DEMOCRATIC AUDITTHE UK’S CHANGING DEMOCRACY: THE 2018 DEMOCRATIC AUDITOUR WORKABOUT DEMOCRATIC AUDIT The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed why we urgently need to re-imagine democracy. Clodagh Harris and Ian Hughes argue that, as established democracies face numerous short- and long-term crises, we must re-imagine democratic institutions to be more inclusive, participatory and deliberative. Only then can democracies resist the threat of WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE VOTING AGE IS LOWERED TO 16? ASEE MORE ON

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WHY DO ‘NICHE PARTIES’ PERFORM SO WELL IN EUROPEAN AND The recent European elections saw a range of small, single-issue parties perform exceptionally well. In the United Kingdom, the Brexit Party received 30.7% of the votes. In Germany, the Green Party made remarkable gains, winning 20.5% of the votes. Green parties also performed well in countries such as France, Sweden and Finland, as did

anti

HOW WELL DOES THE UK’S DEMOCRACY PROTECT HUMAN RIGHTS AND The UK’s constitutional culture values civil liberties (at least in the abstract). There is a formal embrace of human rights values within government. Plenty of lip service is paid to human rights values both within and outside of government. The UK is also an advocate for extending and improving human rights protection internationally. CRITICISMS OF THE WESTMINSTER MODEL OF POLITICS ARE NOT Criticisms of the highly centralised, elitist, top-down Westminster model are by no means new. Consecutive Prime Ministers – from Blair to May – vowed to take on vested powers and interests, challenge the status quo, and change the way politics is conducted. HOW EFFECTIVELY DOES THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT SCRUTINISE First, the Scottish Parliament is small. It has 129 members and yet, given the size of government and opposition, it leaves only 80-odd MSPs available for service in a committee system of 16-19 committees and growing. This reality led to the original system of large membership committees in 1999 being scaled back afterwards. THE WRIGHT REFORMS CHANGED PARLIAMENT, BUT THERE REMAINS The Wright reforms changed Parliament, but there remains scope for further reform. The Reform of the House of Commons Committee (also known as the Wright Committee) suggested a number of changes which have, since their implementation, had a tangible effect on the relationship between Parliament and the executive. WHAT IS THE EXTENT OF ELECTORAL FRAUD AT ENGLISH ELECTIONS The Attorney General Dominic Grieve MP has apologised for controversial remarks about corruption among ethnic minority groups in the UK. In the 2012 audit of UK democracy, Stuart Wilks-Heeg, Andrew Blick and Stephen Crone examined the extent of electoral fraud in English elections, finding that instances had fallen in recent years after a sharp increase in the mid-2000s, but vulnerabilities HOW DEMOCRATIC IS THE HOUSE OF COMMONS? HOW EFFECTIVELYSEE MORE ON

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THE JOHN LEWIS MODEL REVEALS THE TENSIONS AND PARADOXES AT The John Lewis Partnership is one of Europe’s largest models of employee ownership and has been operating a form of employee involvement and participation since its formation in 1929. DEMOCRATIC AUDITTHE UK’S CHANGING DEMOCRACY: THE 2018 DEMOCRATIC AUDITOUR WORKABOUT DEMOCRATIC AUDIT The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed why we urgently need to re-imagine democracy. Clodagh Harris and Ian Hughes argue that, as established democracies face numerous short- and long-term crises, we must re-imagine democratic institutions to be more inclusive, participatory and deliberative. Only then can democracies resist the threat of WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE VOTING AGE IS LOWERED TO 16? ASEE MORE ON

DEMOCRATICAUDIT.COM

WHY DO ‘NICHE PARTIES’ PERFORM SO WELL IN EUROPEAN AND The recent European elections saw a range of small, single-issue parties perform exceptionally well. In the United Kingdom, the Brexit Party received 30.7% of the votes. In Germany, the Green Party made remarkable gains, winning 20.5% of the votes. Green parties also performed well in countries such as France, Sweden and Finland, as did

anti

HOW WELL DOES THE UK’S DEMOCRACY PROTECT HUMAN RIGHTS AND The UK’s constitutional culture values civil liberties (at least in the abstract). There is a formal embrace of human rights values within government. Plenty of lip service is paid to human rights values both within and outside of government. The UK is also an advocate for extending and improving human rights protection internationally. CRITICISMS OF THE WESTMINSTER MODEL OF POLITICS ARE NOT Criticisms of the highly centralised, elitist, top-down Westminster model are by no means new. Consecutive Prime Ministers – from Blair to May – vowed to take on vested powers and interests, challenge the status quo, and change the way politics is conducted. HOW EFFECTIVELY DOES THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT SCRUTINISE First, the Scottish Parliament is small. It has 129 members and yet, given the size of government and opposition, it leaves only 80-odd MSPs available for service in a committee system of 16-19 committees and growing. This reality led to the original system of large membership committees in 1999 being scaled back afterwards. THE WRIGHT REFORMS CHANGED PARLIAMENT, BUT THERE REMAINS The Wright reforms changed Parliament, but there remains scope for further reform. The Reform of the House of Commons Committee (also known as the Wright Committee) suggested a number of changes which have, since their implementation, had a tangible effect on the relationship between Parliament and the executive. WHAT IS THE EXTENT OF ELECTORAL FRAUD AT ENGLISH ELECTIONS The Attorney General Dominic Grieve MP has apologised for controversial remarks about corruption among ethnic minority groups in the UK. In the 2012 audit of UK democracy, Stuart Wilks-Heeg, Andrew Blick and Stephen Crone examined the extent of electoral fraud in English elections, finding that instances had fallen in recent years after a sharp increase in the mid-2000s, but vulnerabilities HOW DEMOCRATIC IS THE HOUSE OF COMMONS? HOW EFFECTIVELYSEE MORE ON

