Marc Geddes
Biographic Data
| ID | 4384341 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Marc Geddes |
| GIVEN NAMES | Marc |
| FAMILY NAME | Geddes |
| SIGNATURE | GEDDES M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Edinburgh |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-8040-7059 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 95 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 14 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
What Are Select Committees For
The modern select committee system in the UK House of Commons was introduced in 1979 to deepen opportunities for backbench MPs to hold government to account and strengthen Parliament vis‐à‐vis the executive. However, select committees play a much bigger role in parliamentary life. In this article, based on over a decade of research, I argue that committees have four main roles. Alongside their scrutiny role, select committees exist to integrate d…
Comparing evidence use in parliaments: The interplay of beliefs, traditions, and practices in the UK and Germany
This article draws on rich qualitative data from two national parliaments—the UK House of Commons and the German Bundestag—to examine knowledge practices in political institutions. This is an important topic, not only because parliaments play a significant role in democratic decision-making, but because it sheds light on debates about how such decision-making is based on and interacts with knowledge and evidence. By adopting an interpretive analy…
Interpreting parliaments, but how: Centring parliamentary actors and settings in ethnographic design and practice
Do researchers that use ethnographic methods study parliaments and parliamentary actors in the same way? While parliamentary ethnography is a growing research methodology to study political phenomena, such as informality, political behaviour and interpretations of parliamentary work, less is said about how access to sites and actors may affect analytical foci, strategies and outcomes. This neglects the complexity of parliamentary organisation and…
Parliamentary traditions in the UK: Exploring beliefs, practices and dilemmas to explain change and continuity in the House of Commons
What do 'dilemmas' reveal about elites' underlying beliefs, values and attitudes to parliaments and reform? In this article, I answer this question in two ways. First, I identify three parliamentary 'traditions' among elites regarding the UK Parliament and reform in British politics (specifically: conservative, liberal and reformist traditions). Second, I explore how these different traditions inform MPs when confronted with dilemmas about Parlia…
Explaining Change in Legislatures: Dilemmas of Managerial Reform in the UK House of Commons
How do institutions adapt and reform themselves in response to new challenges? This article considers the role of ideas and posits that the concept of ‘dilemma’ – clashes of beliefs played out through power relations and practices – offers a complementary tool to understand institutional change. It draws on the 2014 appointment of a new Clerk to the UK House of Commons – in which conflicting beliefs about the House of Commons administration opene…
Opening up evidence-based policy: Exploring citizen and service user expertise
[Abstract not available]
Pushing interpretive scholarship further by embracing comparative research
The webs of belief around ‘evidence’ in legislatures: The case of select committees in the UK House of Commons
A wide‐ranging literature has explored the relationship between research, knowledge and policy. However, legislatures have often been overlooked in this research. While some studies have looked at ‘who has access’, the literature on how parliaments seek to engage with knowledge claims is particularly scarce. This article addresses this gap through a case study of UK select committees. By adopting an interpretive lens, the article explores how MPs…
The Explanatory Potential of ‘Dilemmas: Bridging Practices and Power to Understand Political Change in Interpretive Political Science
This article explores the potential of the concept of ‘dilemma’, as introduced in Mark Bevir and R.A.W. Rhodes’ interpretive political science, to understand and explain change within and beyond political institutions. This article argues that the current conceptualisation of the concept has been underdeveloped and the potential opportunities of using it have been overlooked. The concept of dilemmas must be developed in two directions: first, thr…
Performing Scrutiny along the Committee Corridor of the UK House of Commons
In what ways do practices, relationships and interpretations of scrutiny affect accountability relationships in legislatures? This article examines this question through a detailed study of select committees in the UK House of Commons. Drawing on a number of qualitative methods, this article argues that we can understand accountability in the House of Commons more effectively if we examine the underlying beliefs and practices about scrutiny by MP…
