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Department of Comparative Politics
Trial lecture

Trial Lecture: Alexander Verdoes

On 31 October Alexander Verdoes will give his trial lecture for the degree of PhD at UiB

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Title: Civic participation at the regional level: Strengthening multilevel democracy?

Summary
Over the course of history, the regional level has become increasingly important in Western European democratic systems, and citizens have gained the opportunity to influence their parliaments/governments not only at the national level but also at the regional level. However, even though elections are at the core of liberal democracies, they are by no means the only way for citizens to participate in decision-making at the regional level. In this public lecture, we invite the candidate to reflect on and assess the state of knowledge of citizen engagement at the regional level. We offer questions below as potential guidelines for the candidate to consider. Given time constraints, we do not expect the candidate to delve into all these issues, or do so with equal depth. At the same time we encourage the candidate to conclude with an assessment of the significance of civic participation at the regional level for a functioning multi-level democracy.

• What direct democratic instruments are available at the regional level, and how are they used? The focus will be on comparing a) the type of direct democratic instruments, b) the frequency of their use, and c) the citizens' willingness to participate.

• What role does (organizational) civil society play at the regional level? Does an active civil society help strengthen regional democracy and governance?

• To what extent do alternative forms of participation (e.g., protests) happen at the regional level, and is it of any significance to the regional and/or national government?

• What type of interest groups operate at the regional level, and how do regional governments interact with them?