Voice, Participation, and Governance
HaSS Cornwall evaluates the different ways that citizen voices are heard and silenced through participation, protest, and oppression in different political systems and processes of governance.
The Voice, Participation & Governance (VPG) theme is interested, principally, in how citizens make their voices heard and participate in public debate, decision-making and social resistance. We evaluate the different ways citizens' voices are heard, encouraged and silenced through participation, protest and oppression in different systems of governance; including, for example, how governments try to silence their critics or remove spaces for critical dissent, how they exacerbate inequalities in political voice, and what they can do (or are doing) to reduce those inequalities. We also study the ways in which citizens' participation is evolving in response to both social change - such as the development of technology or changing influence of social institutions - and political change - such as when government's frustrate strike action by unions or protests.
- How do governments shape and exacerbate inequalities in political voice among citizens?
- How can governments, policy-makers and civil society reduce inequalities in political participation and representation?
- How are the ways in which citizens influence and challenge their governments - national, local and regional - evolving?
- How is the influence of social institutions - such as language, religion and class - in shaping political behaviour evolving over time and across political systems?
Cluster Leads: Stuart Fox, Dan Stevens
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