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This chapter asks how powerful, professional, and trusted the Danish Parliament, Folketinget, is. Based on a rational institutional approach, the chapter analyses existing and newly collected data on parliamentary institutions, parliamentary activity, members of Parliament, and voters’ perception of Parliament. The analyses show that the Folketing is especially strong and active when it comes to controlling the government, whereas its elective power is limited. The professionalization is increasing in terms of resources and well-educated members, but the degree of sectorization in committee membership is decreasing, possibly lowering specialization within Parliament and parliamentary party groups. Generally, Danish citizens still trust the Folketing, but trust is decreasing to an extent where it is no longer evident that most citizens see the Folketing as a democratic legitimizing institution. The chapter concludes that the Folketing is relatively powerful, professional, and trusted compared to other parliaments, but it also highlights where the Folketing as well as Danish legislative studies face challenges. |
