Resumen de Committee hearings as parliamentary public engagement: A global perspective

Maya Kornberg, Sven T. Siefken

• Committees are important units of parliaments around the world, but their usein public engagement has been underexplored. Committees can conductpublic hearings, which have been analysed as tools for informationprocessing. Following a conceptual overview, the article analyses datacollected for the 2022 Global Parliamentary Report on hearings as a tool forpublic engagement. Based on the survey responses of 69 parliamentarychambers and interviews with MPs and staff, it explores how, and wherehearings are used for engagement. Spotlighting innovations such ascommitteefield hearings and core issues from committee practice, such asdigital hearings, and mechanisms for the involvement of CSOs, it becomesclear that the perspective on hearings must be broadened beyond legislationand oversight and their role in public engagement must be taken seriously–both for academic study and political practice.