The Nordic parliaments: Patterns of legislative influence

The ‘decline of parliaments’ thesis enjoys a wide currency in Nordic political science: it has, in fact, become routine to assert the primacy of the corporate over the electoral‐parliamentary channel in decision‐making. Against this background of a sustained challenge to traditional conceptions of representative democracy, the article undertakes a systematically comparative examination of the participation of the Nordic parliaments in the formulation and deliberation of policy. Varying patterns of legislative influence are delineated and the case for a modest revival in the role of parliament is advanced.