This paper is submitted in response to USAID Task Order AID-OAA-I-12-00005/AID-OAA-TO-15-000029, Technical Leadership in Legislative Strengthening, under the Strengthening Deliberative Bodies IQC. It provides research and analysis on selected themes of interest in the field of legislative strengthening. While the paper discusses four topics using comparative case studies to illustrate key issues arising under each topic, our analysis has been shaped and informed by SUNY/CID’s quarter century of legislative development work encompassing over 50 projects in 31countries. The following case studies in legislative strengthening differ considerably but are similar in some important respects. All are drawn from activities which sought to fulfil the promise that legislatures hold for democratic governance as representative and law-making institutions where diverse societal concerns are articulated and conflicts resolved through negotiation and compromise, and corruption and in competence are reduced through oversight. All of these programs sought to build the capacity of legislatures to fulfil their promise and relied upon Members of Parliament(MPs) for action once they were so enabled.