ALBANY, N.Y. (August 23, 2007) -- The University at Albany is hosting an international symposium on legislative oversight of the executive branch. The Research Committee of Legislative Specialists (RCLS) of the International Political Science Association is bringing together scholars from more than ten countries presenting papers on legislatures in Africa, the Middle East, Europe, North and South America. The meeting is sponsored by UAlbany's vice president for research, the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy and its Department of Political Science, along with the centers for Legislative Development (CLD) and International Development (CID).

"Legislative oversight of the executive branch is an issue of rising importance throughout the world," said conference co-chair Robert Nakamura, professor of political science at the University at Albany. "Legislatures such as the U.S. Congress, the Israeli Knesset and the Ugandan Parliament have used oversight powers to question how their executives have run recent wars.  In developing legislatures, international assistance is increasingly going to support legislative oversight to fight corruption and to monitor poverty reduction programs." 

The opening roundtable on Aug. 24 will include top legislative representatives from major international assistance organizations, including Scott Hubli from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Frederick Stapenhurst of the World Bank Institute, Keith Schulz of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), John Johnson from the National Democratic Institute, and Alicia Mandaville of the Millennium Development Corporation.  Together, these panelists have experience with more than two hundred legislatures. This opening event will be held on Friday, Aug. 24th, at 3:30 p.m. at the Rockefeller Institute of Government, 411 State Street in Albany.  The public is invited to this event.

Ranked among the top-10 Public Affairs programs in the nation, the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy's core mission is to discover, communicate, and apply knowledge about politics, governance, public policy, and public management. The college directly helps public managers, policymakers, and others deal effectively with the challenges they face, making democracy stronger and governments more effective around the world.

Since 1970, the Center for Legislative Development has delivered path-breaking training and technical assistance programs aimed at strengthening the capacity of governmental institutions-particularly legislatures-to support democratic development and good governance. CLD has implemented successful activities and projects around the globe. The Center for Legislative Development is part of the University at Albany's Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy which is rated among the top ten policy schools in the nation. The faculty and staff associated with CLD include specialists in public administration, public policy, economics, law, decision-making, political science, and systems and information sciences.