Sri Lanka is recovering from three decades of terrorism and conflict.
territory in the Caribbean whose upheavals of late have been volcanic rather than political. Consultations were carried out and changes made; but Sir Howard asks whether they did what they were advertised to do. Electronic communications are
also involved in the development of changes to the petitions system used by the Scottish Parliament. Mr David Stewart, MSP, who chairs the committee handling petitions, writes here on how the Parliament’s eight-year-old e-
petitions system is being constantly adjusted to ensure it remains as an effective tool for the people to communicate with Parliament. Ms Martine Durand, Chief
Statistician and Director of the Statistics Directorate of the Organization for Economic Co- operation and Development, reports here on an OECD initiative to help governments deal with one communication which often leaves the people wondering if their government really understands
them – economic statistics. Traditional economic indicators – unemployment rates, changes in gross domestic product, trade figures, interest rates, et cetera – that governments use to tell people things are improving don’t tell the whole story. The OECD has therefore developed an overall quality of life assessment system to give governments, political leaders and the people far more accurate indicators of how their countries are doing. She explains the process here.
Explaining the parliamentary
process to women in Kiribati could convince more of them to stand for election, so the United Nations Development Programme and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat joined with the National Parliament in 2011 to try a new idea: a mock Parliament for Pacific women. Mr Eni Tekanene, the Clerk of the Parliament, writes in this issue about the endeavour and its results in the subsequent election to the real Parliament. Mr James W. Macnutt, QC,