Books

The Parliamentary Battle over Brexit

Meg Russell and Lisa James (Oxford University Press 2023)

This book provides the first detailed account of the extraordinary way the Brexit process played out in Parliament. It draws on eye-opening insider accounts from interviews with the key players, as well as detailed documentary research drawing on media and parliamentary debates. It puts Brexit into context, explaining links to fundamental questions about British democracy. And it charts key moments and provides a clear, engaging, and reliable record of a complex and disputed story.

Executive Power: The Prerogative, Past, Present and Future

Robert Hazell and Timothy Foot (Bloomsbury Publishing 2022)

The prerogative has long been a mystery to most observers; this book demystifies it. It explains each of the prerogative powers in separate chapters. It clarifies the respective roles of government, Parliament and the courts in defining the extent of prerogative powers, and in regulating their use. It also looks at which powers should be codified in statute, which should be regulated by convention, and which could be left at large.

Deliberative Mini-Publics: Core Design Features

Nicole Curato, David Farrell, Brigitte Geissel, Kimmo Grönlund, Patricia Mockler, Jean-Benoit Pilet, Alan Renwick, Jonathan Rose, Maija Setälä and Jane Suiter (Bristol University Press 2021)

Bringing together ten leading researchers in the field of deliberative democracy, including Unit Deputy Director Professor Alan Renwick, this important book examines the features of a Deliberative Mini-Public (DMP) and considers how DMPs link into democratic systems. It examines the core design features of DMPs and their role in the broader policy process and takes stock of the characteristics that distinguish them from other forms of citizen participation. In doing so, the book offers valuable insights into the contributions that DMPs can make not only to the policy process, but also to the broader agenda of revitalising democracy in contemporary times.

The Role of Monarchy in Modern Democracy: European Monarchies Compared

Robert Hazell and Bob Morris (Hart Studies in Comparative Public Law 2020)

The secrets of successful monarchies are revealed in a new book edited by Constitution Unit founder Professor Robert Hazell and Honorary Staff member Dr Bob Morris which looks at how monarchy has evolved to be part of modern democracy. The Role of Monarchy in Modern Democracy: European Monarchies Compared includes contributions from 20 academic experts from Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the UK, providing the first comparative study of modern monarchies in Western Europe.

Legislation at Westminster: Parliamentary Actors and Influence in the Making of British Law

Meg Russell and Daniel Gover (Oxford University Press 2017)

Although the British Westminster parliament is one of the most visible in the world it is often considered relatively weak in policy terms. This applies in particular to parliament’s core role of making legislation. Yet there has been little recent study of the Westminster legislative process. This book, written by Constitution Unit Director Professor Meg Russell and former Constitution Unit researcher Daniel Gover, is the largest study of its kind in over 40 years and argues that, far from being peripheral, Westminster is a powerful actor in the policy process.

Developments in British Politics 10

Edited by Richard Heffernan, Colin Hay, Meg Russell and Philip Cowley (Palgrave 2016)

Unit Director Meg Russell is one of the co-editors of the latest edition of the well-established and well-respected Developments in British Politics series, recently published by Palgrave. The book, targeted at advanced undergraduate/postgraduate students and interested general readers provides up-to-date summaries by leading scholars of many of the key aspects of British politics. Both Meg Russell and Unit Deputy Director Alan Renwick have chapters in the volume. Meg Russell's chapter, entitled 'Parliament: a Significant Constraint on Government', explores the role of parliament under the coalition government 2010-15 and during the first year of the 2015 Conservative government. Drawing on her work on the policy impact of parliament, it emphasises how the two chambers of parliament exercised significant influence of both a visible and less visible kind across this period. Alan Renwick's chapter is entitled 'Voting Behaviour and Electoral Outcomes', and looks at changes in voting patterns in the UK across time, linking to the variety of voting systems now in place across the UK's electoral institutions. Other contributors to the volume (several of whom have links to the Unit of various kinds) cover a wide range of topics including ideological politics, the party system, Britain's experience of coalition government, developments in the civil service, territorial politics after the Scottish referendum and Britain and the EU.

