Author Archive: Democratic Audit UK
Failure to take into account existing institutions risks jeopardising the success of new reforms
Oliver D. Meza argues that greater attention needs to be given to existing institutional frameworks when planning reforms. Using Mexico as a case study, he highlights how attempts to improve local democracy through electoral reform have failed because the old institutional hierarchies have not been taken into account. Although well-meaning, the reforms have made decision-making costlier, less expeditious […]
The conventional wisdom about tactical voting is wrong
Have you ever voted for another party because you felt that your party had no chance of winning the seat? If yes, then you might be among the 5 to 10 per cent of tactical voters. In this article, Michael Herrmann, Simon Munzert, and Peter Selb explain how, contrary to popular belief, the Liberal Democrats […]
Reclaiming democracy: A systems approach to change the system
Oliver Escobar writes that despite the increasing emphasis on deliberative democracy, scholars are only just starting to formulate a perspective that accommodates and values various meanings and practices of democracy as part of a coherent deliberative system. He therefore welcomes the systemic approach articulated by Simon Burrall in Involve’s new report ‘Room for a View’ […]
Labour must make an electoral reform pact to win in 2020
Nat le Roux argues that a one-off electoral reform pact between Labour and some or all of the minor parties in 2020, with a common manifesto commitment to introduce a new voting system, would likely result in a broad-left coalition government. Otherwise Labour may spend a generation in opposition. Similar PostsGeneral election 2019: a postcode […]
Why do some democracies fail to help their poor? Ethnic diversity and identity politics may provide answers
Democracies are traditionally seen as more effective at helping the poor than non-democracies. Chingun Anderson writes that although evidence for this is convincing, there are cases where the democratic system does little to benefit lower socioeconomic groups. He argues that a possible reason for this is that higher ethnic diversity negatively affects the successful organisation […]
There is real cause for concern when the persuasiveness of a story depends more on public attitudes than the facts
What does the recent public shaming and subsequent exoneration of Jack Straw and Malcolm Rifkind over accusations of ‘cash for access’ tell us about British democracy? Nothing good, certainly. But did the investigation by Channel Four and the Telegraph lift the lid on the secret world of British politics as intended? Phil Parvin suggests not, […]
Lobbying reform: We need political will not gesture politics
Transparency International UK recently looked into the effectiveness of the new register of lobbyists, introduced following the 2014 Lobbying Act, and found it tells us almost nothing we didn’t know. TI-UK’s Steve Goodrich outlines the background and findings, and offers suggestions about what can be done if the UK Government is committed to increasing transparency […]
For the first time a Conservative government is experiencing repeated defeats in the Lords
In the aftermath of the Lords defeats on tax credit cuts there has been much talk of a ‘constitutional crisis’. In this post Meg Russell argues that whilst last Monday’s vote was certainly unusual, the most significant change is the wider political context: that it is a Conservative government on the receiving end of repeated defeats in the Lords. Much like […]
The current talks in Northern Ireland exemplify the mistrust that has attended devolution from the outset
Following an independent report assessing paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland last week, Rick Wilford reviews the current crisis and assesses prospects for institutional reform. He writes that while there are grounds to believe that progress is being made, the scope and scale of reform may fall prey to the temper of DUP-Sinn Féin relations which […]
Northern Ireland desperately needs a deliberative model to prevent it becoming a dictatorship of electoral democracy
Simon Burall of Involve, a think tank specialising in democracy and public engagement, recently authored a new report entitled ‘Room for a View’, which focusses on the idea of UK democracy as a deliberative process. Paul Braithwaite welcomes the report’s insights and argues a deliberative model is urgently needed in Northern Ireland. He writes that the […]
Democratic Audit's core funding is provided by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Additional funding is provided by the London School of Economics.