Summerschool
“DemocraticinnovationsinEuropeandintheEuropeanUnion”
AninitiativeoftheECPRStandingGrouponDemocraticInnovations
OrganizedbytheUniversitéSaint-Louis–Brussels&UniversitécatholiquedeLouvain
Monday21–Friday25August2017
Brussels,Belgium
Theweaknessesofrepresentativedemocracy,therecurringproblemsintheprocessof
political representation, and the partial failure of government accountability led to an
increasingdiscontentofcitizenstowardspoliticalinstitutionsandpoliticians.Thelatter
have gradually abandoned the traditional modes of involvement (electoral turnout,
partymembership).Oneofthesolutionstoaddressthis‘democraticmalaise’hasbeen
the adoption of different democratic innovations (especially in the form of direct
democracyanddialogue-orientedprocedures)aimingtofostertheeffectiveinclusionof
citizensinpoliticaldecision-making.Overthelastthreedecadesdemocraticinnovations
gainedmomentumthroughouttheworldbothintermsofrulesanduse.Inspiteofthese
developments, there are very few university courses discussing the functioning and
consequencesofdemocraticinnovations.
Thesummerschoolondemocraticinnovationsaddressesthisproblemandseeksto
provide students with a fuller understanding of democratic innovations. The courses
will discuss in detail their effects on communities, structures, systems, policies and
citizens’ participation. The summer school aims to identify and assess the benefits,
disadvantages, functioning and challenges of democratic innovations in contemporary
representative democracies. To achieve these objectives, the summer school will
combine a broad array of theoretical approaches (made available to students in the
reading package of every course) with methodological and empirical perspectives in
everycourse(i.e.ahands-onapproach).Thesessionsaredividedinfivedaysofteaching
thatalternatebetweenthethreemajortypesofinnovations:directdemocracy,dialogueoriented, and mixed. Students will be encouraged to actively participate in a series of
applied exercises that will reveal the complexities of democratic innovations. The
lecturers are experienced researchers in the fields of political representation and
democratic innovations and all course of the summer school follow a student-centred
approach.
We invite applications from advanced Master students and PhD students from all across
Europe and the world. Applicants should send a letter of motivation and their CV to
[email protected] no later than 1 April 2017 and ideally before as
applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Successful applicants will have to make
theirowntravelarrangements.ThankstothesupportoftheECPRandtheStandingGroup
Democratic Innovations as well as the organizing universities and partners, the
registrationfeeonlyamountsto50eurosandcoversaccommodation,meals,coffeebreaks,
andallteachingactivitiesinBrusselsfromMonday(21August)tillFriday(25August).
Participants will be given the opportunity to present their own project/research via a
posterandtodiscusslecturers’on-goingresearchduringthefinalworkshop.Thesummer
schoolintendstobeaplaceofintenseinteractionsandjoyfuldiscussionsaboutdemocratic
innovations.
Tentativeprogramme:
All activities will be held at the Université Saint-Louis – Brussels, in the city centre of
Brussels,unlessotherwisenotified.
Day1
Day2
Day3
Day4
Day5
Mon.21/8
Tue.22/8
Wed.23/8
Thu.24/8
Fri.25/8
Arrivalsatthe 9:30-12:30
9:30-12:30
9:30-12:30
9:30-12:30
YouthHostel
Democratic
Democratic
Democratic
Workshopof
JacquesBrel
innovations
innovations
innovationsin presentations
anddirect
and
theEuropean
anddiscussions
democracy,by deliberative
Union,by
ofpaperson
BrigitteGeißel mini-publics,
Florence
democratic
byDidier
Delmotte,Denis innovations
Caluwaerts
DuezandMarie
Dufrasne
12:30-14:00
12:30-14:00
12:30-14:00
12:30-14:00
12:30-14:00
Registration
Lunch
Lunch
Lunch
Concluding
andlunch
lunch
14:00-17:00
14:00-17:00
14:00-17:00
14:00-17:00
Check-out
Settingthe
Toolsfor
Deliberative
Visitand
stage,bySergiu democratic
mini-publicsin activitiesat
Gherghina
innovationsin practice,by
Parlemendirect
VincentJacquet tariumofthe
democracy,by andChristoph European
JonathanRinne Niessen
Parliament
17:00-19:00
17:00-19:00
17:00-19:00
17:00-19:00
Departures
Welcome
Freetimein
Festivalof
Farewell
reception
Brussels
democratic
reception
innovations
19:00
19:00
19:00
19:00
Homesweet
DinneratYouth DinneratYouth DinneratYouth DinneratYouth home
HostelJacques HostelJacques HostelJacques HostelJacques
Brel
Brel
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Brel
Locations:
UniversitéSaint-Louis–Brussels:Room3300,inthebuilding,119rueduMarais,1000
Brussels
YouthHostelJacquesBrel:RuedelaSablonnière30,1000Brussels
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Localorganizingcommittee:
MarieDufrasne,UniversitéSaint-Louis–Brussels
VincentJacquet,UniversitécatholiquedeLouvain
ChristophNiessen,CentralEuropeanUniversityandUniversitécatholiquedeLouvain
MinReuchamps,UniversitécatholiquedeLouvain
Scientificcommittee:
DidierCaluwaerts,VrijeUniversiteitBrussel
FlorenceDelmotte,UniversitéSaint-Louis–Brussels
DenisDuez,UniversitéSaint-Louis–Brussels
BrigitteGeißel,Goethe-UniversitätFrankfurt
SergiuGerghina,UniversityofGlasgowandGoethe-UniversitätFrankfurt
MinReuchamps,UniversitécatholiquedeLouvain
ThisSummerschool“DemocraticinnovationsinEuropeandintheEuropeanUnion”is
aninitiativeoftheECPRStandingGrouponDemocraticInnovationsandjointly
organizedbytheUniversitéSaint-Louis–Brussels&UniversitécatholiquedeLouvain,
withthesupportoftheFondsdelaRechercheScientifique-FNRSandtheFrenchspeakingBelgianPoliticalScienceAssociation(ABSP)
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