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THE JOHN LEWIS MODEL REVEALS THE TENSIONS AND PARADOXES AT The John Lewis Partnership is one of Europe’s largest models of employee ownership and has been operating a form of employee involvement and participation since its formation in 1929. THE CASE OF CATALONIA: UNDERSTANDING THE POLITICAL USE OF Independence referendums are comparatively rare – and even more so when conducted without the approval of the relevant central government. Jaume López and Marc Sanjaume-Calvet assess the case of Catalonia in 2017, and how the differing strategic priorities and culture of Spanish and Catalonian governments led to the referendum, repressive counter-measures and resulting stalemate. IN THE NAME OF PARLIAMENTARY SOVEREIGNTY: HOW THE CONFLICT In UK political disputes over European Court of Human Rights judgments, such as the high-profile objections to rulings on prisoner voting, much political capital is made out of the claim that the European Court is impinging on UK parliamentary sovereignty. A CONSERVATIVE MAJORITY MEANS PARLIAMENTARY SCRUTINY IS IN Marc Geddes considers the potential impact the recent Conservative victory may have upon parliamentary scrutiny. The size of the majority, the current government’s agenda for legislative reform and the changes to select committee membership may all have a detrimental effect on parliament’s ability to scrutinise government effectively. HOW WELL DOES THE UK’S DEMOCRACY PROTECT HUMAN RIGHTS AND The UK’s constitutional culture values civil liberties (at least in the abstract). There is a formal embrace of human rights values within government. Plenty of lip service is paid to human rights values both within and outside of government. The UK is also an advocate for extending and improving human rights protection internationally. PARLIAMENT : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT Democratic round-up: Parliamentary scrutiny of the UK’s security services. Tomorrow, for the first time, the heads of the three main UK security services will be questioned in public by members of the Houses of Parliament on the Joint Intelligence and Security Committee. ELECTIONS AND ELECTORAL SYSTEMS : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT Deadlines, delegate divisions and demographics helped determine the New York presidential primary result. Yesterday the Empire State held its presidential primary contest for the Republican and Democratic parties, with local billionaire Donald Trump and the state’s former US Senator Hillary Clinton winning the most delegates in the respective GOP and Democratic contests. EU REFERENDUM : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT The negativity of the EU Referendum campaign undermines democracy. The referendum debate is not living up to its democratic ideals. Both sides of the divide have focused heavily on negative, fear-based arguments to make their case, which prevent democratic engagement among the electorate. BUILDING SUB-NATIONAL GOVERNMENT : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT The proposal for a global parliament of mayors reflects their distinctive, locally-rooted form of legitimacy. American political theorist Benjamin Barber has proposed a greater role for mayors in global governance, reflecting the many ways in which cities are dealing with global issues. BUILDING SUB-NATIONAL GOVERNMENT : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT Those who argue outsourcing endangers accountability are still fighting the last war. Critics of the practice of outsourcing – paying external organisations to provide public services – point to a lack of democratic accountability and public service ethos in justifying their view. HOW DEMOCRATIC IS THE HOUSE OF COMMONS? HOW EFFECTIVELY Future opportunities Future threats; E-petitions started via Parliament in 2015. They give the public a new opportunity to raise issues with the government by triggering a parliamentary debate if 100,000 signatures are obtained. DEMOCRATIC AUDITTHE UK’S CHANGING DEMOCRACY: THE 2018 DEMOCRATIC AUDITOUR WORKABOUT DEMOCRATIC AUDIT The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed why we urgently need to re-imagine democracy. Clodagh Harris and Ian Hughes argue that, as established democracies face numerous short- and long-term crises, we must re-imagine democratic institutions to be more inclusive, participatory and deliberative. Only then can democracies resist the threat of COVID-19 AND DEMOCRACY : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT Covid-19 lockdowns: early evidence suggests political support and trust in democracy has increased. Making use of cross-country European survey data that was fielded both before and after Covid-19 lockdowns were implemented, André Blais, Damien Bol, Marco Giani and Peter Loewen find that support for the incumbent leader, support for government in general, and trust in democracy have all WHY DO ‘NICHE PARTIES’ PERFORM SO WELL IN EUROPEAN AND The recent European elections saw a range of small, single-issue parties perform exceptionally well. In the United Kingdom, the Brexit Party received 30.7% of the votes. In Germany, the Green Party made remarkable gains, winning 20.5% of the votes. Green parties also performed well in countries such as France, Sweden and Finland, as did

anti

IS THE RESURGENCE OF EUROPE’S FAR-RIGHT A CULTURAL OR AN Note: For more information, see the authors’ accompanying paper in Electoral Studies. Increasing inequality had a positive and significant impact for populist radical right support, but a negative and significant impact for extremist right parties.Aside from populist radical right parties being rewarded for their anti-elite stances, growing inequality offers such parties an opportunity to WHAT IS THE EXTENT OF ELECTORAL FRAUD AT ENGLISH ELECTIONS The Attorney General Dominic Grieve MP has apologised for controversial remarks about corruption among ethnic minority groups in the UK. In the 2012 audit of UK democracy, Stuart Wilks-Heeg, Andrew Blick and Stephen Crone examined the extent of electoral fraud in English elections, finding that instances had fallen in recent years after a sharp increase in the mid-2000s, but vulnerabilities THE WRIGHT REFORMS CHANGED PARLIAMENT, BUT THERE REMAINS The Wright reforms changed Parliament, but there remains scope for further reform. The Reform of the House of Commons Committee (also known as the Wright Committee) suggested a number of changes which have, since their implementation, had a tangible effect on the relationship between Parliament and the executive. FULL OF SOUND AND FURY: IS WESTMINSTER’S E-PETITIONING The primary concerns with the Westminster’s e-petitioning system are not about how often the process ‘works’, but rather the way ‘undeliberative’, sensationalist and misleading petitions can be detrimental for democracy. The Westminster model could learn from these other systems and adopt a more independent method of gaining THE JOHN LEWIS MODEL REVEALS THE TENSIONS AND PARADOXES AT The John Lewis Partnership is one of Europe’s largest models of employee ownership and has been operating a form of employee involvement and participation since its formation in 1929. HOW IRELAND LEGISLATED FOR CANDIDATE SEX QUOTAS TO Almost a century after the first female MP was elected, women still comprise only a fifth of the House of Commons. One of the measures suggested for remedying this inequality is the use of gender quotas for parliamentary candidates. THE SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM SHOWS THAT YOUNG 16 and 17 year olds were entitled to vote for the first time in any election held in the UK in the Scottish independence referendum. Advocates of the reform argued that it would help to engage younger people in the political process, setting the stage for greater engagement in democracy over future election cycles, while critics suggested that 16 and 17 year olds weren’t ready to discharge DEMOCRATIC AUDITTHE UK’S CHANGING DEMOCRACY: THE 2018 DEMOCRATIC AUDITOUR WORKABOUT DEMOCRATIC AUDIT The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed why we urgently need to re-imagine democracy. Clodagh Harris and Ian Hughes argue that, as established democracies face numerous short- and long-term crises, we must re-imagine democratic institutions to be more inclusive, participatory and deliberative. Only then can democracies resist the threat of COVID-19 AND DEMOCRACY : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT Covid-19 lockdowns: early evidence suggests political support and trust in democracy has increased. Making use of cross-country European survey data that was fielded both before and after Covid-19 lockdowns were implemented, André Blais, Damien Bol, Marco Giani and Peter Loewen find that support for the incumbent leader, support for government in general, and trust in democracy have all WHY DO ‘NICHE PARTIES’ PERFORM SO WELL IN EUROPEAN AND The recent European elections saw a range of small, single-issue parties perform exceptionally well. In the United Kingdom, the Brexit Party received 30.7% of the votes. In Germany, the Green Party made remarkable gains, winning 20.5% of the votes. Green parties also performed well in countries such as France, Sweden and Finland, as did

