International parliamentary institutions

Abstract

This chapter describes the universe of international parliamentary institutions (IPIs): their attributes, their historical development, their regional variation and their organizational features. It shows that, while the first IPI dates from the nineteenth century, IPIs have only emerged in larger numbers after World War II and in particular during the post-Cold War period. In addition, IPIs have become increasingly affiliated with IOs. The chapter further assesses the autonomy and authority of IPIs. Whereas IPIs have retained or gained considerable organizational autonomy, their authority and capacity to affect the constitutional and policy decisions of international organizations as well as appointments of international officials have remained weak. The descriptive analysis thus provides detailed evidence for the rise of IPIs in numbers, but not in powers, and thus motivates the research puzzle of the study.