Politics academics at the University are part of a winning team to receive the Democratic Innovation Award at the Political Studies Association (PSA) Annual Awards in Westminster.
Together with researchers from four other universities and members of the Electoral Reform Society, Professor Will Jennings, Professor Gerry Stoker and Dr Paolo Spada were recognised for their Democracy Matters Citizens’ Assembly project.
Democracy Matters aimed to address the gap that has emerged between the public and politicians, political processes and political institutions. It brought together politicians, regional leaders and the public to debate a range of options for Britain’s constitutional future.
Will Jennings, Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at the University, said:
Our project challenged the myth that people are disengaged from politics. When citizens are given the chance to assess a range of positions and possibilities, they do it with gusto – people are more than capable of grappling with complex questions about the way we are governed.
This marks an important contribution to the conversation about politics and democracy in this country. We have shown there is a real potential for a new way of doing things.
Between October – November 2015, two pilot assemblies were run in Sheffield (Assembly North) and Southampton (Assembly South) to ask how new regional powers can be established in a form that is supported by the people who live locally.
The pilot assemblies compared and contrasted different assembly design types and revealed how to ‘do’ politics differently, as well as the long-term benefits of such an approach in an era that appears defined by anti-politics.
The master of ceremonies on the evening was Jon Snow (Channel 4 News), and the award was presented by the First Minister for Wales, Carwyn Jones.
The full story is available to read here.