anti

IS THE RESURGENCE OF EUROPE’S FAR-RIGHT A CULTURAL OR AN Note: For more information, see the authors’ accompanying paper in Electoral Studies. Increasing inequality had a positive and significant impact for populist radical right support, but a negative and significant impact for extremist right parties.Aside from populist radical right parties being rewarded for their anti-elite stances, growing inequality offers such parties an opportunity to WHAT IS THE EXTENT OF ELECTORAL FRAUD AT ENGLISH ELECTIONS The Attorney General Dominic Grieve MP has apologised for controversial remarks about corruption among ethnic minority groups in the UK. In the 2012 audit of UK democracy, Stuart Wilks-Heeg, Andrew Blick and Stephen Crone examined the extent of electoral fraud in English elections, finding that instances had fallen in recent years after a sharp increase in the mid-2000s, but vulnerabilities THE WRIGHT REFORMS CHANGED PARLIAMENT, BUT THERE REMAINS The Wright reforms changed Parliament, but there remains scope for further reform. The Reform of the House of Commons Committee (also known as the Wright Committee) suggested a number of changes which have, since their implementation, had a tangible effect on the relationship between Parliament and the executive. FULL OF SOUND AND FURY: IS WESTMINSTER’S E-PETITIONING The primary concerns with the Westminster’s e-petitioning system are not about how often the process ‘works’, but rather the way ‘undeliberative’, sensationalist and misleading petitions can be detrimental for democracy. The Westminster model could learn from these other systems and adopt a more independent method of gaining THE JOHN LEWIS MODEL REVEALS THE TENSIONS AND PARADOXES AT The John Lewis Partnership is one of Europe’s largest models of employee ownership and has been operating a form of employee involvement and participation since its formation in 1929. HOW IRELAND LEGISLATED FOR CANDIDATE SEX QUOTAS TO Almost a century after the first female MP was elected, women still comprise only a fifth of the House of Commons. One of the measures suggested for remedying this inequality is the use of gender quotas for parliamentary candidates. THE SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM SHOWS THAT YOUNG 16 and 17 year olds were entitled to vote for the first time in any election held in the UK in the Scottish independence referendum. Advocates of the reform argued that it would help to engage younger people in the political process, setting the stage for greater engagement in democracy over future election cycles, while critics suggested that 16 and 17 year olds weren’t ready to discharge COVID-19 AND DEMOCRACY : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT Covid-19 lockdowns: early evidence suggests political support and trust in democracy has increased. Making use of cross-country European survey data that was fielded both before and after Covid-19 lockdowns were implemented, André Blais, Damien Bol, Marco Giani and Peter Loewen find that support for the incumbent leader, support for government in general, and trust in democracy have all HOW COVID-19 IS ALTERING OUR CONCEPTION OF CITIZENSHIP How Covid-19 is altering our conception of citizenship. The Covid-19 pandemic is a public health emergency, but it also has the potential to impact on many other elements of European societies beyond health services. Jelena Dzankic and Lorenzo Piccoli write on the effect the outbreak is having on the uses and meanings of citizenship. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE VOTING AGE IS LOWERED TO 16? A Lowering the voting age to 16 is being discussed in several countries, but how do 16- and 17-year-olds compare to older first-time voters? In a new book chapter, Julian Aichholzer and Sylvia Kritzinger answer this question by looking at a decade of empirical evidence from Austria, where voting at 16 was introduced for national elections in 2007. . Overall, they find that the evidence is IN THE NAME OF PARLIAMENTARY SOVEREIGNTY: HOW THE CONFLICT In UK political disputes over European Court of Human Rights judgments, such as the high-profile objections to rulings on prisoner voting, much political capital is made out of the claim that the European Court is impinging on UK parliamentary sovereignty. ELECTIONS AND ELECTORAL SYSTEMS : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT Deadlines, delegate divisions and demographics helped determine the New York presidential primary result. Yesterday the Empire State held its presidential primary contest for the Republican and Democratic parties, with local billionaire Donald Trump and the state’s former US Senator Hillary Clinton winning the most delegates in the respective GOP and Democratic contests. PARLIAMENT : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT Democratic round-up: Parliamentary scrutiny of the UK’s security services. Tomorrow, for the first time, the heads of the three main UK security services will be questioned in public by members of the Houses of Parliament on the Joint Intelligence and Security Committee. HOW AND WHEN CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS CHANGE IN Westminster democracies incorporate numerous constitutional conventions – the uncodified, informal rules and practices by which political institutions operate.Nicholas Barry, Narelle Miragliotta and Zim Nwokora identify some key patterns for when and how different types of conventions are modified, and suggest further research is needed to develop a fuller understanding of the EU REFERENDUM : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT The negativity of the EU Referendum campaign undermines democracy. The referendum debate is not living up to its democratic ideals. Both sides of the divide have focused heavily on negative, fear-based arguments to make their case, which prevent democratic engagement among the electorate. BUILDING SUB-NATIONAL GOVERNMENT : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT Those who argue outsourcing endangers accountability are still fighting the last war. Critics of the practice of outsourcing – paying external organisations to provide public services – point to a lack of democratic accountability and public service ethos in justifying their view. BUILDING SUB-NATIONAL GOVERNMENT : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT The proposal for a global parliament of mayors reflects their distinctive, locally-rooted form of legitimacy. American political theorist Benjamin Barber has proposed a greater role for mayors in global governance, reflecting the many ways in which cities are dealing with global issues. DEMOCRATIC AUDITTHE UK’S CHANGING DEMOCRACY: THE 2018 DEMOCRATIC AUDITOUR WORKABOUT DEMOCRATIC AUDIT The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed why we urgently need to re-imagine democracy. Clodagh Harris and Ian Hughes argue that, as established democracies face numerous short- and long-term crises, we must re-imagine democratic institutions to be more inclusive, participatory and deliberative. Only then can democracies resist the threat of COVID-19 AND DEMOCRACY : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT Covid-19 lockdowns: early evidence suggests political support and trust in democracy has increased. Making use of cross-country European survey data that was fielded both before and after Covid-19 lockdowns were implemented, André Blais, Damien Bol, Marco Giani and Peter Loewen find that support for the incumbent leader, support for government in general, and trust in democracy have all HOW COVID-19 IS ALTERING OUR CONCEPTION OF CITIZENSHIP How Covid-19 is altering our conception of citizenship. The Covid-19 pandemic is a public health emergency, but it also has the potential to impact on many other elements of European societies beyond health services. Jelena Dzankic and Lorenzo Piccoli write on the effect the outbreak is having on the uses and meanings of citizenship. WHY DO ‘NICHE PARTIES’ PERFORM SO WELL IN EUROPEAN AND The recent European elections saw a range of small, single-issue parties perform exceptionally well. In the United Kingdom, the Brexit Party received 30.7% of the votes. In Germany, the Green Party made remarkable gains, winning 20.5% of the votes. Green parties also performed well in countries such as France, Sweden and Finland, as did