Faces on the Ballot: The Personalization of Electoral Systems in Europe

Alan Renwick and Jean-Benoit Pilet (Oxford 2016)

One of the key shifts in contemporary politics is the trend towards greater personalization. Collective actors such as political parties are losing relevance. Citizens are slowly dealigning from these actors, and individual politicians are therefore growing in importance in elections, in government, within parties, and in media reporting of politics. A crucial question concerns how this new pattern could be restructuring politics over the long run - notably, whether the personalization of politics is changing the institutional architecture of contemporary democracies. 

Magna Carta and its Modern Legacy

Edited by Robert Hazell and James Melton (Cambridge University Press 2015)

Magna Carta is celebrated around the world as a symbol of limited government and constitutionalism. But in 1215 Magna Carta was a failure, abrogated within months. Why then do we celebrate this piece of parchment? To mark the 800th anniversary this book brings together top scholars from the UK, US and Australia to answer this question and analyse Magna Carta's historic and contemporary influence. Using a political science framework, Magna Carta and its Modern Legacy draws from scholarship on influence and constitutional design to explain how parchment can contain executive power. Individual chapters on Britain discuss such topics as socioeconomic rights in Magna Carta; Magna Carta and the British constitution; and public understanding of the charter. Internationally focused chapters look at Magna Carta and jury trial in America, slavery in the Caribbean, court delays in the Pacific, the proportionality principle, and judicial supremacy.

The Politics of Judicial Independence in the UK's Changing Constitution

Graham Gee, Robert Hazell, Kate Malleson and Patrick O'Brien (Cambridge University Press 2015)

Judicial independence is generally understood as requiring that judges must be insulated from political life. The central claim of this work is that far from standing apart from the political realm, judicial independence is a product of it. It is defined and protected through interactions between judges and politicians. In short, judicial independence is a political achievement. This is the main conclusion of a three-year research project on the major changes introduced by the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, and the consequences for judicial independence and accountability. The authors interviewed over 150 judges, politicians, civil servants and practitioners to understand the day-to-day processes of negotiation and interaction between politicians and judges. They conclude that the greatest threat to judicial independence in future may lie not from politicians actively seeking to undermine the courts, but rather from their increasing disengagement from the justice system and the judiciary.

The Political Costs of the 2009 British MPs’ Expenses Scandal

Edited by Jennifer Hudson (Palgrave 2014)

In May 2009, the Daily Telegraph began publishing un-redacted expenses claims made by British MPs showing how, and the extent to which, some MPs took advantage of an unregulated expenses system. This study examines the evolution and political consequences of this 2009 British MPs' expenses scandal and argues that despite claims at the time of a revolution in British politics, it in fact had a limited, short-term impact. Beginning with the efforts of journalist Heather Brooke and the role of the Freedom of Information Act in exposing the scandal, the book examines the scandal's electoral impact and how it affected public perceptions of wrong-doing and probity amongst politicians. It also notes the many opportunities MPs had to reform parliamentary expenses, and gives special consideration is given to the media's role in reporting the scandal but also to the role of Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority in reforming expenses.

Special Advisers: Who they are, what they do and why they matter

Ben Yong and Robert Hazell (Hart 2014)

This book is the most detailed study yet carried out of special advisers. The Constitution Unit's research team, led by Dr Ben Yong and Professor Robert Hazell, assembled a comprehensive database of over 600 special advisers since 1979. They conducted written surveys, and interviewed over 100 special advisers, ministers and officials from the past thirty years. They conclude that special advisers are now a permanent and indispensable part of Whitehall, but are still treated as transient and temporary. The book concludes with practical recommendations for increasing the effectiveness of special advisers through improvements to their recruitment, induction and training, support and supervision, and strengthening their accountability.

The Contemporary House of Lords: Westminster Bicameralism Revived

Meg Russell (Oxford University Press 2013)

This book provides the first detailed portrait of the post-1999 Lords, explaining who sits in the chamber, how it operates, and crucially what policy impact it has. Its membership is shown to be more diverse and modern than many would assume, and its influence on policy to be substantial.

