maternal mortality, and increasing opportunities for education and better health. Despite these benefits women face multiple barriers in politics, including violence. On 26 March, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Democracy in the World, a cross-party group of MPs and [...]
Scotland and Malawi have one of the strongest people to people links in the world, with 46% of Scots able to name a friend or family member with a connection to Malawi. This historic partnership and the Scottish National Party’s (SNP) positive experience of women in leadership meant supporting the Parliamentary Women’s Caucus of Malawi [...]
Progress is being made globally to increase the number of women in political leadership positions. Political parties can play a fundamental role supporting more women to get in to politics. WFD’s multi-party office, the Liberal Democrats and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom organised the inaugural Women’s Leadership Programme of the Africa Liberal Network on [...]
Over 200 participants from more than 10 countries in Africa called for increased youth participation in politics at landmark Commonwealth Partnership for Democracy (CP4D) conference, hosted by the Parliament of Uganda on 4-5 March. High entry costs are a big barrier to youth participation and the Speaker of Uganda, Rebecca Kadega, committed to asking parliament to [...]