EU referendum
Brexit and Scottish independence: Does campaign information actually change voters’ minds during a referendum?
Both sides of the UK’s referendum campaign have invested huge resources in trying to convince the electorate to back their viewpoint, but how effective are these efforts in actually changing the minds of voters? Drawing on research in the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence, Davide Morisi illustrates how information can have an impact on the […]
What has the EU ever done for us? Peace, togetherness, investment, and prosperity
The EU referendum is taking place today, with millions flocking to polling stations in order to register a vote for either remaining, or leaving, the EU. Here, Andrew Crines argues that the vote is an opportunity for us to examine what kind of country we want to be, and that EU membership has given us […]
The EU referendum as a bad participatory design process
The EU referendum fails as a participatory design process in two important ways, namely that participants are deeply ill informed about the issues at hand, and that participants are unlikely to reflect the makeup of the country as a whole. Jimmy Tidey argues these highlight a broken process and writes that classic participatory design techniques could […]
The idea that English nationalism has powered support for Brexit is unduly simplistic and requires re-examination
English sentiment has been important to the tenor and character of the Vote Leave campaign, but Michael Kenny writes there are reasons to be sceptical that English nationalism has had a clear, causal role in the EU Referendum. He asks whether the picture of the ‘two Englands’ – one progressive and cosmopolitan, the other populist […]
16 things you need to know about what will happen if we vote to leave the EU
As the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU draws closer, the result is impossible to predict. Many are asking what, in practical terms, would happen if we vote for Brexit. Alan Renwick explored some key elements of the withdrawal process before the referendum campaign began. Here, he gives a point-by-point overview of what […]
Is direct democracy effective? Yes, if it is citizens who start the process
The EU referendum this week has sparked extensive debates about the pros and cons of direct democracy. But Lucas Leemann writes that landmark votes like this may be the most atypical – and arguably worst – examples of direct democracy. He indicates that in cases where citizens have the ability to launch initiatives and call […]
The success of the European project rests on the ability to balance ‘hyper globalisation’, national sovereignty, and democracy
The Brexit referendum is upon us, with the contest on something of a knife-edge according to polling. Here, Simon Wren-Lewis looks at the way the debate interacts with notions of democracy, arguing that policymakers need to find acceptable arrangements that partially limit each element of the ‘trilemma’ which posits the impossibility of simultaneously enjoying national sovereignty, […]
Anti-politics after 23 June: How bad will the hangover be the morning after?
Disaffection with politics and politicians has been on the rise since World War II. Will Jennings and Gerry Stoker discuss how this trend of negativity has fed in to the campaign to leave the EU, and write that while a remain victory may stem some of the immediate pressures on the British economy and state, […]
The real reasons referendums have become so common – and so scary
As 23 June nears there has been increasing frustration around the quality of the debate, and the fact that such a complex constitutional issue is being decided by a binary referendum. Harry Farmer considers why referendums are becoming increasingly popular in Western democracies, and why anxieties around votes on single issues reflect deeper worries about […]
A short handbook of Brexit fallacies: Putting facts in context
The Brexit debate is full of facts, figures, and fallacies. But Albert Weale writes that facts are not enough, and that to make a responsible voting choice, facts need to be fitted into a bigger picture. He looks at 18 different fallacies to see where the logic breaks down in statements that often seem ‘right’ at first glance. […]
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