However, parliaments rarely monopolize legislative authority:

- Constitutional law is usually based beyond the competence of assembly. Ireland’s constitution is amended by referendum.

- Ministers routinely make law through statutory instruments.

- Executive officers (French president) often make law by decree; US president can veto laws when they have passed.

- In the main, legislative proposals emanate from the executive.

The negative legislative power of assemblies – the ability to reject or amend proposed laws – is also limited.

Legislation is usually passed through assemblies, rather than by assemblies.

 Assemblies are popular forums, bodies that ‘stood for’ the people themselves.

So, the power of an assembly within the political system is usually seen as an important index of democratic government.

However, it is less clear how this representative function is carried out: Trustee and Mandate (parties not assemblies) models.

Also, constituency representation is prominent is some states (USA).

§The absence of electoral choice and party competition in other states is compensated for by the ability of assemblies to resemble the wider society.

Assemblies have become scrutinising bodies, the principal role of which is to deliver responsibility and accountability

-Most assemblies have developed institutional mechanisms designed to facilitate this role:

a)Parliamentary questioning of Prime Ministers and Ministers.

b)Committees.

c)Freedom of Information acts.

Resourcing parliamentary representatives with expert advice and research services

In parliamentary systems, service in the assembly is a required path for ministers and prime ministers.

Assemblies provide politicians with the experience of political debate and analysis.

- parliamentarians gain experience of politics as rhetoric but few opportunities exist to gain managerial and bureaucratic skills required to run government departments and oversee the process of policy formulation.

§- assemblies can corrupt by socializing them into the norms and values that distance them from the needs of their constituents and the instincts of grassroots party workers.

The ability of assemblies to mobilize consent depends largely on their ability to function as popular conventions, endorsing laws and policies, as well as in their interest.

In addition to propaganda value, assemblies may also perform more creditable educational functions:

- Parliamentary debates can help to inform and instruct citizens about the affairs of government and the major issues of the day.

However,  the rise of electronic and more recently digital media has provided government with direct access to millions of voters, which has had a major impact on the status of assemblies.