The Politics of Coalition: How the Conservative-Lib Dem Government Works

Robert Hazell and Ben Yong (Hart 2012)

The Politics of Coalition tells how the Coalition has fared in the different arenas of the British political system: at the Centre; within the Departments; in Parliament; in the parties outside Parliament, and in the media. It will be of interest to politicians, policy makers, academics, students and anyone interested in how the UK coalition works in practice and not just in theory.

Doing Politics

Tony Wright (Biteback 2012)

As a Member of Parliament for nearly two decades he represented the voice of sanity and reason in the House of Commons. As Chair of the influential Public Administration Committee – according to Anthony King, one of those rare committee chairmen who ‘have become public figures in their own right’ – he kept up a running commentary on the conduct of government. He was the politician who forewarned of the parliamentary expenses scandal and who took the initiative in getting the House of Commons to reform.

A Citizen’s Guide to Electoral Reform

Alan Renwick (Biteback 2011)

The ballot box is the only thing guaranteed to make politicians listen. Electoral rules shape the nature of our politics: the relationship between government and governed, between candidates and their parties. And what if tweaking the system could prevent MPs claiming expenses for their duck houses? The choice will be yours. The first nationwide referendum for over 35 years is on the horizon. But it's all too easy just to switch off when it comes to the debate on electoral reform. Full of acronyms; AV, AMS, STV and MMP - it's like being plunged into an alphabet soup! A Citizen's Guide to Electoral Reform is here to help. This easy-to-read guide cuts through the obscurities and let's you know what's really at stake when the referendum comes.

The Politics of Electoral Reform: Changing the Rules of Democracy

Alan Renwick (Cambridge University Press 2011)

Elections lie at the heart of democracy, and this book seeks to understand how the rules governing those elections are chosen. Drawing on both broad comparisons and detailed case studies, it focuses upon the electoral rules that govern what sorts of preferences voters can express and how votes translate into seats in a legislature. Through detailed examination of electoral reform politics in four countries (France, Italy, Japan, and New Zealand), Alan Renwick shows how major electoral system changes in established democracies occur through two contrasting types of reform process. Renwick rejects the simple view that electoral systems always straightforwardly reflect the interests of the politicians in power. Politicians' motivations are complex; politicians are sometimes unable to pursue reforms they want; occasionally, they are forced to accept reforms they oppose. The Politics of Electoral Reform shows how voters and reform activists can have real power over electoral reform.

Does FOI Work? The Impact of the Freedom of Information Act on Central Government in the UK

Robert Hazell, Ben Worthy and Mark Glover (Palgrave 2010)

This book is the first systematic evaluation of FOI anywhere in the world. It evaluates the performance of the Act against its objectives, and its impact on Whitehall. The book draws upon evidence from interviews with officials, plus FOI requesters and journalists as well as stories in the national press. Each chapter draws on case studies to make particular points and bring the study to life. It also compares developments in the UK to those in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland.

Has devolution worked? The verdict from policy-makers and the public

Edited by John Curtice and Bed Seyd (Manchester University Press 2009)

Devolution to Scotland and Wales represented the most fundamental reform of the British state for almost a century. Ten years on, how successful has the reform been? Drawing on the views of citizens, elected representatives and interest groups in Scotland and Wales, this book provides an answer.

The Endurance of National Constitutions

Elkins, Zachary, Tom Ginsburg, and James Melton (Cambridge University Press 2009)

Constitutions are supposed to provide an enduring structure for politics. Yet only half live more than nineteen years. Why is it that some constitutions endure while others do not? In The Endurance of National Constitutions, Zachary Elkins, Tom Ginsburg, and James Melton examine the causes of constitutional endurance from an institutional perspective. Supported by an original set of cross-national historical data, theirs is the first comprehensive study of constitutional mortality. They show that whereas constitutions are imperilled by social and political crises, certain aspects of a constitution’s design can lower the risk of death substantially. Thus, to the extent that endurance is desirable – a question that the authors also subject to scrutiny – the decisions of founders take on added importance.

