Greg Power analyses in this article the content of the first in a series of Global Parliamentary Reports that will be jointly published by the UNDP and the Inter-Parliamentary Union towards the end of 2011 and that will aim to examine the relationship between parliaments and citizens. This article analyses firstly the way in which political representation is itself changing. The second theme examined is more specifically how parliaments collectively engage with and represent the public. Thirdly, since politicians have an individual representative function as well, the article explores the way in which parliaments respond to individual voters or groups of voters and finally it analyses the way in which parliaments are communicating with voters.