Parliamentary Questions, the Behaviour of Legislators, and the Function of Legislatures: An Introduction

The ability of parliamentarians to ask questions of members of the executive either in written form or on the floor of the chamber is a feature of many legislatures. Parliamentary questions often generate significant media attention and public interest. Despite the interest and importance, the nature and consequences of questioning in parliament remains obscure. As a working tool of parliamentarians, questions provide recorded data on individual members and the parliament as a collective institution. This paper suggests an analysis of parliamentary questions as a method for gaining better understanding of the preferences and behaviour of individual legislators and the role and function of modern-day parliaments.