Reinvigorating UK democracy: how to bridge the gap between citizens and the state

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How much influence does the public have on the decisions made by government? Should they have more? And how should that work? 

People want a greater say in the decisions that affect them and their lives, with polling by UCL’s Constitution Unit finding that 77% of people felt they had too little influence over how the UK is governed. There is often a disconnect between the public and the UK’s representative institutions. 

So what needs to be done to bridge this gap between citizens and the state? This event, part of the Institute for Government and Bennett Institute for Public Policy’s Review of the UK constitution, explored ambitious ideas for reinvigorating democracy in the UK. From new digital technologies, tools for allowing people most affected by policies to help design them, and citizens’ assembles on the most important policy challenges facing the country, our panel pitched their proposals to improve the UK constitution and bring decision making closer to the people. 

• Sarah Castell, CEO of Involve  
• Miriam Levin, Programme Director at Engage Britain 
• Professor Jane Suiter, Director of Dublin City University’s Institute for Future Media, Democracy and Society 
• Oli Whittington, Senior Researcher at the Centre for Collective Intelligence Design, Nesta  

The event was chaired by Jess Sargeant, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government 

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