Church and State in 21st Century Britain: The Future of Church Establishment

Edited by R.M. Morris (Palgrave 2009)

Much of the formal structure of the UK state remains locked in the geopolitics of the late 17th century. The sovereign has to be a Christian monarch in communion with the Church of England, swearing oaths to support that Church and the Church of Scotland. No-one may succeed to the throne who is either a Roman Catholic or married to one. Whereas in Scotland the established Church is held distinct from the state, the Church of England remains controlled by parliament where twenty-six Anglican bishops sit as of right in the House of Lords - a privilege unknown in any other sovereign legislature.

This book argues that, in an increasingly pluralized society, the gap between form and reality has become unacceptably stretched. Disregarding facile arguments about disestablishment, the book analyses the present position afresh and examines what are the options for change, including to the religious character of the monarchy.

State of the Nations 2008

Edited by Alan Trench (Imprint 2008)

2007 saw dramatic changes in the UK's devolved politics, with the arrival in office of nationalist parties in Scotland and Wales and the restoration of devolved government in Northern Ireland, as well as a change of prime minister in London. The State of the Nations 2008 considers why these changes happened and charts the impact they have had across the United Kingdom. It also looks at some broader underlying issues - in particular the financial arrangements for devolution, influences on devolved policy-making, the role of Scottish and Welsh MPs at Westminster and intergovernmental relations in a comparative context.

Constitutional Futures Revisited: Britain's Constitution to 2020

Edited by Robert Hazell (Palgrave 2008)

The UK is going through a period of unprecedented constitutional change. Where are these changes taking us? Will devolution lead to Scottish independence and the break up of the UK? Will a British bill of rights lead to yet more power for the judges? Will there be electoral reform at Westminster? And will this mean more power for Parliament, or less?

In Constitutional Futures Revisited: Britain's Constitution to 2020, leading political scientists and lawyers forecast the impact of these changes on the UK's key institutions and the constitution as a whole. The book, published by Palgrave, is an indispensable guide for policy makers, lawyers and judges, the media, academics, students, and anyone interested in the future of the UK's political landscape.

Devolution and Power in the United Kingdom

Edited by Alan Trench (Manchester University Press 2007)

Devolution and Power in the United Kingdom is concerned with a paradox - why devolution has enabled different approaches to government and policy-making to develop in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland since 1999, while a close examination of the structure of devolution suggests that the UK government retains control over most key aspects of the UK. Presenting original research, this book is the first comprehensive examination of intergovernmental relations in the devolved UK. It also examines how the UK's practices relate to those practised in other decentralised and federal states, and adopts a resource dependency framework to examine the impact of devolution on the territorial distribution of power in the United Kingdom.  It explains the paradox of autonomy and control as a form of 'conditional autonomy', which has been possible because of the benign political circumstances that have accompanied devolution's early years - but which may not survive in rougher conditions.

The English Question

Edited by Robert Hazell (Manchester University Press 2006)

England remains a gaping hole in the devolution settlement. Devolution will not be complete, and the settlement may not be stable, until the English Question has been solved. Does England need to find its own political voice, following devolution to Scotland and Wales? Do the English want an English parliament; regional assemblies in England; or 'English votes on English laws'?  Or are the English content to muddle through, with no separate representation or political voice?

The Dynamics of Devolution: The State of the Nations 2005

Edited by Alan Trench (Imprint 2005)

Devolution is a dynamic process. The institutional changes of the late 1990s, and the political and social pressures that lay behind them, have acquired a momentum of their own. The relationship between these two sets of forces, and how that develops over the next ten to twenty years, is the most interesting question about devolution. This book explores the future of devolution, by examining the new political dynamics devolution has put into play. The book is written by members of the Constitution Unit at UCL and leading experts from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Devolution, Law Making and the Constitution

Edited by Robert Hazell and Richard Rawlings (Imprint 2005)

Law making is a primary function of government, and how well the three devolved UK legislatures exercise this function will be a crucial test of the whole devolution project. This book provides the first systematic study and authoritative data to start that assessment. It represents the fruits of a four-year collaboration between top constitutional lawyers from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and leading researchers in UCL's Constitution Unit. The book opens with detailed studies of law making in the period 1999-2004 in the Scottish Parliament and the Assemblies in Wales and Northern Ireland, and how they interact with Westminster. Later contributions look at aspects of legislative partnership in the light of the UK's strongly asymmetric devolutionary development, and also explain the unexpected impact of devolution on the courts. Individual chapters focus on various constitutional aspects of law making, examining the interplay of continuity and change in political, legal and administrative practice, and the competing pressures for convergence and divergence between the different parliaments and assemblies.

