Cristina Leston-Bandeira is a lecturer in legislative studies at the University of Hull. She has established herself as the leading expert on the Portuguese parliament. Her research interests also include new parliaments and the use of the internet by parliament.

• Introduction. 1. Analytical Framework 2. Description of the Portugese Context 3. The Portugese Parliament in Context 4. Development of Parliament's Role in Policy-making: Towards a 'Western Model' 5. Towards a New Role: Developing Mechanisms of Legitimation 6. The Budget: A Case Study Conclusion

"Leston-Bandeira traces the development of the Portuguese parliament, the Assembleia de República over the country’s second decade of democracy, 1983-1995. The period witnessed a coalition, a minority, and an absolute majority governments. One of her goals is to dispel the narrow-minded portrayal of the institution as chaotic and irrelevant by English language studies, most of which consider only its first decade." --Reference & Rresearch Book News