A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced legislation that would admit Puerto Rico into the union as the 51st state without a referendum on the island.
Direct Democracy and Ballot Initiatives articles on Democracy Chronicles
This section has the latest DC news on direct democracy, something akin to a pure democracy, a form of democracy whereby people decide policy initiatives directly as opposed to a representative democracy. Cooperatives (Co-ops), Democratic Workplaces, Collectives, Communes, Intentional Communities, Referendums and Ballot Initiatives are also featured right here until we build more content for this neglected area of democratic experimentation. Also see our section on American democracy and get more info at Voting Methods Central.
Was Trump Jr Right? Is British Democracy Dead?
The pimple head that is Donald Trump Jr recently claimed that British democracy is dead after Parliament didn’t approve Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement for the second time. Is there any truth to what this talking flannel has claimed?
Date Set For Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy
Swiss capital of Bern’s authorities have given the go-ahead for the city to host the ninth Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy next year.
PODCAST: How They are Balancing Offline and Online Voting in Antwerp
New podcast from the Democratic Society with Hanne Bastiaensen about her work on balancing offline and online voting in Antwerp’s participatory budget.
Cities Worldwide Experimenting With Direct Democracy
Over the last decade, many national governments have looked trapped. One factor was the austerity that followed the financial crisis.
Boosting Voter Turnout in Switzerland’s Direct Democracy
Biel (Bienne, in French) is best-known for being the capital of Swiss watchmaking and for being the biggest bilingual town in the country.
Casting Doubt on Swiss Reverence of Direct Democracy
The symbolic value of citizen participation in decision-making should not be underestimated, the actual importance of direct democracy in Switzerland.
How the Swiss Militia System Underpins its Direct Democracy
Politics as a part-time job: That’s the idea of the militia system. Thousands of Swiss officials have a normal occupation and do politics on the side.
Learning From the Success of NYC’s Participatory Budgeting Program
NYC’s Participatory Budgeting program is the second oldest in the USA and it’s by far the largest, with it affecting the lives of four million residents.
PODCAST: Using the Tools of Democracy to Address Economic Inequality
As the gap between rich and poor widens, so too does trust in political institutions and faith in democracy itself. Democracy is opposite to inequality.