anti

IS THE RESURGENCE OF EUROPE’S FAR-RIGHT A CULTURAL OR AN Note: For more information, see the authors’ accompanying paper in Electoral Studies. Increasing inequality had a positive and significant impact for populist radical right support, but a negative and significant impact for extremist right parties.Aside from populist radical right parties being rewarded for their anti-elite stances, growing inequality offers such parties an opportunity to HOW IRELAND LEGISLATED FOR CANDIDATE SEX QUOTAS TO Almost a century after the first female MP was elected, women still comprise only a fifth of the House of Commons. One of the measures suggested for remedying this inequality is the use of gender quotas for parliamentary candidates. WHAT IS THE EXTENT OF ELECTORAL FRAUD AT ENGLISH ELECTIONS The Attorney General Dominic Grieve MP has apologised for controversial remarks about corruption among ethnic minority groups in the UK. In the 2012 audit of UK democracy, Stuart Wilks-Heeg, Andrew Blick and Stephen Crone examined the extent of electoral fraud in English elections, finding that instances had fallen in recent years after a sharp increase in the mid-2000s, but vulnerabilities THE WRIGHT REFORMS CHANGED PARLIAMENT, BUT THERE REMAINS The Wright reforms changed Parliament, but there remains scope for further reform. The Reform of the House of Commons Committee (also known as the Wright Committee) suggested a number of changes which have, since their implementation, had a tangible effect on the relationship between Parliament and the executive. FULL OF SOUND AND FURY: IS WESTMINSTER’S E-PETITIONING The primary concerns with the Westminster’s e-petitioning system are not about how often the process ‘works’, but rather the way ‘undeliberative’, sensationalist and misleading petitions can be detrimental for democracy. The Westminster model could learn from these other systems and adopt a more independent method of gaining THE SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM SHOWS THAT YOUNG 16 and 17 year olds were entitled to vote for the first time in any election held in the UK in the Scottish independence referendum. Advocates of the reform argued that it would help to engage younger people in the political process, setting the stage for greater engagement in democracy over future election cycles, while critics suggested that 16 and 17 year olds weren’t ready to discharge DEMOCRATIC AUDITTHE UK’S CHANGING DEMOCRACY: THE 2018 DEMOCRATIC AUDITOUR WORKABOUT DEMOCRATIC AUDIT The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed why we urgently need to re-imagine democracy. Clodagh Harris and Ian Hughes argue that, as established democracies face numerous short- and long-term crises, we must re-imagine democratic institutions to be more inclusive, participatory and deliberative. Only then can democracies resist the threat of COVID-19 AND DEMOCRACY : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT Covid-19 lockdowns: early evidence suggests political support and trust in democracy has increased. Making use of cross-country European survey data that was fielded both before and after Covid-19 lockdowns were implemented, André Blais, Damien Bol, Marco Giani and Peter Loewen find that support for the incumbent leader, support for government in general, and trust in democracy have all HOW COVID-19 IS ALTERING OUR CONCEPTION OF CITIZENSHIP How Covid-19 is altering our conception of citizenship. The Covid-19 pandemic is a public health emergency, but it also has the potential to impact on many other elements of European societies beyond health services. Jelena Dzankic and Lorenzo Piccoli write on the effect the outbreak is having on the uses and meanings of citizenship. WHY DO ‘NICHE PARTIES’ PERFORM SO WELL IN EUROPEAN AND The recent European elections saw a range of small, single-issue parties perform exceptionally well. In the United Kingdom, the Brexit Party received 30.7% of the votes. In Germany, the Green Party made remarkable gains, winning 20.5% of the votes. Green parties also performed well in countries such as France, Sweden and Finland, as did

anti

IS THE RESURGENCE OF EUROPE’S FAR-RIGHT A CULTURAL OR AN Note: For more information, see the authors’ accompanying paper in Electoral Studies. Increasing inequality had a positive and significant impact for populist radical right support, but a negative and significant impact for extremist right parties.Aside from populist radical right parties being rewarded for their anti-elite stances, growing inequality offers such parties an opportunity to HOW IRELAND LEGISLATED FOR CANDIDATE SEX QUOTAS TO Almost a century after the first female MP was elected, women still comprise only a fifth of the House of Commons. One of the measures suggested for remedying this inequality is the use of gender quotas for parliamentary candidates. WHAT IS THE EXTENT OF ELECTORAL FRAUD AT ENGLISH ELECTIONS The Attorney General Dominic Grieve MP has apologised for controversial remarks about corruption among ethnic minority groups in the UK. In the 2012 audit of UK democracy, Stuart Wilks-Heeg, Andrew Blick and Stephen Crone examined the extent of electoral fraud in English elections, finding that instances had fallen in recent years after a sharp increase in the mid-2000s, but vulnerabilities THE WRIGHT REFORMS CHANGED PARLIAMENT, BUT THERE REMAINS The Wright reforms changed Parliament, but there remains scope for further reform. The Reform of the House of Commons Committee (also known as the Wright Committee) suggested a number of changes which have, since their implementation, had a tangible effect on the relationship between Parliament and the executive. FULL OF SOUND AND FURY: IS WESTMINSTER’S E-PETITIONING The primary concerns with the Westminster’s e-petitioning system are not about how often the process ‘works’, but rather the way ‘undeliberative’, sensationalist and misleading petitions can be detrimental for democracy. The Westminster model could learn from these other systems and adopt a more independent method of gaining THE SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM SHOWS THAT YOUNG 16 and 17 year olds were entitled to vote for the first time in any election held in the UK in the Scottish independence referendum. Advocates of the reform argued that it would help to engage younger people in the political process, setting the stage for greater engagement in democracy over future election cycles, while critics suggested that 16 and 17 year olds weren’t ready to discharge COVID-19 AND DEMOCRACY : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT Covid-19 lockdowns: early evidence suggests political support and trust in democracy has increased. Making use of cross-country European survey data that was fielded both before and after Covid-19 lockdowns were implemented, André Blais, Damien Bol, Marco Giani and Peter Loewen find that support for the incumbent leader, support for government in general, and trust in democracy have all ELECTIONS AND ELECTORAL SYSTEMS : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT Deadlines, delegate divisions and demographics helped determine the New York presidential primary result. Yesterday the Empire State held its presidential primary contest for the Republican and Democratic parties, with local billionaire Donald Trump and the state’s former US Senator Hillary Clinton winning the most delegates in the respective GOP and Democratic contests. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE VOTING AGE IS LOWERED TO 16? A Lowering the voting age to 16 is being discussed in several countries, but how do 16- and 17-year-olds compare to older first-time voters? In a new book chapter, Julian Aichholzer and Sylvia Kritzinger answer this question by looking at a decade of empirical evidence from Austria, where voting at 16 was introduced for national elections in 2007. . Overall, they find that the evidence is IS THE RESURGENCE OF EUROPE’S FAR-RIGHT A CULTURAL OR AN Note: For more information, see the authors’ accompanying paper in Electoral Studies. Increasing inequality had a positive and significant impact for populist radical right support, but a negative and significant impact for extremist right parties.Aside from populist radical right parties being rewarded for their anti-elite stances, growing inequality offers such parties an opportunity to EU REFERENDUM : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT 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. BUILDING SUB-NATIONAL GOVERNMENT : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT The proposal for a global parliament of mayors reflects their distinctive, locally-rooted form of legitimacy. American political theorist Benjamin Barber has proposed a greater role for mayors in global governance, reflecting the many ways in which cities are dealing with global issues. IN THE NAME OF PARLIAMENTARY SOVEREIGNTY: HOW THE CONFLICT In UK political disputes over European Court of Human Rights judgments, such as the high-profile objections to rulings on prisoner voting, much political capital is made out of the claim that the European Court is impinging on UK parliamentary sovereignty. HOW AND WHEN CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS CHANGE IN Westminster democracies incorporate numerous constitutional conventions – the uncodified, informal rules and practices by which political institutions operate.Nicholas Barry, Narelle Miragliotta and Zim Nwokora identify some key patterns for when and how different types of conventions are modified, and suggest further research is needed to develop a fuller understanding of the HOW EFFECTIVELY DOES THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT SCRUTINISE First, the Scottish Parliament is small. It has 129 members and yet, given the size of government and opposition, it leaves only 80-odd MSPs available for service in a committee system of 16-19 committees and growing. This reality led to the original system of large membership committees in 1999 being scaled back afterwards. THE MOST SUCCESSFUL SELECT COMMITTEE IN THE LAST Tony Wright’s chairmanship of the Public Administration Committee (PASC) left a legacy of the Wright Reforms. From them the Backbench Business Committee emerged as a valuable parliamentary reform. But not all the changes produced improvements. Election of chairs by MP sin place of selection by the whips produced some fine chairs that were unselectable by the whips. DEMOCRATIC AUDITTHE UK’S CHANGING DEMOCRACY: THE 2018 DEMOCRATIC AUDITOUR WORKABOUT DEMOCRATIC AUDIT The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed why we urgently need to re-imagine democracy. Clodagh Harris and Ian Hughes argue that, as established democracies face numerous short- and long-term crises, we must re-imagine democratic institutions to be more inclusive, participatory and deliberative. Only then can democracies resist the threat of HOW COVID-19 IS ALTERING OUR CONCEPTION OF CITIZENSHIP How Covid-19 is altering our conception of citizenship. The Covid-19 pandemic is a public health emergency, but it also has the potential to impact on many other elements of European societies beyond health services. Jelena Dzankic and Lorenzo Piccoli write on the effect the outbreak is having on the uses and meanings of citizenship. WHY DO ‘NICHE PARTIES’ PERFORM SO WELL IN EUROPEAN AND The recent European elections saw a range of small, single-issue parties perform exceptionally well. In the United Kingdom, the Brexit Party received 30.7% of the votes. In Germany, the Green Party made remarkable gains, winning 20.5% of the votes. Green parties also performed well in countries such as France, Sweden and Finland, as did