Building New Labour: The Politics of Party Organisation

Meg Russell (Palgrave 2005)

'New' Labour was defined in part by wide-ranging reforms to the party's internal democracy. These included changes to how candidates and leaders are selected, changes to policy making processes, and a program of quotas that transformed women's representation in the party. Meg Russell asks what motivated these reforms, to what extent they were driven by leaders or members, and what they can teach us about party organizational change and the nature of power relations in the Labour Party today.

Has Devolution made a Difference? State of the Nations 2004

Edited by Alan Trench (Imprint 2004)

This book provides the first comprehensive and dispassionate stock-take of the effect of devolution during the first term of the Scottish Parliament and National Assembly for Wales. Part one covers the territories of the UK-Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the English regions. Part two looks at its impact on the centre Westminster, Whitehall and public opinion. Part three looks at developments in two key areas of public policy. The book as a whole assesses not just how parts of the UK have been affected by devolution, but also its effect on the UK as a whole. The book is written by members of the Constitution Unit at UCL and leading experts from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Like previous books in the State of the Nations series, it is also an invaluable reference source.

State of the Nations 2003: The Third Year of Devolution in the UK

Edited by Robert Hazell (Imprint 2003)

This book covers developments in the third year of devolution in the UK, and looks ahead to the devolved assembly elections in May 2003. Part one reports on the latest developments in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the English regions, while part two analyses the impact of devolution in Westminster and Whitehall. Part three looks at the growing divergence in public policy resulting from devolution and Part four looks ahead to the 2003 elections.

Scottish Independence

Jo E Murkens (Edinburgh University Press 2002)

This book provides the first comprehensive and dispassionate stock-take of the effect of devolution during the first term of the Scottish Parliament and National Assembly for Wales. Part 1 covers the territories of the UK—Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the English regions. Part 2 looks at its impact on the centre Westminster, Whitehall and public opinion. Part 3 looks at developments in two key areas of public policy. The book as a whole assesses not just how parts of the UK have been affected by devolution, but also its effect on the UK as a whole.

The State of the Nations 2001: The Second Year of Devolution in the United Kingdom

Edited by Alan Trench (Imprint 2001)

The chapters in this book cover the second year of devolution in the UK, bringing together the fruits of a major five-year research programme funded by the Leverhulme Trust. The book is written by the leading experts in the field, but in a highly accessible and readable style. It contains a mine of information not published elsewhere on the dynamics of devolution and is a unique contemporary record describing all the main developments during the second year of devolution.

Reforming the House of Lords, Lessons from Overseas

Meg Russell (Oxford University Press 2000)

Meg Russell provides an overdue and authoritative correction in showing the lessons to be learnt from second chambers overseas in the balanced, analytical and highly readable manner that the Constitution Unit has made its trademark. (Roger Scully, Representation)

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The State and the Nations: The First Year of Devolution in the United Kingdom

Edited by Robert Hazell (Imprint Academic 2000)

The chapters in this book cover the first year of devolution in the UK, bringing together the fruits of a major five-year research programme funded by the Leverhulme Trust. The programme comprises 11 research projects, underpinned by a regular series of monitoring reports, written by teams of experts in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. As a volume of record this book is an essential up-to-date text for courses in constitutional law or the UK political system.

Constitutional Futures: A History of the Next Ten Years

Edited by Robert Hazell (Oxford University Press 1999)

This book, published in 1999, set out to forecast what the UK's constitution would look like ten years later. Starting with the 11 constitutional bills passed in 1997-98, the book analysed how these would affect the UK's constitutional structure, and examined in detail the further reforms that would be required to ensure that the new constitutional settlement bedded down. The Unit joined with a group of leading experts, who worked closely together on the project. As a result the chapters are tightly interwoven so that the cumulative and interactive effects of these changes was considered across the whole field of reform. The clear message of this book was that the constitutional reform programme would acquire its own momentum, and would have far reaching consequences, some of which the government did not intend.