Revitalized democracy for resilient societies
Within the REDRESS project, we investigate how hybrid democratic innovations, in which combinations are made of consultation and voting, can supplement Dutch representative democracy.
Hybrid Democratic Innovations
How can ‘hybrid democratic innovations’, which combine forms of consultation (eg citizen forums) and voting (eg corrective referendums), strengthen representative democracy? That is the core question of the ‘Revitalized Democracy for Resilient Societies’ (REDRESS) project, for which partners and NWO have made a total of €2 million available in the context of the National Science Agenda for the period June 2021 – June 2026.
Our research
deliberation,
in combination with …
… voting
Strengthening representative democracy
mixed methods research
Our partners
Latest news
Democratic innovation: why would you do it?
Democratic innovation always sparks a lot of debate in the Netherlands. In this essay, Frank Hendriks addresses three common reservations about democratic innovation in the Netherlands - (i) 'Things aren't that bad, are they?'; (ii) 'renewal can also bring destruction'; (iii) 'this always backfires' - when discussing three key
Referendums: more than an emergency brake?
What if referendums do not only concern a determined proposal but initiators get the space to contribute alternatives? What if voters can give input on more concrete proposals while maintaining numeric and accessible advantages of referendums? And how can citizens' assemblies play a role in formulating referendum alternatives? Charlotte
Time for a deliberative referendum?
Critics say referendums would encourage uninformed dissent and political gridlock. In what ways might adding deliberation to a referendum process address such criticisms? REDRESS-researchers Frank Hendriks and Charlotte Wagenaar examined three specific models in which a citizen forum strengthens the referendum process by preparing a proposal, informing voters or
