Indicator: 4.1 Valuing public concerns

This indicator concerns parliament’s openness and responsiveness to public concerns, which is key to building trust in the institution. Parliaments are expected to be receptive to concerns raised by the public and to address these issues in a timely and effective manner.

The challenge for parliament and MPs is that people are not a homogeneous block: they have multiple and often conflicting interests and diverse perspectives. Parliament Parliament A national body of elected (or sometimes appointed) representatives that makes laws, debates issues and holds the government to account. therefore needs to apply nuanced approaches, and to understand and take into account diverse audiences, including both groups that raise their voices and those that often remain silent.

Fast-paced technological and social developments also require all political institutions, including parliament, to constantly evolve, adapt their approaches, acquire the ability to change, and respond to the public’s changing needs. This implies a suitably flexible institutional framework and often changing working methods and processes.

This indicator also covers how parliament responds to policy issues that emerge outside of medium- or long-term planning.