Inter-institutional relations in the devolved Great Britain: quiet diplomacy

Article abstract:

The establishment of the Scottish Parliament and National Assembly for Wales in 1999 was accompanied by the introduction of a new system of what is commonly referred to as 'intergovernmental relations' (IGR). Four themes emerge from an analysis of the early development of the British system of IGR: the executive dominance of relations; a reliance on both multilateral and bilateral mechanisms; an increasing predominance of informal relations; and the pervasiveness of concern for confidentiality. Taken together, these attributes embody a distinctive British version of the executive-focused IGR characteristic of the parliamentary federations.