Committee Hearings of the UK Parliament: Who gives Evidence and does this Matter
While evidence hearings by House of Commons select committees have received increasing attention by the public and the media in recent years, academic research on this topic has remained rather thin. Drawing on both quantitative and qualitative methods, this article examines this topic. It begins by explaining why evidence is important: (i) it is fundamental to sustain detailed scrutiny; (ii) it builds individual-level and institutional-level exp…
Governing under Pressure? The Mental Wellbeing of Politicians
Despite the singular importance of the work of national politicians in creating legislation, representing constituents and holding government to account, relatively little work has been done concerning their wellbeing and psychological health. There are unique, as well as universal, stressors that impact upon politicians; a neglect of these issues has profound consequences for those individuals and wider democracy. We propose a ‘taxonomy of stres…
A recipe for impact? Exploring knowledge requirements in the UK Parliament and beyond
In the context of ongoing debates around academic engagements with policymakers, this article discusses how academics can successfully engage with the often overlooked institution of Parliament. We argue that the UK Parliament is not a homogeneous organisation but has differing knowledge requirements for different parliamentary sites. While there are common barriers that need to be overcome by researchers, there is no universal recipe that will e…
The Silent Revolution: A Political History of the Politics of Patronage and Reform
For centuries, the capacity of British ministers to appoint individuals to positions on the boards of agencies, boards and commissions was viewed as little more than one element of the ‘spoils of war’ in a highly majoritarian polity. This article examines how the politics of patronage has evolved in recent decades and argues that it is possible to identify a silent revolution that has gradually but consistently constrained the reach and discretio…
Committee Hearings of the UK Parliament: Who gives Evidence and does this Matter
While evidence hearings by House of Commons select committees have received increasing attention by the public and the media in recent years, academic research on this topic has remained rather thin. Drawing on both quantitative and qualitative methods, this article examines this topic. It begins by explaining why evidence is important: (i) it is fundamental to sustain detailed scrutiny; (ii) it builds individual-level and institutional-level exp…
Governing under Pressure? The Mental Wellbeing of Politicians
Despite the singular importance of the work of national politicians in creating legislation, representing constituents and holding government to account, relatively little work has been done concerning their wellbeing and psychological health. There are unique, as well as universal, stressors that impact upon politicians; a neglect of these issues has profound consequences for those individuals and wider democracy. We propose a ‘taxonomy of stres…
A recipe for impact? Exploring knowledge requirements in the UK Parliament and beyond
In the context of ongoing debates around academic engagements with policymakers, this article discusses how academics can successfully engage with the often overlooked institution of Parliament. We argue that the UK Parliament is not a homogeneous organisation but has differing knowledge requirements for different parliamentary sites. While there are common barriers that need to be overcome by researchers, there is no universal recipe that will e…
The webs of belief around ‘evidence’ in legislatures: The case of select committees in the UK House of Commons
A wide‐ranging literature has explored the relationship between research, knowledge and policy. However, legislatures have often been overlooked in this research. While some studies have looked at ‘who has access’, the literature on how parliaments seek to engage with knowledge claims is particularly scarce. This article addresses this gap through a case study of UK select committees. By adopting an interpretive lens, the article explores how MPs…
The Explanatory Potential of ‘Dilemmas: Bridging Practices and Power to Understand Political Change in Interpretive Political Science
This article explores the potential of the concept of ‘dilemma’, as introduced in Mark Bevir and R.A.W. Rhodes’ interpretive political science, to understand and explain change within and beyond political institutions. This article argues that the current conceptualisation of the concept has been underdeveloped and the potential opportunities of using it have been overlooked. The concept of dilemmas must be developed in two directions: first, thr…
Performing Scrutiny along the Committee Corridor of the UK House of Commons
