Modern Parliament

Partners in Progress How Inter Pares Collaborates with Parliaments Around the World

On #WorldParliamentDay, read about how Inter Pares works with parliaments around the world. medium.com/@interpares/...

World Parliament Day: Why I Love the Legislative Branch Reflections on how Congress became my window into human possibility and political imagination

Celebrate #WorldParliamentDay with some reflections from our Senior Fellow @beatrizrey.bsky.social on how Congress became her window into human possibility and political imagination!

Read: modparl.substack.com/p/world-parl...

Start With Imagination, Not Code Lessons from Building a Shared Legislative Platform

How do you build a tool for lawmakers that works across parliaments? We spoke with Matthew Lynch (UK National Archives) about Lawmaker, a shared legislative platform built on imagination, not just code.
modparl.substack.com/p/lawmaker

🔍 The piece was featured on TAB’s official website! We're honored to see ModParl recognized by the very institution it explored.
📎 www.tab-beim-bundestag.de/english/a-vi...

👀 POPVOX Fellow @beatrizrey.bsky.social visited Germany’s Bundestag and its Office of Technology Assessment (TAB), where science supports parliament. TAB helps lawmakers tackle AI, energy, and more — all through cross-party consensus.
📍 modparl.substack.com/p/a-visit-to...

Our @popvoxfdn.bsky.social fellow @beatrizrey.bsky.social's post on the German Parliament's Office of Technology Assessment (TAB) featured on the "TABlog"

I learn SO much from her on parliamentary modernization around the world -->
@modparl.bsky.social
www.tab-beim-bundestag.de/english/a-vi...

6/6 🕵️‍♂️ His team is developing AI tools to track legislative changes, but with caution: "Every word in a law carries political weight." The challenge is keeping up with AI’s rapid evolution.

Stay tuned for insights from our upcoming visit to the German Bundestag!

#ModParl #AI

5/6 🚨 He emphasized the risks of AI in public policy: "What happens if AI hallucinates? These decisions affect real people, especially the most vulnerable." The balance between innovation and caution is critical.

4/6 🤖 Now at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Miguélez works on AI applications to detect social vulnerabilities, helping governments proactively support those at risk of poverty.

3/6 📊 Faced with limited institutional support, Miguélez invited citizens to parliamentary sessions, leading to tangible impacts—like reallocating €6M to universities by identifying a budget error!

2/6 💡 Joan Giner-Miguélez shared insights on "Parlament Obert," an initiative he launched to boost transparency and civic participation by connecting citizens directly with policy discussions.

1/6 The Catalan Parliament, one of the world's oldest legislatures, plays a crucial role in Catalonia’s self-government, managing legislation, budgets, and government oversight within the Generalitat.

From Barcelona: Open Legislatures, AI, and the Future of Governance Insights from the Catalan Parliament on political innovation, AI in policymaking, and the challenges of regulating fast-evolving technology

🚨 New ModParl is out! 🚨

🧵 This week, the ModParl team explored the Catalan Parliament and met with Joan Giner-Miguélez, a former MP elected at just 26 years old. Here are the highlights:
open.substack.com/pub/modparl/...

Thank you for chatting to me about modernisation of parliaments, citizens and parliaments, AI etc. Good summary below👇:

🔟Cristina’s insights show that the key to modernizing parliaments isn’t just technology—it’s making them more relevant to citizens' daily lives.

Read the full conversation here: t.co/XxGc3WASrP

9️⃣Finally, she raises a critical concern: Will AI widen the gap between well-resourced, tech-savvy parliaments and those struggling to keep up?

8️⃣How can parliaments bridge the gap with citizens? She suggests embedding parliaments in society—through education, partnerships with civil society, and outreach programs like youth parliaments and mobile legislative initiatives.

7️⃣Cristina emphasizes the need for “slow politics” —spaces where deliberation and meaningful discussions can occur, rather than reactive, polarized debates fueled by 24/7 media cycles.

6️⃣AI is both an opportunity and a challenge for parliaments. It can help simplify complex legislative language, summarize citizen input, and improve accessibility, but many parliaments aren’t fully digitized yet, creating a growing gap.

5️⃣ Modernization isn’t just about structure but also about experimentation. Parliaments are often risk-averse, yet successful modernization efforts have come from piloting new approaches and learning from them.

4️⃣One key lesson: Institutionalizing modernization is crucial. If reforms depend only on a few enthusiastic politicians, they risk disappearing when those individuals leave office. Long-term change requires buy-in from the institution itself.

3️⃣"The way that parliaments can become more relevant to people is by talking about the issues that matter to people," Cristina says.

It’s not about processes—it’s about discussing the topics that truly impact people's lives. This is what brings citizens into the conversation.

2️⃣ One major challenge? Many parliaments still struggle to engage with citizens between elections. Too often, participation is limited to voting, leaving citizens disconnected from day-to-day decision-making.

1️⃣ Cristina has worked with parliaments for 30+ years. She highlights how legislative institutions have evolved—from closed spaces to increasingly visible and scrutinized bodies, thanks to the internet and social media.

🚨 New ModParl interview! 🚨

We spoke with @estrangeirada.bsky.social, a leading expert on legislative modernization, about the future of parliaments, citizen engagement, and the role of AI in democracy. 🏛️🤖

A thread 🧵⤵️

For more information on Brazil's Senate, follow @senado.leg.br

10/ The takeaway?

AI is modernizing lawmaking in Brazil. Other parliaments should take note—this could be a global model for transparency & efficiency. 🌍📜

9/ AI isn’t replacing humans—it’s making legislative work faster & more transparent.

With human oversight, Brazil’s Senate proves that AI can strengthen democracy, not replace it.

8/ What’s next? 🚀

🔹 Facial recognition for voting & attendance
🔹 AI-powered research tools to help consultants write summaries & reports faster

7/ AI analyzed, categorized and summarized all amendments.

💡 With AI-assisted classification, legislative consultants compiled a full report in 1 week—instead of spending weeks on manual sorting.