Introduction: the institution of parliaments / Philip Norton -- Old institution, new institutionalism? parliament and government in the UK / Philip Norton -- The German bundestag: Influence and accountability in a complex environment / Thomas Saalfeld -- The Italian parliament: Chambers in a crumbling house? / Vincent Della Sala -- Parliament and government in Belgium: Prisoners of partitocracy / Lieven de Winter -- A changing relationship? Parliament and government in Ireland / Eunan O'Halpin -- Relationship between parliament and government in Portugal: An expression of the maturation of the political system / Cristina Leston Bandeira -- The European parliament: Crawling, walking and running / Mark P. Shephard -- Conclusion: Do parliaments make a difference? / Philip Norton.