The Centre for Legislative Studies at the University of Hull was established in 1992 to act as a catalyst for research in legislative studies, drawing together scholars from around the globe and from different institutional backgrounds as well as facilitating co-operation between scholars and practitioners.  It encourages comparative as well as country-specific research, empirical as well as theory-driven studies, and relies on no single disciplinary approach.  It serves to facilitate and disseminate research through seminars, conferences, and publications.

The Journal of Legislative Studies, one of the two major international refereed journals in the sub-discipline, is edited in the Centre, as is the Routledge Library of Legislative Studies. The Centre organizes the biennial Workshop of Parliamentary Scholars and Parliamentarians, and co-sponsors it with the Inter-Parliamentary Union, bringing together scholars and parliamentarians from around the globe to share research findings and experience to the benefit of the both.  The first Workshop was held in Berlin in 1994 and the 15^th at Wroxton College, Oxfordshire, in 2022. 

The Centre also liaises and co-operates with similar centres and research bodies in different nations in order to advance understanding of legislatures as core actors in the modern state. 

The Centre welcomes expressions of interest from both scholars and practitioners from around the globe.