UCC Students Seek to Boost Democratic Process
l-r Corrina O’Sullivan, Tony Rodgers, Rebecca Sullivan, Dr Clodagh Harris, UCC President Dr Michael Murphy, Jayne Roynane, Sinead Ronan, Niamh O’Farrell, Claire O’Sullivan and Heather Fahy
l-r Corrina O’Sullivan, Tony Rodgers, Rebecca Sullivan, Dr Clodagh Harris, UCC President Dr Michael Murphy, Jayne Roynane, Sinead Ronan, Niamh O’Farrell, Claire O’Sullivan and Heather Fahy
As part of their coursework, UCC students have published a report on democratic innovations for engaging and empowering citizens. Their report makes recommendations on how to boost public involvement in the political process. It examines specific democratic innovations, referring to international best practice and presents them as viable and realistic options for Irish democracy.
It recommends the introduction of participatory budgeting at the local level in Ireland. It argues that this would give citizens a direct say on how money is spent in their locality and a clear link between raising and spending public monies. It would need to be accompanied, however, by the devolution of revenue raising powers to local government.
The report also calls for the use of consensus conferences as used in Denmark to involve citizens directly in decision making on complex scientific and technical issues such as fracking and the location of incinerators.
Recognising the role citizen assemblies’ play in enhancing citizen deliberation the report welcomes the Government’s proposed constitutional convention but stresses the need for a complete and accurate electoral register to ensure broad representation. It calls for inclusive selection mechanisms that consciously target groups who traditionally do not vote. Also it argues that the constitutional convention should consider the inclusion of initiatives into Bunreacht na hEireann.
It is hoped that this report will not only serve as a useful teaching tool for future students but that it will also contribute to the ongoing academic and public debate on Irish political reform.
This report was funded by the UCC President’s award for innovation in teaching and learning and edited by Dr. Clodagh Harris, recipient of the award.
Please click here for the report : http://www.ucc.ie/en/government/DemocraticReport.pdf