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Research Teams

Introduction

This team leads ippr's work on Democracy, Power and Citizenship, and Crime and Justice.

Deepening democracy underpins all of ippr’s work. The Democracy and Power team sees democracy as a process of popular empowerment, driven forward by the belief that people should have as much autonomy as possible to determine the conditions under which they live, to the degree that is compatible with the autonomy of others.

This requires a more equal distribution of power within the institutions of the state, in the economy and in the cultural sphere. In particular the Democracy and Power team aims to:

  • address the fundamental questions related to what democracy is for, why we should want more of it, what principles should underpin it, and what purpose it serves
  • democratise the political system by extending citizens’ control over our political institutions through a process of far reaching constitutional reform that, while recognising the need for representative government in a complex society, combines this where possible with new channels of participatory democracy (such as citizens’ juries, citizens’ assemblies and participatory budget setting)
  • decentralise the state such that it overcomes the severe limitations of excessive centralism and provides an effective framework and platform for the empowerment of local authorities, neighbourhoods and citizens
  • broaden the reach of democratic politics by extending democratic principles to the cultural sphere, the work place and the market so to ensure that power in these spheres is more effectively held to account
  • foster a strong civic culture by empowering and motivating citizens to take part in a more deliberative and participatory process of self-government, supported by strong citizen-to-citizen relationships characterised by norms of reciprocity, tolerance and respect.