Initiative & Referendum Institute Europe
Europe's Global Direct Democracy Think-Tank
The Initiative and Referendum Institute Europe (IRI Europe) is a transnational think-tank dedicated to research and education on the procedures and practices of modern direct democracy. IRI Europe is a non-partisan, non-profit association with headquarters in Marburg/Germany and brings together some of the top experts and practitioners of the initiative and referendum process across Europe and the world.
Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy
Since 2008 the Initiative and Referendum Institute Europe has been instrumental in setting up the first global network of direct democracy professionals.
There is a growing focus, not only within politics, but also in the fields of administration, academia, media and civil society, on the qualitative aspects of modern democracy. Questions are being asked about the potential and limits of modern direct democracy both from a legal and practical point of view.
The Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy brings together professionals from politics, government, academia, civil society, business and media. Four world conferences on participative democracy have so far been held in Aarau/Switzerland (2008), Seoul/Korea (2009), San Francisco/US (2010) and Montevideo/Uruguay (2012).
The Global Forum's next meeting is scheduled to take place in late 2014. The venue has not been decided yet. Proposals and offers are welcome!
The Navigator to Direct Democracy
The Navigator by IRI Europe and Democracy International is a playful tool that facilitates the acquisition of knowledge of modern direct democracy worldwide. More...
IRI Viewpoint
IRI Councillor and ECI Campaign Director Carsten Berg offers an assessment of the first successful European Citizens Initiatives
European Citizens' Initiative
One of the key results of our decade-long work is the first transnational direct-democratic tool, the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI). Since April 2012 more than twenty initiatives have been filed and more than 15 registered by the European Commission. Read more at our ECI Information Center.