anti

IS THE RESURGENCE OF EUROPE’S FAR-RIGHT A CULTURAL OR AN Note: For more information, see the authors’ accompanying paper in Electoral Studies. Increasing inequality had a positive and significant impact for populist radical right support, but a negative and significant impact for extremist right parties.Aside from populist radical right parties being rewarded for their anti-elite stances, growing inequality offers such parties an opportunity to WHAT IS THE EXTENT OF ELECTORAL FRAUD AT ENGLISH ELECTIONS The Attorney General Dominic Grieve MP has apologised for controversial remarks about corruption among ethnic minority groups in the UK. In the 2012 audit of UK democracy, Stuart Wilks-Heeg, Andrew Blick and Stephen Crone examined the extent of electoral fraud in English elections, finding that instances had fallen in recent years after a sharp increase in the mid-2000s, but vulnerabilities FULL OF SOUND AND FURY: IS WESTMINSTER’S E-PETITIONING The primary concerns with the Westminster’s e-petitioning system are not about how often the process ‘works’, but rather the way ‘undeliberative’, sensationalist and misleading petitions can be detrimental for democracy. The Westminster model could learn from these other systems and adopt a more independent method of gaining HOW IRELAND LEGISLATED FOR CANDIDATE SEX QUOTAS TO Almost a century after the first female MP was elected, women still comprise only a fifth of the House of Commons. One of the measures suggested for remedying this inequality is the use of gender quotas for parliamentary candidates. THE JOHN LEWIS MODEL REVEALS THE TENSIONS AND PARADOXES AT The John Lewis Partnership is one of Europe’s largest models of employee ownership and has been operating a form of employee involvement and participation since its formation in 1929. THE SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM SHOWS THAT YOUNG 16 and 17 year olds were entitled to vote for the first time in any election held in the UK in the Scottish independence referendum. Advocates of the reform argued that it would help to engage younger people in the political process, setting the stage for greater engagement in democracy over future election cycles, while critics suggested that 16 and 17 year olds weren’t ready to discharge SHOULD POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONERS BE ABOLISHED? THE The Commissioners respond. This week the report of the Independent Police Commission, led by the former Metropolitan Police Commissioner John Stevens and commissioned by the Labour Party, was published. One of its key proposals was for the abolition of the post of Police and Crime Commissioner, introduced in 2012 to establish a new form of DEMOCRATIC AUDITTHE UK’S CHANGING DEMOCRACY: THE 2018 DEMOCRATIC AUDITOUR WORKABOUT DEMOCRATIC AUDIT The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed why we urgently need to re-imagine democracy. Clodagh Harris and Ian Hughes argue that, as established democracies face numerous short- and long-term crises, we must re-imagine democratic institutions to be more inclusive, participatory and deliberative. Only then can democracies resist the threat of HOW COVID-19 IS ALTERING OUR CONCEPTION OF CITIZENSHIP How Covid-19 is altering our conception of citizenship. The Covid-19 pandemic is a public health emergency, but it also has the potential to impact on many other elements of European societies beyond health services. Jelena Dzankic and Lorenzo Piccoli write on the effect the outbreak is having on the uses and meanings of citizenship. WHY DO ‘NICHE PARTIES’ PERFORM SO WELL IN EUROPEAN AND The recent European elections saw a range of small, single-issue parties perform exceptionally well. In the United Kingdom, the Brexit Party received 30.7% of the votes. In Germany, the Green Party made remarkable gains, winning 20.5% of the votes. Green parties also performed well in countries such as France, Sweden and Finland, as did

