Reinvigorating Democracy in the European Union: Lessons from Ireland’s Citizens Assembly?

18 Pages Posted: 26 Jun 2020

See all articles by Grainne De Burca

Grainne De Burca

European University Institute; New York University School of Law; University of California, Berkeley - Berkeley Center on Comparative Equality & Anti-Discrimination Law

Date Written: June 26, 2020

Abstract

This paper summarizes two sets of democratic challenges facing Europe which have in common the erosion of trust in conventional political institutions and processes. The first is the original ‘democratic deficit’ of the EU and the second is the more recent spread of populist illiberalism across various European states. These democratic challenges are then considered alongside another contemporary phenomenon, namely the growth of interest around the world in alternative forms of citizen participation - whether deliberative, popular, digital or any other. The paper concludes by examining in more detail a recent experiment with deliberative citizen participation in one EU Member State, namely Ireland’s use of citizens’ assemblies to introduce constitutional and public policy change, and asks whether Ireland’s experience could offer any lessons of relevance for addressing the EU’s democratic ills.

Suggested Citation

De Burca, Grainne, Reinvigorating Democracy in the European Union: Lessons from Ireland’s Citizens Assembly? (June 26, 2020). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3636244 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3636244

Grainne De Burca (Contact Author)

European University Institute ( email )

Villa Salviati
Via Bolognese
Firenze (Florence), Tuscany
Italy

HOME PAGE: http://www.eui.eu/people?id=grainne-de-burca-1

New York University School of Law ( email )

40 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012-1099
United States

HOME PAGE: http://rb.gy/jp2g1p

University of California, Berkeley - Berkeley Center on Comparative Equality & Anti-Discrimination Law

Boalt Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720-7200
United States

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