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This compendium of 13 papers, presented at a conference, organized jointly by the Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University and PRS Legislative Research, New Delhi, attempts to examine the credibility and legitimacy of the Indian Parliament, scrutinizing the various aspects of its functioning.

Providing a broad analysis of the relationship between the functioning of parliamentary institutions and the rapid changes witnessed in Indian society, particularly the onset of coalition politics and the initiation of economic reforms, it analyses the institutional standards of performance of Parliament. It also deals with the different forms of parliamentary control, the evolving relationship between the legislature and the executive, the lack of parliamentary accountability, and the weaknesses in the functioning of the committee system. Finally it analyses the external factors, which affect the internal functioning of Parliament, such as the role of the media, criminalization of politics, and the influence of civil society organizations and movements.