The first comprehensive, detailed study of the UK legislative process in more than forty years
Illustrated by real-world examples from the Labour and coalition periods (2005-12)
Self-contained chapters on the behaviour and influence of different actors including: government, opposition, backbenchers, select committees, and outside pressure groups
Detailed coverage of twelve case study bills such as the introduction (and subsequent repeal) of identity cards, the introduction of the ban on smoking in public places, the creation of the Office for Budget Responsibility, and the coalition's welfare reforms
Based on extensive parliamentary research and more than a hundred interviews with legislative insiders
Examines how the legislative process differs between the Lords and the Commons, and between coalition and single-party government
Comes from the Constitution Unit, the UK's leading research body on constitutional change