Abstract

Osnat Akirav

The issue of how agendas are set in parliaments is one that has been well researched by scholars. They have focused their examination on two major areas, namely seeking to understand the procedures of the relevant assembly that allow the government and the opposition to block or delay legislation and secondly, researching on the effectiveness of those procedures in delaying and blocking legislation. The goal of this study is to expand the knowledge about issue salience by using data from Early Day Motions (EDMs) in the UK parliament, particularly in the House of Commons, to determine how MPs set the parliamentary agenda. The study will be conducted in the context of Tony Blair’s third (and last) government. The study will extend Cox and McCubbins’ cartel model (Cox and McCubbins, 2005) with its concepts of agenda power, both positive and negative, into this new area in order to examine how MPs use EDMS to set their agenda.