Dimension: 2.2.5 Institutional development of parliament
This dimension concerns processes for the institutional development of parliament, including strategic planning, and the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of parliamentary performance.
Like many other institutions, parliaments have increasingly started to take a strategic approach to planning their development, which involves setting long-term goals for the organization, diagnosing gaps in capacity or processes, and deciding on actions to achieve the goals. M&E systems, meanwhile, help to track progress and identify where adjustments are needed.
Practices vary as to who is responsible for institutional development within parliament. Many parliaments have a modernization or similar committee entrusted with this role, while in others, this may be part of the responsibilities of the parliamentary leadership. Within the parliamentary administration, there may be dedicated units for strategic planning, M&E and/or innovation.
Many parliaments benefit from external support for their institutional development from sources such as the United Nations system, specialized parliamentary development organizations, twinning arrangements with other parliaments, and national partnerships with civil society organizations and academia. Institutional development is often backed by funding from multilateral or bilateral partners. Whatever the particular arrangements, the Common Principles for Support to Parliaments firmly establish the need for parliament to be in the driving seat of its own institutional development.
Aspiring goal
Assess your parliament against this dimension
Assessment criteria
No 1: Strategic planning
Parliament has a strategic plan for its institutional development, which sets out a long-term vision and goals and actions to achieve them. Strategic planning is an inclusive process and the plan is regularly reviewed and updated.
No 2: Responsibility for institutional development
Responsibility for institutional development is clearly allocated within parliament, and the parliamentary administration has established teams to support institutional development.
No 3: Common Principles for Support to Parliaments
Parliament has endorsed the Common Principles for Support to Parliaments, which are used in practice by parliament and its partners.
No 4: M&E
Parliament has an M&E system to track progress and identify where adjustments are needed.
No 5: Innovation
Parliament encourages a culture of innovation that allows new processes to be tested and, where appropriate, incorporated into its work.
How to complete this assessment
This dimension is assessed against several criteria, each of which should be evaluated separately. For each criterion, select one of the six descriptive grades (Non-existent, Rudimentary, Basic, Good, Very good and Excellent) that best reflects the situation in your parliament, and provide details of the evidence on which this assessment is based.
The evidence for assessment of this dimension could include the following:
- Strategies and plans relating to institutional development
- Reports on the implementation of such strategies and plans
- Evidence of an established M&E system
- Reports of self-assessment exercises, including findings and results
- Terms of reference, minutes and reports of the parliamentary body (or bodies) responsible for institutional development
- Evidence of innovative practices
Where relevant, provide additional comments or examples that support the assessment.
Sources and further reading
- Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), National Democratic Institute (NDI), European Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. and National Assembly Assembly See: Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. . of France, Common Principles for Support to Parliaments (2014).
Get help with this assessment
The assessment of indicators involves diagnosing and considering strengths and weaknesses, i.e. the things parliament is doing well, and the things it could do better or more effectively, taking into account established good practices that are described in the indicators.
Read the assessment guidance to find out what to consider when conducting an assessment against the Indicators. Find out how to prepare, how to set the objectives of the assessment, how to organize the process, and more. Contact the project partners for expert advice.
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