Extending human and civic rights
Is the UK Civil Service becoming more representative of the population it serves and, if so, why?
The UK Civil Service has long been regarded a bastion of white, middle class men, but there have been efforts to recruit a more diverse workforce in recent years. In this post Rhys Andrews and Rachel Ashworth assess the representativeness of Whitehall staff, in terms of gender, ethnicity and disability. They show that progress has been […]
Surveillance is reconfiguring the way that we live our lives
Emmeline Taylor has been documenting the steadily rising use of new technologies with surveillance capabilities in UK schools and schools around the world. In this extract from her recent interview with Sonali Campion, she describes the way in which these technologies are reshaping young people’s expectations of privacy, trust in others and social interactions. Similar PostsInformational privacy: a precondition […]
The government’s ban on prisoners receiving books is the antithesis of the rehabilitation revolution promised by Chris Grayling
The government’s decision to ban prisoners from receiving books has been widely condemned. In this post Richard Ridyard examines the ongoing controversy surrounding the issue. He argues that the Justice Secretary Chris Grayling’s rationale is confused and contradictory, and that the restrictions are the antithesis of the ‘rehabilitation revolution’ the government has promised. Similar PostsThe Government’s rehabilitation […]
The case for gender quotas for appointments to the UK Supreme Court
The UK’s Supreme Court has the lowest female representation among the highest courts of all OECD countries. In light of this, argues Kate Malleson, the previously dismissed case for gender quotas needs to be reconsidered in order to ensure continued public confidence in the Court’s work. In this post she discusses the different quota models […]
The “right to be forgotten” demonstrates the need for legislative coverage of internet data protection
The rise of social media, and the data gathering potential that it holds, have made the issue of online privacy increasingly prevalent, with citizens often unaware of what is being done with information they had previously assumed would be used responsibly. Commenting on a recent Court of Justice of the European Union case, Claire Overman argues that […]
The current arrangements for the appointment of the membership of Scottish local council education committees offend basic equal opportunity principles
The Education Committees of Scottish Local Authorities are currently obliged to reserve three ‘external’ positions for religious organisations. A recent petition from the Edinburgh Secular Society has sought to reform these arrangements, which date back to legislation from the 1970’s and have, Norman Bonney argues, worrying legal and equalities implications. Similar PostsA ‘Jeffersonian’ wall or an Anglican Establishment: The US […]
The Good International Citizenship framework can be used to build an ethically-minded UK foreign policy
The New Labour government committed to including an ethical dimension in UK foreign policy, but was criticised for failing to meet the standards it set out to achieve. In many ways the Coalition government has sought to maintain New Labour’s commitment but has faced similar tensions. Jonathan Gilmore argues that foreign policy should reflect a […]
The planned independence referendum in Eastern Ukraine is unconstitutional and anti-democratic
Separatists in Eastern Ukraine are planning to stage an independence referendum in Ukraine this weekend, despite criticism from the international community. With comparisons to international comparisons held in a number of other states, Matt Qvortrup considers the democratic credentials of the vote. He argues that holding a referendum now represents the majority attempting to impose its […]
Muslim civil society organisations in Britain negotiate accusations of sectarianism when they engage in democratic politics
Some believe the ‘Muslim vote’ might be influential in the next UK General Election in 2015. In this post, Jan Dobbernack, Nasar Meer and Tariq Modood address some misconceptions about Muslim participation in democracy. They argue that Muslims face a very challenging environment when engaging in politics, but are no more likely to be cynical […]
20 things we learned about democracy in April 2014
April 2014 is thought to be the most democratic month in human history, owing largely to the Indian general election taking place this month. In the UK, however, democracy wasn’t shown in its best light, with Culture Secretary Maria Miller resigning over her expenses, while Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage held a rather ill-tempered debate […]
Democratic Audit's core funding is provided by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Additional funding is provided by the London School of Economics.