PRS Legislative Research seeks to strengthen the legislative process by making it better informed, more transparent and participatory.
PRS Legislative Research (PRS) was founded in 2005 as an independent research initiative. PRS works with Members of Parliament (MPs) across party lines to provide research support on legislative and policy issues.Our aim is to complement the base of knowledge and expertise that already exists in government, citizens groups, businesses, and other research institutions.
The Indian Parliament has about 790 members affiliated to over 40 political parties. Each Member of Parliament (MP) represents close to two million citizens. MPs pass about 60 Bills a year on average, but do not have a dedicated research staff or institutional support to help them understand the implications of various legislations. This makes it difficult for them to prepare for debates and committee meetings.
PRS is one of the only organisations in the country that track the functioning of of Parliament. PRS provides a comprehensive and credible resource base to access Parliament-specific data, background information and analysis of key issues.
The work of PRS started with a grant from Ford Foundation. Currently, it is supported by Ford Foundation, Google Foundation, among others. PRS is housed as a unit of the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) New Delhi.The CPR is an autonomous institution set up in 1973 and is one of 27 national social science research institutes recognized by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR).Its main objectives are to provide thought leadership and creative solutions to address pressing intellectual and policy issues.
--------
Our Research
PRS aims to deepen and broaden the legislative process by providing MPs the information they need for debates in Parliament. We seek out and synthesise feedback from a range of stakeholders to provide MPs across all party lines with up-to-date information.
Resource for Parliamentarians PRS has developed professional relationships with over 100 MPs from over 20 different political parties. A study by the Indian Institute of Management (Ahmedabad) highlighted that over half the MPs surveyed were aware of the work of PRS, and about a quarter used its research material regularly.
Resource for the Public PRS aims to increase public engagement on issues of national importance through collaborative activities. PRS has been reaching out to the citizen sector and the media to enable greater interaction with the legislative system. The PRS team frequently provides journalists with analysis related to Parliament and legislation.
The work of PRS is freely available in the public domain.
