Author Archive: Democratic Audit UK
The political potential of migrants is often overlooked in discussions around integration
In a recent study, Hanna Wass, Päivi Pirkkalainen and Marjukka Weide drew on the Somali community in Finland as a case study to consider immigrants as a political resource. They found that turnout among Somali-born voters was only slightly lower than native citizens, and that their engagement in civic associations is highly dynamic and diverse. […]
Freedom of expression on the internet is of utmost importance but it needs to be weighed against social responsibility
The Internet has created seemingly limitless opportunities, but it also offers a platform for violent, hateful, and antisocial behaviour. Drawing on his recent book, Raphael Cohen-Almagor considers how to strike a balance between the free speech principle and social responsibilities. He proposes that deliberative democracy mechanisms could be used to promote content net neutrality and […]
Book Review: European Integration and the Problem of the State: A Critique of the Bordering of Europe by Stefan Borg
What is the precise nature of the European Union? In European Integration and the Problem of the State: A Critique of the Bordering of Europe, Stefan Borg seeks to tackle this fundamental ontological question. Rather than position the EU as a unique form of political community, Borg argues that its practices of justification, legitimation and identification […]
Incumbency advantage is not restricted to established majoritarian systems
To date, most scholarly works have focused on incumbency advantage in the US and consider how it operates in majoritarian contexts. In a recent paper, Mert Moral, H. Ege Ozen and Efe Tokdemir drew on the case of Turkey to explore whether the incumbency operates in multi member district systems. They found that although it […]
Citizen assessment of the political system is fostered by rational considerations rather than virtuousness
Scholars have often assumed that citizens value fairness with respect to the inclusion and representation of different groups in the electoral process, and therefore are likely to favour proportional over majoritarian systems. However, in a recent study Benjamin Ferland found that citizens actually prefer their party to be advantaged at the expense of others, indicating […]
Debates around the relationship between senior civil servants and ministers are likely to evolve rather than settle
Sir Jeremy Heywood’s guidance to civil servants working for Brexit ministers, indicating that they cannot provide advice and support that could be used to campaign against the government’s agreed position, has been met with fury from the Vote Leave camp. Nick Pearce writes that the issue of the relationship between senior civil servants and Ministers is unlikely […]
Learning the lessons: What other referendums can teach us about the EU vote
While we’re nowhere near Switzerland or California in constantly using referendums, the UK is becoming accustomed to big constitutional votes. Katie Ghose discusses what the AV and Scottish referendums tell us about the likely shape of the EU debate. Similar PostsHow the major parties will face the EU referendumWe need a root and branch review of […]
A British exit would harm the EU’s global credibility – and it could rip apart the Conservatives too
A British exit would have a devastating impact on the European Union and relegate it to a second-rank world power in the eyes of the global community. John Ryan argues that the Union would see its diplomatic power greatly diminished, and that domestically a Brexit would also further divide the Conservative party. Similar PostsCan Scotland avoid Brexit? It depends on politics, not […]
Book Review: Notes Toward a Performative Theory of Assembly by Judith Butler
In Notes Toward a Performative Theory of Assembly, Judith Butler draws upon her influential theorisations of performativity and precarity to examine the politics of public assembly, discussing such themes as the crucial bodily component to acting in concert as well as the role of media. This accessible account is highly relevant to contemporary movements such as Black […]
White academia: Will the Race Equality Charter make a difference?
There are some hard numbers behind diversity in academia. There are currently only 70 black professors in the UK; of these, only 17 of are female. As part of ongoing efforts to address these disappointing numbers, the Race Equality Charter mark was recently introduced by the Equality Challenge Unit. But will it make academia more diverse? Kalwant Bhopal explains […]
Democratic Audit's core funding is provided by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Additional funding is provided by the London School of Economics.