Methodology
Data collection
Parliaments are always the IPU’s first port of call for Parline data. Over the years, the IPU has established systems with parliaments to collect and verify data. A network of Parline Correspondents was initiated in April 2019 whereby each parliament or chamber designates a correspondent(s) to proactively inform the IPU of any changes relevant to their Parline data.
Around half of the 600 data fields are collected through a series of questionnaires completed and submitted by Parline Correspondents and other focal points in parliaments. Data for annually updated fields are collected via the annual activities questionnaire, while data for fields updated after every election/renewal are collected in the post-election questionnaire.
Around 20% of data fields are actively monitored and updated every time there is a change – for instance — the sex, age and appointment/election of Speakers and Secretaries General, and the number of women in parliament. All other fields are reviewed at periodic intervals and updated on a rolling basis.
IPU also collects data from from other credible sources (e.g. constitutional or legal references, parliamentary websites). A limited number of data fields are populated with information derived from the World Bank (e.g. PPP conversion factor) and the United Nations (e.g. population data).
Data coverage and quality assurance
Data coverage is contingent upon information supplied by parliaments. Some parliaments have robust in-house library and research services, and others operate with very small Secretariats that may not regularly collect and monitor the data requested for Parline.
The IPU attempts to present data that is consistent in definition, timing and methods. However, differences in timing and reporting practices of parliaments can sometimes lead to inconsistencies among data. Also, it is difficult to apply a universal definition to certain concepts as working methods and terminology employed by parliaments vary (e.g. “emergency legislation” or “parliamentary inquiries”). In so far as possible, explanatory notes accompany the data where needed.
Before data is published, quality controls are carried out by the IPU including by comparing new data with historical records for a given country and among countries and with publicly available information. In the case of any inconsistencies, a dialogue is opened with the parliament to clarify and, where necessary, correct the data. In addition, parliaments are invited to review all of their data on Parline at regular intervals – at least annually and following elections.
Sources
Data is predominately collected directly from national parliaments through a series of questionnaires and via the IPU’s regular correspondence with them.
However, there are some notable exceptions when other sources are used.
Data on direct elections are gathered or received from national election commissions (data for indirect elections and appointed chambers are gathered from respective parliaments/chambers). When data is not available from a national election commission, unofficial sources will be used and verified with the respective parliament. Sources of data on direct elections are always indicated within the “Elections results” section of chamber pages.
Data for PPP conversion factor is taken from the World Bank’s World Development Indicators database. It is used to convert local currency into PPP dollars to allow for international comparison of budgets and salaries and allowances of members.
Data on national population is taken from the United Nations’ World Population Prospects database and used to calculate the number of inhabitants per parliamentarian. The data may be retrospectively updated when the United Nations revises the data.
Questionnaires
Various questionnaires have been employed to collect data for Parline over the years. Since the unveiling of the current Parline database in 2018, the Annual activities and Post-election questionnaires are the core tools used to update time-series data and information that is likely to change either annually or after an election.
See Questionnaires for parliaments.
Researchers interested in earlier questionnaires can contact [email protected] for more information.
Updating schedule
Different fields in Parline are updated according to different schedules. There is an important distinction between fields for which past values are stored in the database (known as “time-series fields”) and those for which past values are not stored (“non-time-series fields”).Most Parline fields are time-series. Past values for time-series fields can be viewed by clicking on the historical icon next to those fields in Parline. A pop-up box opens that displays the past values, and the month/year in which the value changed (i.e. 2019-10 indicates October 2019).
Time-series fields are updated based on the schedule documented in the Data dictionary. Some time-series fields change frequently (e.g. Number of women in parliament which appears in the Monthly ranking of women in parliament), whereas others are more stable, and are updated only if and when there is a change, e.g. a change to a country’s name.
Another set of fields with historical values relates to “Elections results”. A separate “Elections results” page is created each time an election/renewal takes place.
