The first Global Forum on Direct Democracy gathered Activist Professionals from five Continents

In October 2008 the first global forum on modern direct democracy took place in Aarau/Switzerland. It gathered professionals from politics, government, academia, civil society, business and the media from 35 countries and was organised by IRI Europe, the specialist European think-tank on citizens’ rights at the University of Marburg, together with the Centre for Research Direct Democracy (C2D).

Global Seminar (1-2 October 2008)

At the global seminar “The World of Direct Democracy” activists from all over the world told their stories about the state and progress of modern direct democracyaims to contribute towards a global inventory of the current procedures and praxis of direct democracy. Organised by the Initiative and Referendum Institute Europe in collaboration with IRI US at the University of Southern California, IRI Asia, the Korea Democracy Foundation, the Council of Europe, the City of Aarau, the Canton of Aargau, the Swiss Confederation and the European Union.

Public Event (2nd October 2008, 17.30-20.00)

“Direct Democracy and European Integration – Potential and Limits”.
This public event, co-organised by the Centre for Research on Direct Democracy (C2D), is the highpoint of the International Week of Democracy.

Academic Forum (3-4 October 2008)

The academic forum “Direct Democracy in and around Europe – Integration, Innovation, Illusion and Ideology“ at the Congress and Culture Centre Aarau is organised by C2D at the Centre for Democracy (Zurich University). This international conference brings academics and practitioners from the field of democracy research together with interested members of the public to discuss and critically assess the state of direct democracy in Europe.