Author Archive: Democratic Audit UK
The trouble with unequal partnerships? How UK governments’ views on representation in the EU have changed over time
This spring the EU is reconsidering, debating and reformulating its future foreign policy agenda. Drawing on her recent research, Rinna Kullaa outlines the role successive British governments have played in formulating common EU foreign and security policies in the past. She writes that if the UK votes to remain in the Union it can continue […]
Scottish devolution will now have a bigger fiscal dimension
A deal has finally been struck on the fiscal framework for the Scotland Bill. Holyrood will now be supported by a mixture of shared UK resources and its own tax revenue, levied in Scotland, but supplemented by UK resources as well. Here, Jim Gallagher reviews the compromise and the negotiations leading up to it. Similar PostsThe […]
Still united in diversity? The longer a country is part of the EU, the stronger its citizens support liberal democratic values
What effect does EU membership have on the values of citizens? Drawing on recent research, Odelia Oshri, Tamir Sheafer and Shaul Shenhav assess the extent to which the EU has been successful in instilling the democratic values in its own citizens that it claims to promote externally. The research demonstrates a strong connection between a […]
The handling of the junior doctors’ strike reinforces a vision of the NHS where key voices are neither sought nor listened to
Despite the rise of patient and public involvement, evidence from the junior doctor’s strike suggests that little has changed in terms of the power of Westminster and the lack of public accountability for decisions that lie at the heart of how the NHS is organised. Here, Jonathan Tritter and Mio Fredriksson discuss the tensions between […]
Book Review: Islam and the Future of Tolerance: A Dialogue by Sam Harris and Maajid Nawaz
Islam and the Future of Tolerance: A Dialogue is a transcript of a conversation held between US New Atheist, Sam Harris, and Maajid Nawaz, a British Muslim reformer who runs the counter-extremist Quilliam Foundation. While this dialogue provides a nuanced discussion of how to confront Islamic extremism between two scholars approaching the issue from considerably different […]
Better than asking: An experiment on the effectiveness of FOI requests
In July 2015 the government appointed a new independent commissionto look into how the law on freedom of information (FOI) is working. Having received 30,000 pieces of evidence, the commission has also managed to unite the Guardian and the Daily Mail against it while Labour has responded with its own alternative review. Here, Ben Worthy, […]
The UK’s uncertainty around sovereignty is likely to get worse as the EU referendum approaches
The negotiations around the UK’s position in the EU have raised questions around the idea of UK sovereignty, which are only likely to get more complicated domestic measures on sovereignty can also be expected in the near future. Mike Gordon unpicks some of the key debates that are currently ongoing, and assesses the potential legal and constitutional implications of […]
Studies of turnout as a ‘habit’ seem to overestimate the significance of self-perpetuation of electoral participation
Electoral participation is frequently discussed as a ‘habit’ formed during a citizen’s young adulthood but there is debate over how this develops. In a recent study, Maciej A. Górecki explored the mechanism that lies behind the process of ‘habit formation’. His findings challenge ideas that voting habits are shaped by early experience of participating in […]
The junior doctor contract: The BMA must pick up the pieces and move forward
The latest episode of the four year battle between the Government and the British Medical Association (BMA) serves as stark reminder of the loneliness of ministerial office. But, argues Tony Hockley, in the end the buck really does stop with the Secretary of State. If the BMA works with the Health Secretary they could make further progress on […]
The survival of power sharing and devolution through another crisis is an achievement but the Northern Irish settlement remains fragile
The path to political “normalisation” has been a regular feature of debate about Northern Ireland over the past two decades, since the paramilitaries (mostly) laid down their arms and the main republican and unionist parties (mostly) committed to making a success of power-sharing and devolution. Akash Paun looks at the latest developments. Similar PostsAs Scotland […]
Democratic Audit's core funding is provided by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Additional funding is provided by the London School of Economics.