All other fields in Parline are ‘non-time series’. When new information is received and entered into the database, past values for these fields are not retained. In principle, non-time-series fields are fields whose values do not change frequently. The impetus for change is often a Constitutional amendment. For example “Parliamentary term”, “Authority that designates the Speaker”, “Legislation adopted by parliament requires the assent of the Head of State” are all determined by a country’s Constitution. IPU updates these fields through regular scanning (looking out for new Constitutions) and inviting parliaments to review their information, on at least an annual basis, to report any required updates.
How fields are updated in Parline
With few exceptions, each of the 600+ data fields are updated at one of the following frequencies:
- Every time there is a change
- annually
- after an election/renewal (fields are valid for the timespan of the legislature), or
- every few years
Fields that refer to a specific calendar year are updated via the Annual activities questionnaire, which is sent to all parliaments in the first quarter of every year.
Information on Annual activities is gathered throughout the year. Parliaments submit data at various times, for instance, in conjunction with the release of a parliament’s own annual report.
Fields that typically change around the time of an election are updated via the Post-election questionnaire, which is sent to every chamber where an election or renewal has taken place. Between 50-80 chambers are renewed via direct or indirect elections each year. The timeliness of updates to election fields in Parline is contingent upon finalisation of official results in a country. “Election results” are the first fields to be updated, and those contained within the Post-election questionnaire are not made until after a new legislature convenes and committee assignments have been made.
The IPU makes every effort to encourage parliaments to respond to these questionnaires in a timely manner.
Notes for Researchers
(1) The IPU makes every effort to ensure that the data provided by parliaments for Parline is timely, accurate and up-to-date. As the source of the data, parliaments remain ultimately responsible for the quality of the data that they provide.
(2) In some cases, data is received from parliaments sometime after a change actually took place. When this happens, the historical records are modified so that the data appears from the time of the change, not the time at which the change was reported. Even so, we try to limit retroactive changes to the extent possible. Due to the possible changes, researchers should always note the date they have extracted data from Parline.
(3) Data on budgets and member salaries/allowances are collected in local currency and then automatically calculated in PPP dollars to allow for international comparison. The figures in PPP dollars may be retrospectively updated based on periodic revisions of PPP conversion factors published by the World Bank, thus affecting past PPP calculations in Parline.
(4) Researchers should be sure to be aware of the schedule of update for each field. Two sets of fields with particular characteristics are described below.
Example 1: Number of women in parliament
Parline contains four data fields about the number of women in parliament representing different points in time:
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- “Number of women elected/appointed” which refers to the results of the election or renewal (under ‘Elections: Results’)
- “Total number of women after the election/renewal” which refers to the number of women at the first sitting of a new legislature (under ‘Elections: New legislature’)
- “Number of members, by age” which refers to the composition of members at the start of a new legislature and can differ from the number of women elected or total number at the first sitting, especially if there have been changes due to government appointments (under ‘Basic information: Age’)
- “Current number of members: women” which can track monthly changes that occur during a legislature. This is the primary metric in Parline for the number of women and is used in the Monthly ranking of women in parliament (under ‘Basic information: Members’)
While all of the fields refer to the number of women in parliament — the figures for each field may be different given that each data field refers to the situation at a different time.
Example 2: Age of parliamentarians
Data on the age of members of parliament is collected at the start of a legislature and is not updated again until after the next election/renewal. Thus, the age breakdown reflects a moment in time (the start of the legislature) and does not reflect the current situation.
(5) Elections: The IPU published the Chronicle of Parliamentary Elections between 1967 and 2010. An electronic version of the Chronicle was included in the version of the Parline database that existed between 1996 and 2018: http://archive.ipu.org/parline-e/parlinesearch.asp.
In 2018, IPU began publishing election-related data in Parline. The data on the most recent and previous elections is from the page of each parliamentary chamber.
Contact [email protected] for any further questions or clarifications.