The success of janata (public) curfew and the discipline demonstrated by the citizens of India during the nationwide lockdown has conveyed the message of citizen-government cooperation in the effort to contain the menace of coronavirus. Maintaining social distancing and the need to stay at home during the prevailing health crisis is...
Measuring Legislative Activity during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Introducing the ParlAct and ParlTech Indexes
This research note introduces two novel indexes designed to measure legislative activity (ParlAct) and use of digital devices to maintain legislative functions (ParlTech) during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. We also introduce a novel comprehensive dataset on the functioning of legislatures during a critical period of the pandemic,...
Israel: Legal Response to Covid-19
"Israel has a parliamentary regime with a unicameral legislature (‘Knesset’). The Knesset, which consists of 120 members (‘MKs’), is elected in general, representative, multi-party elections. The candidate for Prime Minister who manages to command the support of at least a simple majority of MKs receives from the President the mandate...
Parliamentary Activity and Legislative Oversight during the Coronavirus Pandemic -A Comparative Overview
The novel Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is extremely contagious and currently incurable. Hence, much of the efforts to contain the pandemic have focused on social distancing, prohibiting gatherings and even curfews. The Coronavirus poses a new dual challenge for legislatures. First, the Coronavirus, and the measures taken to contain its...
Online Supplement for Covid-19 and Legislative Activity: A Cross-National Study
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Covid-19 and Legislative Activity: A Cross-National Study
Insufficient attention has been given to studying a vital organ jeopardized by covid-19: legislatures. Legislatures across the globe have been shut down or limited due to covid-19. In a comprehensive multidisciplinary study, exploring legislatures across 159 countries, we show that there is no causal relation between the severity of covid-19...
Temporary Legislation in Times of Covid-19
This article presents an empirical view of the widespread use of temporary legislation (known also as "Sunset Legislation") as a tool in handling the challenges of the Coronavirus in Israel. First, the article presents the dramatic increase of temporary legislation during the covid-19 crisis, and traces the purposes and rationales...
Global legislative responses to coronavirus
States around the world have struggled to come up with proper legislative responses to the 2019 novel coronavirus pandemic. This editorial introduces the special issue on ‘Global Legislative Responses to Coronavirus’ and offers an overview of its rich array of articles. It follows on from the previous special issue on...
Legislatures in the Time of Covid-19
Legislatures around the world have been challenged by the 2019 novel coronavirus pandemic. Questions have arisen about parliaments’ operation during the pandemic, their role in combating covid-19, and their relationship with the executive and other state actors. This editorial introduces the special issue on ‘Legislatures in the Time of Covid-19’...
