Hearings and Expert Talks in Parliament

Description

Key features in a nutshell

• hearings and similar formats, like expert talks in parliament, are essential ways for members of parliaments to gather evidence from scientists
• the invited experts usually have only a limited amount of time to make their statements and answer questions from members of parliaments
• the committees usually ask to assess past, present, or proposed policies (e.g., draft legislation); they often ask for policy recommendations
• at present, parliaments often publish recordings or minutes of hearings on their websites
• hearings can also attract media coverage

How does the format work?

Parliamentary committees organise hearings when assessing past or present policies or preparing new legislation so they can receive expertise from scientists and stakeholders, called witnesses in many English-speaking countries. The scientist can usually submit a brief written statement before the hearing.

Parliamentary staff communicate the dates and time slots to the scientists who can deliver their expertise in person or virtually. After listening to the invited experts’ reports, the parliamentary committee members ask questions. The parliamentary committee allocates a minimal amount of time for scientists to present their statements on a policy issue and answer questions from the committee members.

Parliaments on the regional and national levels, as well as the European Parliament, usually require external experts to assess policies. The provision of expertise to members of parliament for improving policies is a critical task, and hearings provide an official channel for presenting evidence to policymakers and engaging in dialogue with lawmakers. However, scientists should understand that providing evidence and policy recommendations in parliament does not entail that policymakers will follow their assessments when evaluating policies or drafting laws.

Often, citizens may attend hearings. The hearings also attract media attention if they cover controversial topics that have been debated in public before. Many parliaments publish transcripts and recordings on their websites and also offer live streams of hearings. You can also find numerous recordings of parliamentary hearings in various countries on YouTube.

Challenges

The committees usually grant experts only a few minutes to make their statements and answer questions. Often, displays of running clocks or chairs are used to remind the experts about the remaining time. Unlike time limits at academic conferences, the chairpersons of the parliamentary committees enforce the time limits, which can be a cultural shock for scientists.

Since the parliamentary committees invited the scientists, scientists may be perceived to be affiliated with certain political parties. While party affiliation is a good thing, some scientists want to avoid leaving the impression of following a party line. Also, heated discussions between scientists and committee members can occur depending on the political culture in various countries. The opposite can also happen: committee members may have already made up their minds on the respective policy issues and consider the hearing a mandatory but useless exercise, which can be frustrating for scientists as well. Nonetheless, scientists should understand that hearings provide networking opportunities which scientists should explore. A political science professor once said: “I don’t participate in hearings to make a statement in the committee room but to have informal discussions in the hallways.”

Tasks and resources

Scientists

If required, scientists must submit a written statement before the hearing. They should prepare brief statements and practice giving short answers. Scientists should also understand that parliament members have limited resources regarding time to read the experts` statements in advance. They must therefore not only focus on the content of their written statements but also think about the length and structure of the statement, visualisations, and language. The easier the statement is to read, the more likely committee members will remember the key messages.

Scientists should also consider their role. Do they want to merely provide expertise on a policy issue or advocate for a specific policy outcome? If the latter, they will have to prepare for the hearings by studying draft legislation, the positions of the members of parliament on the policy issues, and the statements provided by the other invited external experts.

If the secretariat of the parliament provides guides or a FAQ question,  scientists should read these documents, which provide helpful information on access to the buildings, time limits, or reimbursements. If the scientist needs additional information on issues like dress code or how to address the members of parliament or the chairperson, they should contact the staffers organising the hearing. More and more parliaments allow for the scientists to participate virtually. If opportunities arise during coffee breaks or chats in the hallway, scientists can also ask the staffers of the members of parliament or the parliamentary staffers for feedback regarding their statements.

Support staff (knowledge exchange managers and research managers)

The parliamentary committee members invite scientists. They often ask the support staff or their assistants to identify possible scientists who can be invited.

Updated and easily understood websites and expert directories are beneficial for staffers at parliaments in identifying potential experts. Other factors include fostering connections with members of parliament or staffers in parliaments and publishing relevant and accessible research. Support staff can help organise policy events or communicate the expertise of their scientists via policy events, newsletters, social media posts, and other formats.

Support staff can also keep records of scientists participating in hearings or similar events in parliament to connect scientists participating in hearings for the first time with their peers, who are already familiar with the format. Support staff can also ask the scientists about their experience and write short guides or FAQ lists for their scientists.

Scientists can increase their visibility among members of parliament, however, by maintaining understandable websites, publishing relevant research, or actively participating in policy events.

Policymakers

Members of parliament and their support staff have to read the statements in advance and prepare questions they would like to ask the scientists during the hearings.

Required funding for activity

The parliaments usually cover travel expenses and provide a daily allowance.

Required resources at a glance

About the author

Tome Sandevski heads the policy engagement unit at Goethe University Frankfurt, where he coordinates the joint policy engagement projects of the Rhine-Main Universities: Goethe University Frankfurt, Technical University Darmstadt, and Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz.