Public Law Conference: Process and Substance in Public Law

Description

'Direct Democracy in the Process of Constitutional Change: Constructing a Deliberative Referendum?' Referendums are paradoxical. For some, they represent an ideal model of democracy. The voters are called upon to speak as one unified people, deciding on an issue directly without the mediation of politicians. The referendum gives a directly determining voice to the demos in a way that captures neatly both the people’s popular sovereignty and the political equality of all citizens. What could be more democratic? For others however the referendum is a dangerous device precisely because it imperils democracy – envisaged by the referendum’s critics in exclusively representative form and as such is best excluded from processes of constitutional change.

Period	Sept 2014
Event type	Conference
Location	Cambridge, United KingdomShow on map