Reinventing Democracy: Innovation, Participation and Power | PAIR2042

Module overview

All over the world the ideal of democratic government has higher support than at almost any time in human history. Yet many citizens of democracies are very frustrated with the way the democracy they live in works. It is one thing to recognise the contemporary problems of democracy but another to know what to do about them. The aim of the module is to familiarise students with the best known tools for improving democratic governance, and to consider if and how democracy can be reinvented.

Linked modules

Pre-requisites: PAIR1001 OR PAIR1002 OR PAIR1004 OR PAIR1005

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Demonstrate an appreciation of different approaches and frameworks to understanding democratic practices and the relationship between citizens and the state (and other public authorities).
Develop skills in different types of written communication including writing case studies for general audiences.
Develop skills in communicating using information technology and contributing to online crowdsourcing of data.
Analyse data on participation and effective government.
Distinguish between different democratic traditions and offer theoretically-informed analysis of developments in democratic practice
Learn how to (re)design institutions to improve democratic governance

Syllabus

Democratic citizenship: Who governs in Modern Democracies?
Barriers to Deep Democracy: The Voice of the Sceptics
The Limits of Elections
Reform and Innovation in Democratic Governance
Participatory Budgeting and the Mass Assemblies
Randomly Selected Mini-publics
Direct Legislation and Plebiscitary Democracy
Civic Technology, E-democracy and Algorithmic Governance
Nudging, Paternalism and Mass Behaviour Change
Citizens, Populists, Elites and Experts: Who are we sick of?
What do Democrats do? From Volunteering to Representing
Size, Democracy and Multi-level Governance
Improving Deliberation, Political Knowledge and Communication
Analysing Participatory Practices and Redesigning Institutions

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

2 hours of lectures per week. All will be recorded and posted on Blackboard. Lectures will be delivered either face to face or online only depending upon University and Public Health England Guidance at the time. Total of 24 hours of lectures (2 hours per week X 12 weeks) per module.

Weekly student participation in online discussion boards. 1 hour per week delivered asynchronously. (1 hour X 12 weeks)

Study time
Type	Hours
Independent Study	114
Teaching	36
Total study time	150

Assessment

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Case Reports	30%
Class discussions	10%
Case study	50%
Weekly Homeworks	10%

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Case study	100%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External