In what ways do practices, relationships and interpretations of scrutiny affect accountability relationships in legislatures? This article examines this question through a detailed study of select committees in the UK House of Commons. Drawing on a number of qualitative methods, this article argues that we can understand accountability in the House of Commons more effectively if we examine the underlying beliefs and practices about scrutiny by MP…
Explaining Change in Legislatures: Dilemmas of Managerial Reform in the UK House of Commons
How do institutions adapt and reform themselves in response to new challenges? This article considers the role of ideas and posits that the concept of ‘dilemma’ – clashes of beliefs played out through power relations and practices – offers a complementary tool to understand institutional change. It draws on the 2014 appointment of a new Clerk to the UK House of Commons – in which conflicting beliefs about the House of Commons administration opene…
Comparing evidence use in parliaments: The interplay of beliefs, traditions, and practices in the UK and Germany
This article draws on rich qualitative data from two national parliaments—the UK House of Commons and the German Bundestag—to examine knowledge practices in political institutions. This is an important topic, not only because parliaments play a significant role in democratic decision-making, but because it sheds light on debates about how such decision-making is based on and interacts with knowledge and evidence. By adopting an interpretive analy…
Opening up evidence-based policy: Exploring citizen and service user expertise
[Abstract not available]
Interpreting parliaments, but how: Centring parliamentary actors and settings in ethnographic design and practice
Do researchers that use ethnographic methods study parliaments and parliamentary actors in the same way? While parliamentary ethnography is a growing research methodology to study political phenomena, such as informality, political behaviour and interpretations of parliamentary work, less is said about how access to sites and actors may affect analytical foci, strategies and outcomes. This neglects the complexity of parliamentary organisation and…
Parliamentary traditions in the UK: Exploring beliefs, practices and dilemmas to explain change and continuity in the House of Commons
What do 'dilemmas' reveal about elites' underlying beliefs, values and attitudes to parliaments and reform? In this article, I answer this question in two ways. First, I identify three parliamentary 'traditions' among elites regarding the UK Parliament and reform in British politics (specifically: conservative, liberal and reformist traditions). Second, I explore how these different traditions inform MPs when confronted with dilemmas about Parlia…
The Silent Revolution: A Political History of the Politics of Patronage and Reform
For centuries, the capacity of British ministers to appoint individuals to positions on the boards of agencies, boards and commissions was viewed as little more than one element of the ‘spoils of war’ in a highly majoritarian polity. This article examines how the politics of patronage has evolved in recent decades and argues that it is possible to identify a silent revolution that has gradually but consistently constrained the reach and discretio…
The Silent Revolution: A Political History of the Politics of Patronage and Reform
For centuries, the capacity of British ministers to appoint individuals to positions on the boards of agencies, boards and commissions was viewed as little more than one element of the ‘spoils of war’ in a highly majoritarian polity. This article examines how the politics of patronage has evolved in recent decades and argues that it is possible to identify a silent revolution that has gradually but consistently constrained the reach and discretio…
A recipe for impact? Exploring knowledge requirements in the UK Parliament and beyond
In the context of ongoing debates around academic engagements with policymakers, this article discusses how academics can successfully engage with the often overlooked institution of Parliament. We argue that the UK Parliament is not a homogeneous organisation but has differing knowledge requirements for different parliamentary sites. While there are common barriers that need to be overcome by researchers, there is no universal recipe that will e…
Committee Hearings of the UK Parliament: Who gives Evidence and does this Matter
While evidence hearings by House of Commons select committees have received increasing attention by the public and the media in recent years, academic research on this topic has remained rather thin. Drawing on both quantitative and qualitative methods, this article examines this topic. It begins by explaining why evidence is important: (i) it is fundamental to sustain detailed scrutiny; (ii) it builds individual-level and institutional-level exp…
Governing under Pressure? The Mental Wellbeing of Politicians
Despite the singular importance of the work of national politicians in creating legislation, representing constituents and holding government to account, relatively little work has been done concerning their wellbeing and psychological health. There are unique, as well as universal, stressors that impact upon politicians; a neglect of these issues has profound consequences for those individuals and wider democracy. We propose a ‘taxonomy of stres…
