Social participation in the legislative proceedings

Abstract

This article addresses whether hearings should be held for people and organizations, which represent social interests, during Spanish legislative proceedings. Public hearings are a common practice in the legislative procedure of the United States Congress, the German Bundestag and other parliamentary chambers, as well as in the parliaments and legislative assemblies of some Spanish autonomous communities. Opening legislative proceedings to social participation could help strengthen the social perception of parliament’s legitimacy, if legitimacy is conceived not only in terms of political representation, but also in terms of direct participation and convincing justification of public decisions