Join us at the Marriott Royal Hotel in Bristol on 15^th and 16^th September to debate the relationship between democracy, inequality and power. This year will mark the 800^th anniversary of Magna Carta providing an opportunity to reflect on the failures and successes of democratic policy and politics in the UK and around the world.

Some of the issues we’ll be discussing include:

• austerity politics and the disproportionate impacts on society’s most vulnerable,
• increased awareness of disparities in relation to electoral and political participation amongst a range of social groups (leading to concerns about ‘a divided democracy’),
• the reshaping of the relationship between government, business and civil society,
• rising ‘urbanisation’ and associated concerns about the governance of place, space and territory,
• developments in information and communication technology and its impact on citizens’ engagement with politics and public services,
• civic unrest linked to demands for democracy, equality and transparent government,
• human rights initiatives around gender, age, race, disability and sexuality, and
• a reconfiguration of the role of the mass media and social media in policy and politics.

Continue reading →