The Explanatory Potential of ‘Dilemmas: Bridging Practices and Power to Understand Political Change in Interpretive Political Science
This article explores the potential of the concept of ‘dilemma’, as introduced in Mark Bevir and R.A.W. Rhodes’ interpretive political science, to understand and explain change within and beyond political institutions. This article argues that the current conceptualisation of the concept has been underdeveloped and the potential opportunities of using it have been overlooked. The concept of dilemmas must be developed in two directions: first, thr…
Performing Scrutiny along the Committee Corridor of the UK House of Commons
In what ways do practices, relationships and interpretations of scrutiny affect accountability relationships in legislatures? This article examines this question through a detailed study of select committees in the UK House of Commons. Drawing on a number of qualitative methods, this article argues that we can understand accountability in the House of Commons more effectively if we examine the underlying beliefs and practices about scrutiny by MP…
Opening up evidence-based policy: Exploring citizen and service user expertise
[Abstract not available]
Pushing interpretive scholarship further by embracing comparative research
The webs of belief around ‘evidence’ in legislatures: The case of select committees in the UK House of Commons
A wide‐ranging literature has explored the relationship between research, knowledge and policy. However, legislatures have often been overlooked in this research. While some studies have looked at ‘who has access’, the literature on how parliaments seek to engage with knowledge claims is particularly scarce. This article addresses this gap through a case study of UK select committees. By adopting an interpretive lens, the article explores how MPs…
Explaining Change in Legislatures: Dilemmas of Managerial Reform in the UK House of Commons
How do institutions adapt and reform themselves in response to new challenges? This article considers the role of ideas and posits that the concept of ‘dilemma’ – clashes of beliefs played out through power relations and practices – offers a complementary tool to understand institutional change. It draws on the 2014 appointment of a new Clerk to the UK House of Commons – in which conflicting beliefs about the House of Commons administration opene…
Comparing evidence use in parliaments: The interplay of beliefs, traditions, and practices in the UK and Germany
This article draws on rich qualitative data from two national parliaments—the UK House of Commons and the German Bundestag—to examine knowledge practices in political institutions. This is an important topic, not only because parliaments play a significant role in democratic decision-making, but because it sheds light on debates about how such decision-making is based on and interacts with knowledge and evidence. By adopting an interpretive analy…
Interpreting parliaments, but how: Centring parliamentary actors and settings in ethnographic design and practice
Do researchers that use ethnographic methods study parliaments and parliamentary actors in the same way? While parliamentary ethnography is a growing research methodology to study political phenomena, such as informality, political behaviour and interpretations of parliamentary work, less is said about how access to sites and actors may affect analytical foci, strategies and outcomes. This neglects the complexity of parliamentary organisation and…
Parliamentary traditions in the UK: Exploring beliefs, practices and dilemmas to explain change and continuity in the House of Commons
What do 'dilemmas' reveal about elites' underlying beliefs, values and attitudes to parliaments and reform? In this article, I answer this question in two ways. First, I identify three parliamentary 'traditions' among elites regarding the UK Parliament and reform in British politics (specifically: conservative, liberal and reformist traditions). Second, I explore how these different traditions inform MPs when confronted with dilemmas about Parlia…
What Are Select Committees For
The modern select committee system in the UK House of Commons was introduced in 1979 to deepen opportunities for backbench MPs to hold government to account and strengthen Parliament vis‐à‐vis the executive. However, select committees play a much bigger role in parliamentary life. In this article, based on over a decade of research, I argue that committees have four main roles. Alongside their scrutiny role, select committees exist to integrate d…
Political science (13 works) · Law (12 works) · Politics (12 works) · Sociology (12 works) · Law (11 works) · Public relations (8 works) · House of Commons (7 works) · Public Administration (7 works) · Parliament (6 works) · Political and Economic history of UK and US (6 works)