BU Research Blog

The Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon John Bercow MP, recently contacted Bournemouth University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor John Vinney, in relation to a Commission on Digital Democracy .

The objective of the Speaker’s Commission on Digital Democracy is to consider, report and make recommendations on how parliamentary democracy in the United Kingdom can embrace the opportunities afforded by the digital world to become more effective in:

representing the people
making laws
scrutinising the work and performance of government
encouraging citizens to engage with democracy
facilitating dialogue amongst citizens

BU is very keen to engage in this initiative, and we are currently reviewing the calls for evidence with the intention of making a submission over the next month or so. We are also hoping to organise a debate on campus exploring one or more of the Commission’s five themes:

Making laws in a digital age – call launched
Digital scrutiny – call launched
Representation – call pending
Engagement – call pending
Encouraging dialogue among citizens – call pending

We will be setting up an initial scoping meeting to discuss BU’s contribution and if you are interested in participating in the project, please contact Colette Cherry giving your availability for the following dates: