The book includes chapters on a broad range of countries including Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, Norway and the NetherlandsThe history of senates and upper chambers is especially pertinent given ongoing controversies in larger countries such as the UK and USThe book includes contributions from leading scholars such as Linda Cardinal and Torbjoern Nilsson

This new study of senates in small powers across the North Atlantic shows that the establishment and the reform of these upper legislative houses have followed remarkably parallel trajectories. Senate reforms emerged in the wake of deep political crises within the North Atlantic world and were influenced by the comparatively weak positions of small powers. Reformers responded to crises and constantly looked beyond borders and oceans for inspiration to keep their senates relevant. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9780429323119, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.