About

The Research Committee of Legislative Specialists (RCLS) is a global community of academics and practitioners dedicated to the study of parliaments and legislatures. Our research contributes to world development with regard to promoting democratic values, and advancing a free, peaceful, and prosperous world. We collaborate to further the understanding of representative assemblies around the world to better understand their roles, functions, structures, and policy impact. We value and encourage interdisciplinary research and cooperation among scholars in different disciplines. Promoting the comparative investigation of institutions, processes, and politics, we look at national, cross-national, and sub-national aspects of parliaments. Ongoing dialogue with practitioners and engaging a broader public allow us to engage in research with societal relevance.

RCLS was formed in 1972.

RCLS Committee

Management Team

Chair: Professor Dr. Irina Khmelko (University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, USA)
Vice Chair: Professor Dr. Sven T. Siefken (Federal University of Applied Administrative Sciences, Brühl, Germany and Institute for Parliamentary Research, Berlin, Germany)
Research Director: Professor Dr. Petra Guasti (Charles University Prague, Czech Republic)

Committee Board Members:

Professor Dr. Osnat Akirav (Western Galilee College, Israel)
Professor Dr. Anne Marie Camissa (Georgetown University, USA)
Benjamin Ekeyi (Nigeria)
Professor Dr. Omer Faruk Genckaya (Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey)
Dr. Stephen Holden Bates (University of Birmingham, UK)
Dr. Maya Kornberg (New York University, USA)
Professor Dr. Da-Chi Liao (National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan)
Dr. Julia Schwanholz (Duisburg-Essen University, Germany)
Professor Dr. Milind Thakar (University of Indianapolis, USA)

Committee Advisory Board Members:

Professor Dr. Ken Coghill (Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia)
Professor Dr. Zdenka Mansfeldova (Institute of Sociology, Czech Academy of Science, Prague, Czech Republic)
Professor Dr. David M. Olsen (University of North Carolina at Greensboro, USA)
Professor Dr. Werner J Patzelt, (Technical University, Dresden, Germany)
Professor Dr. Hilmar Rommetvedt (NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, Stavanger, Norway)
Professor Dr. Rick Stapenhurst (McGill University, Montréal and Québec, Canada)