A People's Federation? Populism, Deliberation and Federal Reform
Ron Levy, 'A People's Federation? Populism, Deliberation and Federal Reform' in Mark Bruerton, Tracey Arklay, Robyn Hollander and Ron Levy (eds), A People's Federation (Federation Press, 2017). ISBN 9781760021481
15 Pages Posted: 27 Oct 2017
Date Written: September 27, 2017
Abstract
In some ways populism provides a starkly poor fit to federal decision making – including decision making about a federation itself. As I describe in this chapter, contemporary populism is at once impatient for, and prone to derailing, federal reform. However, after diagnosing problems, I turn to consider institutional routes around them. The best solutions – those perhaps most able to restart stalled progress toward reform – may be those aiming to harness and redirect, rather than deny, populism’s rising tide. In this regard, deliberative democratic approaches to reform appear to hold particular promise.
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