Democratic innovations in the UK

Reflections on historical trajectories across space and time

Datos Bibliográficos

ID12869652
AutoresStephen Elstub (0000-0002-4382-5593, Newcastle University, autor de correspondencia), Oliver Escobar (0000-0002-6628-9359, University of Edinburgh)
Año2026
Páginas1-14
Fecha de publicación2026-02-04
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaEuropean Political Science (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1680-4333 • E-ISSN: 1682-0983
EditorialPalgrave Macmillan (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1017/s168209832510012x
OpenAlexW7127630160
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas2
Referencias citadas37

This article compares the historical trajectories of democratic innovations across space and time in the UK by analysing the development and impact of collaborative governance, participatory budgeting, referendums, and mini-publics. This is an interesting country for longer-term analysis. First, the UK has been considered an inhospitable environment for democratic innovation. Second, it has experienced asymmetrical decentralisation of legislative and executive powers from national to subnational institutions. Third, these changes have taken place during a period of democratic backsliding. We analyse how these dynamics are interrelated by charting the trajectory of four types of democratic innovations in four different countries of the UK (space) from the 1970s to the present (time). We find that, after years of limited democratic innovation there has been rapid, although geographically asymmetrical, development in recent decades. We argue that the importance of these differences should not be overstated in relation to democratic deepening. We conclude that, to advance democratic innovations in the UK, a constitutional convention is required

Comparative politics · Convention · Decentralization · Democracy · Legislature · Representation (politics · Policy Transfer and Learning · Political Systems and Governance · Social Media and Politics