anti

IS THE RESURGENCE OF EUROPE’S FAR-RIGHT A CULTURAL OR AN Note: For more information, see the authors’ accompanying paper in Electoral Studies. Increasing inequality had a positive and significant impact for populist radical right support, but a negative and significant impact for extremist right parties.Aside from populist radical right parties being rewarded for their anti-elite stances, growing inequality offers such parties an opportunity to WHAT IS THE EXTENT OF ELECTORAL FRAUD AT ENGLISH ELECTIONS The Attorney General Dominic Grieve MP has apologised for controversial remarks about corruption among ethnic minority groups in the UK. In the 2012 audit of UK democracy, Stuart Wilks-Heeg, Andrew Blick and Stephen Crone examined the extent of electoral fraud in English elections, finding that instances had fallen in recent years after a sharp increase in the mid-2000s, but vulnerabilities FULL OF SOUND AND FURY: IS WESTMINSTER’S E-PETITIONING The primary concerns with the Westminster’s e-petitioning system are not about how often the process ‘works’, but rather the way ‘undeliberative’, sensationalist and misleading petitions can be detrimental for democracy. The Westminster model could learn from these other systems and adopt a more independent method of gaining HOW IRELAND LEGISLATED FOR CANDIDATE SEX QUOTAS TO Almost a century after the first female MP was elected, women still comprise only a fifth of the House of Commons. One of the measures suggested for remedying this inequality is the use of gender quotas for parliamentary candidates. THE JOHN LEWIS MODEL REVEALS THE TENSIONS AND PARADOXES AT The John Lewis Partnership is one of Europe’s largest models of employee ownership and has been operating a form of employee involvement and participation since its formation in 1929. THE SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM SHOWS THAT YOUNG 16 and 17 year olds were entitled to vote for the first time in any election held in the UK in the Scottish independence referendum. Advocates of the reform argued that it would help to engage younger people in the political process, setting the stage for greater engagement in democracy over future election cycles, while critics suggested that 16 and 17 year olds weren’t ready to discharge SHOULD POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONERS BE ABOLISHED? THE The Commissioners respond. This week the report of the Independent Police Commission, led by the former Metropolitan Police Commissioner John Stevens and commissioned by the Labour Party, was published. One of its key proposals was for the abolition of the post of Police and Crime Commissioner, introduced in 2012 to establish a new form of COVID-19 AND DEMOCRACY : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT Covid-19 lockdowns: early evidence suggests political support and trust in democracy has increased. Making use of cross-country European survey data that was fielded both before and after Covid-19 lockdowns were implemented, André Blais, Damien Bol, Marco Giani and Peter Loewen find that support for the incumbent leader, support for government in general, and trust in democracy have all IS THE RESURGENCE OF EUROPE’S FAR-RIGHT A CULTURAL OR AN Note: For more information, see the authors’ accompanying paper in Electoral Studies. Increasing inequality had a positive and significant impact for populist radical right support, but a negative and significant impact for extremist right parties.Aside from populist radical right parties being rewarded for their anti-elite stances, growing inequality offers such parties an opportunity to IN THE NAME OF PARLIAMENTARY SOVEREIGNTY: HOW THE CONFLICT In UK political disputes over European Court of Human Rights judgments, such as the high-profile objections to rulings on prisoner voting, much political capital is made out of the claim that the European Court is impinging on UK parliamentary sovereignty. ELECTIONS AND ELECTORAL SYSTEMS : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT Deadlines, delegate divisions and demographics helped determine the New York presidential primary result. Yesterday the Empire State held its presidential primary contest for the Republican and Democratic parties, with local billionaire Donald Trump and the state’s former US Senator Hillary Clinton winning the most delegates in the respective GOP and Democratic contests. BUILDING SUB-NATIONAL GOVERNMENT : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT The proposal for a global parliament of mayors reflects their distinctive, locally-rooted form of legitimacy. American political theorist Benjamin Barber has proposed a greater role for mayors in global governance, reflecting the many ways in which cities are dealing with global issues. EU REFERENDUM : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT 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. HOW AND WHEN CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS CHANGE IN Westminster democracies incorporate numerous constitutional conventions – the uncodified, informal rules and practices by which political institutions operate.Nicholas Barry, Narelle Miragliotta and Zim Nwokora identify some key patterns for when and how different types of conventions are modified, and suggest further research is needed to develop a fuller understanding of the EXTENDING HUMAN AND CIVIC RIGHTS : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT Reforming laws on free movement will be a headache for any future government. Immigration will be one of the defining issues of the General Election, with Labour and the Conservatives responding to UKIP’s hardline, anti-EU stance with tough and supposedly crowd-pleasing measures of BUILDING SUB-NATIONAL GOVERNMENT : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT The UK Government’s recent approach to the Silk Commission has been inflexibile and unimaginative. The Silk Commission on the future of devolved Government in Wales promises to be a watershed moment in the history of Welsh government, with greater powers for the Welsh Assembly Government a necessary next step in the development of the country’s governance arrangements. THE MOST SUCCESSFUL SELECT COMMITTEE IN THE LAST Tony Wright’s chairmanship of the Public Administration Committee (PASC) left a legacy of the Wright Reforms. From them the Backbench Business Committee emerged as a valuable parliamentary reform. But not all the changes produced improvements. Election of chairs by MP sin place of selection by the whips produced some fine chairs that were unselectable by the whips. DEMOCRATIC AUDITTHE UK’S CHANGING DEMOCRACY: THE 2018 DEMOCRATIC AUDITOUR WORKABOUT DEMOCRATIC AUDIT The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed why we urgently need to re-imagine democracy. Clodagh Harris and Ian Hughes argue that, as established democracies face numerous short- and long-term crises, we must re-imagine democratic institutions to be more inclusive, participatory and deliberative. Only then can democracies resist the threat of HOW COVID-19 IS ALTERING OUR CONCEPTION OF CITIZENSHIP How Covid-19 is altering our conception of citizenship. The Covid-19 pandemic is a public health emergency, but it also has the potential to impact on many other elements of European societies beyond health services. Jelena Dzankic and Lorenzo Piccoli write on the effect the outbreak is having on the uses and meanings of citizenship. A CONSERVATIVE MAJORITY MEANS PARLIAMENTARY SCRUTINY IS INREPUBLICAN MAJORITY IN THE HOUSEIS THE HOUSE REPUBLICAN Marc Geddes considers the potential impact the recent Conservative victory may have upon parliamentary scrutiny. The size of the majority, the current government’s agenda for legislative reform and the changes to select committee membership may all have a detrimental effect on parliament’s ability to scrutinise government effectively. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE VOTING AGE IS LOWERED TO 16? ASEE MORE ON

