Institutional Reform

Institutional reform to democracy is regularly proposed, and occasionally implemented, such as changing the way parliament operates, the way elections are conducted or relationships both within and between the branches of government.

citizen disengagement, policy making, major parties

Democratic Decline & Renewal in Britain, Australia & NZ

December 1, 2013

Harvard University's Peter Hall reviews the book Democratic Decline and Democratic Renewal by Ian Marsh and Raymond Miller.

Academic
Malcolm Turnbull, Tony Abbott, climate change, marriage equality

Turnbull Must Break With Past Attempts to Keep the Future at Bay

September 23, 2015

The University of Melbourne's Mark Triffitt asks how Malcolm Turnbull will deliver on his promise of a 21st Century government

Opinion
executive government, democratic disconnect, policy making

The Decline of Democratic Governance and a Proposed Solution

April 11, 2013

Ian Marsh proposes in The Political Quarterly that the public would be better represented by the creation of new parliamentary committees.

Academic
magna carta, parliamentary systems, representation

In Praise of Parliament

October 1, 2015

Bronwyn Bishop, former Speaker of Australia's House of Representatives, argues Parliament remains the bulwark for individual freedom

Opinion
special interests, state capacity

The Rise and Fall of the US Government

February 1, 2015

The University of Pennsylvania's John Dilulio Jr. argues out-sourcing, privatisation and under-investment is 'decaying' the US Government.

Academic
parliamentary systems

Question Time for Democracy

October 22, 2015

Melanie Sully, Director of the Policy and Research Institute for Go-Governance, sees the questioning of democracy as part of its renewal.

Opinion
deliberative democracy, direct democracy

Reviving Direct Democracy with Citizen Assemblies

June 1, 2013

John Gastil and Robert Richards from Pennsylvania State University propose citizens' assemblies to empower the public.

Academic
citizen disengagement, special interests, electoral reform

A Short History of the Future of Elections

October 11, 2015

John Keane of the University of Sydney considers whether the belief in the universality of ‘free and fair’ elections is a worn-out dogma that's urgently in need of replacement.

Opinion
participatory budgeting, deliberative democracy

How Participatory Budgeting Travels the Globe

December 30, 2012

Ernesto Ganuza and Gianpaolo Biaocchi argue in the Journal of Public Deliberation that participatory budgeting has become part of good governance.

Academic

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