Hansard Society

The Hansard Society is the UK's leading independent, non-partisan political research and educational charity. Its main aim is to strengthen parliamentary democracy and encourage greater public involvement in politics based on the principle that civic society is most effective when its citizens are connected with the institutions and individuals who represent them in the democratic process.

History

The Hansard Society was formed in 1944 to promote parliamentary democracy. Founded and chaired by Commander Stephen King-Hall, the first subscribers were Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee. The Society's President is the Speaker of the House of Commons, currently Michael Martin, and the Vice-Presidents are the leaders of the Labour, Conservative and the Liberal Democrat parties.The Society is named after the Hansard Parliamentary Record, which publishes the proceedings of the British parliament.

From its inception the Hansard Society has promoted the importance of political education in schools and among our most well-known activities are our Mock Elections, which provide an informative and hands-on way for young people to gain a taste of the electoral process. This work has developed over the years to include forums and debates held online to enable engagement with young people through the use of new technology. The Hansard Society's pioneering work in schools led to what is now called Citizenship Education and we continue to ensure that teachers have free access to knowledge, training sessions and stimulating resources.

Since the 1970s the Hansard Society has organised and published research on many aspects of parliamentary democracy, critically examining social and political developments that affect Parliament, seeking to provide authoritative analysis of problems and suggest practical improvements. In 1985 the prestigious Hansard Scholars and Hansard Research Scholars Programmes were created, in association with London School of Economics to bring future political leaders from around the world to study and work in Westminister. Since it's creation, the study programme has expanded to include training for charities, journalists, companies and other organisations that need to understand how the parliamentary system works. The innovative and forward thinking eDemocracy Programme was created in 1997 to explore the possibilities, through research and pilot projects, for greater connections between new technologies and politics.

In 2000 the Hansard Society extended its work to include issues of devolution and an office in Scotland was set up to respond to the changing political circumstances in British politics. The Hansard Society Scotland Programme holds fringe events at the Scottish National Party's Conference and provides a platform for debate about issues relating to devolution and the Scottish Parliament. It also provides free resources on Citizenship Education to Scottish schools and has recently expanded to include a Hansard Society Scotland Scholars programme in association with the University of Edinburgh.

More than 60 years on, the Hansard Society is universally recognised as the independent and non-partisan authority on Parliament and democracy. Today, our work encompasses a wide range of areas, from citizenship education to the role of Parliament, from devolution to the impact of new media on politics. In addition, we organise events in Westminster with high-profile speakers, host influential seminars and hold popular fringe events at Party Conferences.

What They Do

The Hansard Society is the UK’s leading independent, non-partisan political research and education charity. We aim to strengthen parliamentary democracy and encourage greater public involvement in politics. At the heart of our work is the principle that civic society is most effective when its citizens are connected with the institutions and individuals who represent them in the democratic process.

We inform decision makers and engage the public in politics by:

*providing a platform for debate on current issues around Parliament, constitutional affairs, participation and engagement
* generating wide-reaching recommendations to improve parliamentary and legislative processes through timely and rigorous research
* pushing the boundaries of new technology and its abilities to engage the public with policy makers
* creating and promoting fresh and accessible resources to help teachers present the citizenship curriculum in an innovative and interesting way
* running training sessions for teachers and policy professionals to enable them to understand a range of political issues and processes effectively
* bringing students from across the globe to study the British political system and to gain experience through internships in a wide variety of political organisations

Citizenship Education

The Hansard Society's dynamic Citizenship Education Programme works with young people through schools and colleges to educate and inform them about parliamentary democracy and develop innovative ways to involve them in participatory democratic activities.

The Citizenship Education Programme has gained a strong reputation for producing innovative and student friendly projects including a new web site where young people actively discuss and explore political issues and ideas and find out how they can make a difference. * [http://www.hansardsociety.org.uk/blogs/Citizenship_Education/]

eDemocracy

Established in 1997, the eDemocracy Programme was the first dedicated research unit to explore the political and social impact of information and communications technology (ICT). Today, we undertake research and evaluation and produce commentary and analysis. Our work explores the many faces of digital participation, engagement, political campaigning and parliamentary process. We seek both to understand eDemocracy and to advance the debate surrounding it.
* [http://www.hansardsociety.org.uk/blogs/edemocracy]

Parliament and Government

The Parliament & Government Programme undertakes research on political and constitutional reform. In recent years, they hasve worked on the following areas:

* Parliamentary scrutiny and government accountabi
* Political representation
* Law making
* Public engagement

Working closely with parliamentarians, government, the media and the public to consider a range of issues relevant to parliamentary democracy, The Hansard Society has made many influential recommendations for parliamentary reform as part of their original studies, reports and evidence papers. Current research continues to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the political system and make the case for change.

* [http://www.hansardsociety.org.uk/blogs/parliament%5Fand%5Fgovernment/]

Hansard Society Scotland

Hansard Society Scotland provides a new independent and non-partisan platform in Scotland to consider issues relating to the Scottish Parliament and the implications and lessons for other parts of UK parliamentary democracy: "Monitoring devolution and its effect on Scotland"

The programme includes events and activities to bring together MSPs and staff of the Parliament, political journalists and academics, modern studies teachers, corporate affairs staff in the private and voluntary sector, and others with an interest in parliamentary democracy in Scotland.

tudy and Scholars

For over 20 years, the Study & Scholars Programme has run a series of courses aimed at improving accessibility and understanding of the British political system. Hundreds of undergraduate and postgraduate students from around the world have participated in our prestigious Hansard Scholars Programme, and we have successfully delivered political education and training programmes to dozens of organisations from both the public and private sectors.

The Hansard Society is registered with the UK Government's Department for Innovation, Universities & Skills (DIUS) as an education & training provider, and is accredited by the British Accreditation Council.

The Hansard Society is a Member of StudyUK and an Associate Member of the Association of American Study Abroad Programmes UK (AASAP/UK).

Funding

As a registered charity, the Hansard Society relies on funding from individual donations, grants from charitable trusts and foundations, corporate sponsorship, and donations from individual parliamentarians from Westminster and the devolved institutions who contribute to our Parliamentary Patrons scheme. Their projects and programmes of work have genuinely made a difference to the democratic processes in the UK and beyond.

To support the Hansard Society, visit www.hansardsociety.org.uk

The journal "Parliamentary Affairs" is jointly published by Oxford University Press and the Society.

External links

* [http://www.hansardsociety.org.uk/ Official website of the Hansard Society]
* [http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/registeredcharities/showcharity.asp?chyno=1091364 Hansard Society Limited] , Charity Commission, charity number 1091364
* [http://pa.oxfordjournals.org/ Oxford Journals: "Parliamentary Affairs"]