Across the Committee Table in the Parliament of Albania

Abstract Book of the 9th International Conference on Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts

Year: 2026

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Across the Committee Table in the Parliament of Albania

Daniela Kalaja, Geldona Metaj

ABSTRACT:

This paper examines gender patterns in interactions between Members of Parliament (MPs) and invited participants in parliamentary committee meetings in the Parliament of Albania. It focuses on the meetings of the Committee on Economy and Finance (CEF) and the Committee on Labour, Social Affairs and Health (CLSAH) during 2023. The study uses official transcripts and applies a quantitative approach. It identifies interaction when an MP and an invited participant take consecutive speaking turns. The analysis compares interactions of MPs and invited participants. An interaction was identified through consecutive speaking turns between an MP and an invited participant. It also examines differences across the institutional affiliations of invited participants. In addition, the study compares MPs across all committee positions with MPs who serve as formal committee members. The study contributes to research on gender and parliamentary representation because it shifts attention from the presence of women and men to their interactions within committee proceedings. It introduces a relational perspective that connects gender representation with interactions between MPs and the different institutional actors who participate in parliamentary committees.

Keywords: Parliamentary Committees; Gender; Members of Parliament; Invited Participants; Parliamentary Interactions; Gender Representation; Albania