Faced with public dissatisfaction and demonstrations about the financing of political parties in 2011, Estonian MPs initial solutions to the problems did not address the public’s anger, and in 2012 a decision was taken to establish a process for the public to deliberate on donations to political parties and related electoral laws. A website was...Continue reading
The author argues that scholars can best advance public dialogue and deliberation by conducting systematic research on practical innovations that have the potential to improve political discourse. The author explains and justifies this position through a personal narrative that recounts formative experiences with debate, group dialogue, political campaigns, academic research, and electoral reform. Full Article...Continue reading
Moorebank Intermodal Company (MIC) was established by the Australian Government to oversee the development of a freight terminal at Moorebank. The terminal will improve the distribution of freight arriving in Sydney through Port Botany and on the interstate rail network. The terminal will benefit the NSW and Australian economy but it will also have an...Continue reading
Aisha Dow, City Reporter for The Age You might describe it as Melbourne City Council’s version of jury duty, except it is far easier to get out of. A panel of 43 “everyday” Melburnians will advise council on how it should spend its money for the next 10 years, when the randomly selected group is...Continue reading
Kathy Jones, speaking as a board member of newDemocracy, discussed this challenge in a speech to the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2). Overcoming this distrust of politicians and planning requires finding innovative ways to communicate not only with those residents who are already “engaged and enraged”, but also with community members who are hard-to-reach....Continue reading
From one of our founding board members. Ian Marsh. Australian Financial Review, 28 May 2014. Tony Abbott’s fall from grace has been precipitous. But it is not unprecedented. Its causes are much more fundamental than poor political judgment. How so? Take the precedents. The Resource Super Profits Tax was released in May 2010, and was followed...Continue reading
A democratic reform group, Jefferson Action, used a citizens jury to interrogate the policy platforms of the Democratic and Republican candidates for Congress. Interestingly, this was supported and made possible through the active participation of both candidates. The citizens detailed and informed views of the candidates built over tens of hours (rather than the more...Continue reading
Authors: Bruno S. Frey, CREMA & Lasse Steiner, University of Zurich March 1, 2014 – University of Zurich, Department of Economics, Working Paper No. 144 Abstract:This paper discusses and proposes random selection as a component in decision-making in society. Random procedures have played a significant role in history, especially in classical Greece and the medieval...
Jonathan O’Dea | Sydney Morning Herald | 30 April 2014 Following more explosive revelations from the Independent Commission Against Corruption on Monday, Premier Mike Baird has identified political lobbying and election campaign funding as major issues for our state government. He has indicated support for tighter regulation of lobbyists and public funding of election campaigns....
Authors: Albert B. Kao and Iain D. Couzin, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University Abstract Individuals in groups, whether composed of humans or other animal species, often make important decisions collectively, including avoiding predators, selecting a direction in which to migrate and electing political leaders. Theoretical and empirical work suggests that collective decisions...Continue reading