Supporting the quality of deliberative democracy: The contribution of parliamentary library and research services

Abstract

Despite the significant role they are created to perform, to act as a source of independent information that informs the legislator about policy-choice, the parliamentary library and research service (PLRS) has been an underexplored component of legislatures within Europe. This article explores the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe), the Parliament’s combined library and research service, investigating how the unit fulfils an expert function, but also its contribution to deliberative democratic efforts. I find that the PLRS staff member could contribute to supporting the quality of deliberative devices, by lowering the cost of information for participants.