DEMOCRATICAUDIT.COM

HOW AND WHEN CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS CHANGE INSEE MORE ON DEMOCRATICAUDIT.COMHOW TO CALL CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONHOW DID THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION ENDCONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION RELATED PEOPLECONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION SUMMARYPENNSYLVANIA CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONNEW CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION WHAT IS THE EXTENT OF ELECTORAL FRAUD AT ENGLISH ELECTIONS The Attorney General Dominic Grieve MP has apologised for controversial remarks about corruption among ethnic minority groups in the UK. In the 2012 audit of UK democracy, Stuart Wilks-Heeg, Andrew Blick and Stephen Crone examined the extent of electoral fraud in English elections, finding that instances had fallen in recent years after a sharp increase in the mid-2000s, but vulnerabilities HOW IRELAND LEGISLATED FOR CANDIDATE SEX QUOTAS TO Almost a century after the first female MP was elected, women still comprise only a fifth of the House of Commons. One of the measures suggested for remedying this inequality is the use of gender quotas for parliamentary candidates. WHILE FAR FROM PERFECT, THE WORK OF BILL COMMITTEES SHOULD Last week the think tank Reform published its report into the scrutiny of legislation. Its authors discussed the key findings and recommendations in a blog on this site, arguing that the scrutiny of bills should be carried out by permanent select committees rather than ad hoc bill committees. Their argument hinges on two criticisms of bill committees: that they lack expertise and that they are RULES ON ELECTION DEPOSITS CREATE AN UNEVEN PLAYING FIELD Evidence suggests a multi-party system is slowly emerging in UK politics, but our electoral rules may be impeding its development. In the 2012 audit of UK democracy, Stuart Wilks-Heeg, Andrew Blick, and Stephen Crone considered the requirements for candidates to pay a deposit in order to stand for election, and showed how these had a disproportionate impact on small parties. THE JOHN LEWIS MODEL REVEALS THE TENSIONS AND PARADOXES AT The John Lewis Partnership is one of Europe’s largest models of employee ownership and has been operating a form of employee involvement and participation since its formation in 1929. DEMOCRATIC AUDITTHE UK’S CHANGING DEMOCRACY: THE 2018 DEMOCRATIC AUDITOUR WORKABOUT DEMOCRATIC AUDIT The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed why we urgently need to re-imagine democracy. Clodagh Harris and Ian Hughes argue that, as established democracies face numerous short- and long-term crises, we must re-imagine democratic institutions to be more inclusive, participatory and deliberative. Only then can democracies resist the threat of HOW COVID-19 IS ALTERING OUR CONCEPTION OF CITIZENSHIP How Covid-19 is altering our conception of citizenship. The Covid-19 pandemic is a public health emergency, but it also has the potential to impact on many other elements of European societies beyond health services. Jelena Dzankic and Lorenzo Piccoli write on the effect the outbreak is having on the uses and meanings of citizenship. A CONSERVATIVE MAJORITY MEANS PARLIAMENTARY SCRUTINY IS INREPUBLICAN MAJORITY IN THE HOUSEIS THE HOUSE REPUBLICAN Marc Geddes considers the potential impact the recent Conservative victory may have upon parliamentary scrutiny. The size of the majority, the current government’s agenda for legislative reform and the changes to select committee membership may all have a detrimental effect on parliament’s ability to scrutinise government effectively. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE VOTING AGE IS LOWERED TO 16? ASEE MORE ON

DEMOCRATICAUDIT.COM

HOW AND WHEN CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS CHANGE INSEE MORE ON DEMOCRATICAUDIT.COMHOW TO CALL CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONHOW DID THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION ENDCONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION RELATED PEOPLECONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION SUMMARYPENNSYLVANIA CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONNEW CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION WHAT IS THE EXTENT OF ELECTORAL FRAUD AT ENGLISH ELECTIONS The Attorney General Dominic Grieve MP has apologised for controversial remarks about corruption among ethnic minority groups in the UK. In the 2012 audit of UK democracy, Stuart Wilks-Heeg, Andrew Blick and Stephen Crone examined the extent of electoral fraud in English elections, finding that instances had fallen in recent years after a sharp increase in the mid-2000s, but vulnerabilities HOW IRELAND LEGISLATED FOR CANDIDATE SEX QUOTAS TO Almost a century after the first female MP was elected, women still comprise only a fifth of the House of Commons. One of the measures suggested for remedying this inequality is the use of gender quotas for parliamentary candidates. WHILE FAR FROM PERFECT, THE WORK OF BILL COMMITTEES SHOULD Last week the think tank Reform published its report into the scrutiny of legislation. Its authors discussed the key findings and recommendations in a blog on this site, arguing that the scrutiny of bills should be carried out by permanent select committees rather than ad hoc bill committees. Their argument hinges on two criticisms of bill committees: that they lack expertise and that they are RULES ON ELECTION DEPOSITS CREATE AN UNEVEN PLAYING FIELD Evidence suggests a multi-party system is slowly emerging in UK politics, but our electoral rules may be impeding its development. In the 2012 audit of UK democracy, Stuart Wilks-Heeg, Andrew Blick, and Stephen Crone considered the requirements for candidates to pay a deposit in order to stand for election, and showed how these had a disproportionate impact on small parties. THE JOHN LEWIS MODEL REVEALS THE TENSIONS AND PARADOXES AT The John Lewis Partnership is one of Europe’s largest models of employee ownership and has been operating a form of employee involvement and participation since its formation in 1929. COVID-19 AND DEMOCRACY : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT Covid-19 lockdowns: early evidence suggests political support and trust in democracy has increased. Making use of cross-country European survey data that was fielded both before and after Covid-19 lockdowns were implemented, André Blais, Damien Bol, Marco Giani and Peter Loewen find that support for the incumbent leader, support for government in general, and trust in democracy have all HOW COVID-19 IS ALTERING OUR CONCEPTION OF CITIZENSHIP How Covid-19 is altering our conception of citizenship. The Covid-19 pandemic is a public health emergency, but it also has the potential to impact on many other elements of European societies beyond health services. Jelena Dzankic and Lorenzo Piccoli write on the effect the outbreak is having on the uses and meanings of citizenship. CORPORATE POWER AND DEMOCRACY : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT Corporate power and democracy. The issue of unaccountable corporate and financial power in Britain’s democracy has been of increasing concern over the past decade or more. It has always been a feature of so-called ‘market democracies’ that business interests get privileged by governments. This is because economic activity is rarely

under

PARLIAMENT : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT Little to lose and much to gain: making more use of soft law codes of standards in Westminster. The Constitution Unit of University College London recently published a report which sets out a code of constitutional standards based on the reports EXTENDING HUMAN AND CIVIC RIGHTS : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT Reforming laws on free movement will be a headache for any future government. Immigration will be one of the defining issues of the General Election, with Labour and the Conservatives responding to UKIP’s hardline, anti-EU stance with tough and supposedly crowd-pleasing measures of BUILDING SUB-NATIONAL GOVERNMENT : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT The UK Government’s recent approach to the Silk Commission has been inflexibile and unimaginative. The Silk Commission on the future of devolved Government in Wales promises to be a watershed moment in the history of Welsh government, with greater powers for the Welsh Assembly Government a necessary next step in the development of the country’s governance arrangements. BUILDING SUB-NATIONAL GOVERNMENT : DEMOCRATIC AUDIT An independent Scotland may find it impossible to pursue a more liberal immigration policy. With the prospects for Scottish independence still uncertain as we edge closer to November 2014’s referendum, not much attention has been focussed on an issue which animates voters of all political persuasions: immigration. THE CASE OF CATALONIA: UNDERSTANDING THE POLITICAL USE OF Independence referendums are comparatively rare – and even more so when conducted without the approval of the relevant central government. Jaume López and Marc Sanjaume-Calvet assess the case of Catalonia in 2017, and how the differing strategic priorities and culture of Spanish and Catalonian governments led to the referendum, repressive counter-measures and resulting stalemate. HOW AND WHEN CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS CHANGE IN Westminster democracies incorporate numerous constitutional conventions – the uncodified, informal rules and practices by which political institutions operate.Nicholas Barry, Narelle Miragliotta and Zim Nwokora identify some key patterns for when and how different types of conventions are modified, and suggest further research is needed to develop a fuller understanding of the CRITICISMS OF THE WESTMINSTER MODEL OF POLITICS ARE NOT Criticisms of the highly centralised, elitist, top-down Westminster model are by no means new. Consecutive Prime Ministers – from Blair to May – vowed to take on vested powers and interests, challenge the status quo, and change the way politics is conducted.

