UC EVENTS

The event will be followed by light refreshments at Building 24, University of Canberra.

Book Abstract - Complementary Democracy: The Art of Deliberative Listening

Elected governments are suffering from a legitimacy crisis. Legislatures are increasingly seen as unrepresentative. But there is a cure. It is to use the many different opportunities that exist alongside elections. In this book some of the world’s leading experts and rising stars show how representative democracy can be complemented by a multitude of forms of direct engagement. These include referendums, popular votes, the recall, citizens’ juries, eDemocracy, . These institutions are examples of what the authors call Complementary Democracy. Combining the worlds of practice and theory come together, the book explains – and occasionally critiques – these complements to representative democracy. At a time when Australia faces a cross road, this book is an invaluable starting point for anyone who wants to know more about the new directions of democratic governance, and hopes to inspire those who seek to build stronger democracies.

Author and Speaker

Matt Qvortrup is Professor of Political Science at Coventry, and a visiting Professor at ANU College of Law. The author of several books on referendums and democratic government, including, Democracy on Demand (Manchester University Press, 2021) and Referendums and Ethic Conflict (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2nd Edition, 2022), he is currently engaged in the new field of 'neuropolitics' and researches the intersection between deliberative democracy and brain science. Editor-in-chief of The European Political Science Review, Matt earned his doctorate at Oxford University and is a frequent contributor to the BBC World Service.