The changing nature of conflict and the increase in intrastate conflict during the 1990s, followed by its slow decline since the turn of the century, have led to changing priorities in the field of conflict resolution. No longer is the international community solely concerned with resolving existing conflicts; it also is managing emerging conflicts to ensure that they do not flare into violent conflict. This book outlines some of the strategies parliaments and parliamentarians can adopt to reduce the incidence of conflict and effectively manage conflict when it does emerge. It is hoped that by developing a better understanding of the nexus between parliament, poverty, and conflict parliamentarians will be more aware of the array of options open to them as they seek to contribute to conflict management in conflict-affected societies.

This edited volume presents the comprehensive review of the work on developing assessment frameworks for democratic parliaments. The book identifies areas of internationally agreed consensus among the current sets of standards and principles, and areas of potential further consensus by examining national case studies and drawing a first set of lessons of experience. Additionally, it brings in regional perspectives on standards for democratic parliaments. Since parliaments are just beginning to test or apply the different frameworks many will need assistance from partners in the parliamentary strengthening and donor community to take such an exercise forward. Therefore, there is a need for broader understanding on principles behind different benchmarks, to discuss the relevance of each type of benchmark framework to specific regional and national context, and to determine how Parliaments would benefit from changes that would allow them to meet the benchmark.