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Navigate to ... Home The UK’s Changing Democracy: The 2018 Democratic Audit Our work–  Democratic Dashboard–  Past reports and publications– –  The 2017 Audit of UK Democracy– –  The 2012 Audit– –  Democratic engagement in the local NHS– –  Engaging young voters with enhanced election information– –  The creation of an English Public Services Ombudsman: mapping a way forward– –  Parliamentary select committees: who gives evidence?– –  Should the UK lower the voting age to 16?– –  The Political Inclusion of Young Citizens– –  Transitioning to a new Scottish state– –  Corporate power and democracy– –  Electoral reform– –  Parliament– –  Party funding– –  Quangos– –  Who governs Merseyside? About Democratic Audit–  Contact Democratic Audit–  Democratic Audit UK staff–  Democratic Audit Trustees–  Contribute to Democratic Audit UK–  Comments policy Resources–  Find my representatives–  Local government in the United Kingdom–  Freedom of information–  Guide to electoral systems–  Audits worldwide By Democratic Audit UK

14/07/2020 0

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ELECTORAL OFFICIALS NEED MORE MONEY TO RUN ELECTIONS DURING COVID-19 Erik Asplund, Toby James and Alistair Clark audit the additional costs countries are facing to run safe and accessible elections during the Covid-19 pandemic. They argue it is vital that election management is sufficiently well funded during this crisis to maintain voter participation and trust in electoral outcomes. Posted in: Elections and electoral systems

,

Extending human and civic rights By Democratic Audit UK

18/06/2020 2

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THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS EXPOSED WHY WE URGENTLY NEED TO RE-IMAGINE

DEMOCRACY

Clodagh Harris and Ian Hughes argue that, as established democracies face numerous short- and long-term crises, we must re-imagine democratic institutions to be more inclusive, participatory and deliberative. Only then can democracies resist the threat of increasingly despotic leaders and tackle global threats, including the

climate crisis.

Posted in: Covid-19 and democracy

,

Deliberative democracy By Democratic Audit UK

12/05/2020 0

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IF THERE IS A PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO COVID-19, WHAT WILL IT LOOK LIKE? Nick Dickinson draws on previous inquiries to discuss what a public one into the Covid-19 crisis may look like. He concludes that, while an inquiry into the government’s response may be necessary for evaluating what went right and what went wrong, an inquiry should nonetheless not be seen as inevitable nor the most useful way to provide accountability. Posted in: Achieving accountable government

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Covid-19 and democracy By Democratic Audit UK

09/05/2020 0

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BOOK REVIEW | PETER SHORE: LABOUR’S FORGOTTEN PATRIOT BY KEVIN HICKSON, JASPER MILES AND HARRY TAYLOR In Peter Shore: Labour’s Forgotten Patriot, Kevin Hickson, Jasper Miles and Harry Taylor looks back at the ‘lost Eurosceptic tradition’ within the Labour Party’s history by examining the life of the largely neglected front-rank politician, Peter Shore. This skillfully crafted and revealing biography not only reappraises Shore’s career, but uses this as a lens to examine salient issues in the historical development of the Labour Party, writes Patrick

Diamond.

Posted in: Book reviews

, Labour party

By Democratic Audit UK

07/05/2020 0

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THE CASE OF CATALONIA: UNDERSTANDING THE POLITICAL USE OF DE FACTO INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUMS Independence referendums are comparatively rare – and even more so when conducted without the approval of the relevant central government. Jaume López and Marc Sanjaume-Calvet assess the case of Catalonia in 2017, and how the differing strategic priorities and culture of Spanish and Catalonian governments led to the referendum, repressive counter-measures and resulting stalemate. Posted in: Elections and electoral systems By Democratic Audit UK

01/05/2020 0

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HOW PRIVATE MEMBERS’ LEGISLATION IMPROVED LOCAL GOVERNMENT SOCIAL

VALUE

Chris Game assesses the efficacy of one of Parliament’s most antiquated procedures, the Private Members’ Bill, and finds that, though they have proliferated to little effect, in some notable cases, including local government procurement, they have instigated considerable reform. Posted in: Parliament By Democratic Audit UK

29/04/2020 0

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IT IS TIME FOR AUTOMATIC VOTER REGISTRATION IN THE UK Ahead of each UK election, there is a rush to get people registered to vote, and confusion about who is already registered. In a new report Toby James and Paul Bernal set out how to improve the system while protecting data privacy, through automatic or assisted voter registration, and so widen access to democratic participation. Posted in: Elections and electoral systems By Democratic Audit UK

27/04/2020 0

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BEDDING DOWN, TREADING WATER AND TAKING TWO STEPS FORWARD: GENDER EQUALITY AND THE 2019–20 HOUSE OF COMMONS SELECT COMMITTEE ELECTIONS Stephen Holden Bates, Stephen McKay and Mark Goodwin assess the gender balance on the newly elected select committees, and their chairs, and find there have been clear improvements in some areas. However, further progress cannot be assumed, and they recommend Parliament considers more reforms to improve representation within its committee

system.

Posted in: Parliament By Democratic Audit UK

23/04/2020 1

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COVID-19 LOCKDOWNS: EARLY EVIDENCE SUGGESTS POLITICAL SUPPORT AND TRUST IN DEMOCRACY HAS INCREASED Making use of cross-country European survey data that was fielded both before and after Covid-19 lockdowns were implemented, André Blais, Damien Bol, Marco Giani and Peter Loewen find that support for the incumbent leader, support for government in general, and trust in democracy have all increased in the short term. Posted in: Covid-19 and democracy By Democratic Audit UK

22/04/2020 0

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COVID-19 IS INCREASING THE DIVIDE IN LIFE CHANCES BETWEEN RICH AND

POOR

Lee Elliot Major and Stephen Machin propose reforms and urgent actions to tackle economic and educational inequalities in the UK. Posted in: Covid-19 and democracy

,

Extending human and civic rights

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