Landscape Review
Bennett Institute for Public Policy: Centre for the Future of Democracy
Based at Cambridge University, the Centre aims to document the future challenges facing democracies across the globe. Exploring four key areas: climate change; technology; generational divides; and spatial inequality, it seeks to understand the different possibilities for democracies around the world as they confront these forces. A large project currently funding significant academic research in the democratic space.
Funding: Bennett Institute of Public Policy (Cambridge University)
Key People: Dr Roberto Foa (Co-Director), Dr Xavier Romero-Vidal (Research Associate), David Runciman
Centre for Democracy
Founded in January 2021, the Centre for Democracy acts as a forum to bring together the many organisations working to build a stronger democratic future. ‘The Democracy Bulletin’ newsletter is published every fortnight, and documents updates across the sector. It holds regular meetings for organisations to exchange ideas and acts to bring together small and medium sized groups.
Funding: Donations and awards, inc. Nesta Democracy Pioneers
Key People: James Moulding (Director)
Citizens’ Convention on UK Democracy
Made up of Thematic Assemblies, a UK-wide National Conversation and a UK Citizens’ Summit, the Citizens’ Convention on UK Democracy is focused on stimulating a serious national dialogue about the nature of UK democracy. Argues principally for a more deliberative process that can engage all citizens and submitted a proposal to the Prime Minister to this end in October 2020.
Funding: Donors, inc. Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust
Key People: Graham Allen (Convenor)
Fairness Foundation
New project aiming to stimulate wide-ranging reforms to create a fairer society. It takes a holistic approach that seeks to remedy the flaws in our current democratic model, including support for a fairer political funding model, criticising attempts to reduce the electoral franchise and introducing further devolution from Westminster.
Key people: Will Snell (Chief Executive)
Fair Vote UK
Small and young pressure group focused on working with cross-party MPs to reform electoral laws. Concerned with foreign interference and data theft in elections, Fair Vote UK have called for a Digital Bill of Rights to combat data misuse and voter manipulation. They worked with the APPG on Electoral Campaigning Transparency to publish the 2020 report ‘Defending Democracy in the Digital Age’.
Funding: Donations, inc. Byline Festival, UK-EU Open Policy
Key People: Kyle Taylor (Director)
Forward Democracy
Focused on securing the UK’s democratic future, Forward Democracy is concentrated on making our democracy more representative, accessible, and inclusive. Alongside arguing for proportional representation, it seeks to address corruption and improve public trust. A small pressure group, they have a monthly live panel show discussing a better future through the lens of politics and democracy.
Key People: Josh Russell (Cofounder)
Independent Constitutionalists UK
ICUK’s aim is to provoke a national debate around new ways of doing politics and managing the economy. It wants to stimulate movement toward a more deliberative form of democracy and the creation of local, regional and national citizens’ assemblies. It supports discussion of wide-ranging reforms including a codified constitution, federalism and universal basic income. Supports a variety of similar small organisations.
Key People: Ed Straw, Carol Evans
Institute for Government
Wide-ranging and well-established think tank aimed at making government more effective. Uses broad research and analysis to offer a space for discussion around how to drive change. Its work ranges from discussions of how to improve policy making in Whitehall and accountability in modern government to devolution across the UK and English regions.
Funding: £4.6m grant 2020/21 (Gatsby Charitable Foundation)
Key People: Bronwen Maddox (Director), Emma Morris (Director of Research)
Involve
A public participation charity, Involve aims to embed open, participatory and deliberative values within an upgraded democratic setting, which promotes consensus-building to overcoming political stalemate. Projects include a Democracy Network which seeks to expand the collective influence of disparate groups across the sector.
Funding: £1.55m (charitable expenditure in 2021)
Key People: Tim Hughes (Director)
Mile End Institute, Queen Mary
Based at Queen Mary University, Mile End brings together academics, politicians and the public to tackle the major challenges for the UK in a changing world. A large centre founded by historian Peter Hennessy, the Institute runs live events to foster discussion around updating our democratic systems. It has a number of significant current projects, including evaluating UK constitutional reform and restructuring democracy towards local places.
Funding: Queen Mary University
Key People: Lord Peter Hennessy (Patron), Dr Robert Saunders (Co-director)
UCL Constitution Unit – Democracy in the UK after Brexit
Project aimed at better understanding how people across the UK want its democracy to work. It has collaborated with Involve to convene a citizens’ assembly to examine the question of what democracy in the UK should look like. Last year it conducted a major representative survey of public opinion, which found a desire for power to be devolved from the executive to parliament and the public. It will conduct another survey in 2022.
Funding: UCL
Key People: Professor Alan Renwick (Deputy Director), Professor Meg Russell (Co-Investigator)
Unlock Democracy
Directed by Tom Brake, Unlock Democracy is a small, independent organisation which argues for a new and codified constitution built by the public. It argues this should be done through a deliberative process, and permanently rebalance and devolve power in the UK. They also desire the introduction of an independent Citizens’ Convention to genuinely involve the public in the democratic decision-making process.
Funding: Donations, grant income
Key People: Tom Brake (Founder)
UK Open Government
A network providing a platform for organisations to develop reforms to make democracy more transparent, participative and accountable. Documents government legislation and developments in relation to constitutional issues, providing strong resources for organisations and individuals to draw from.
Key People: Kevin Keith (Chair)
2022