Professor David Farrell awarded Brown Democracy Medal for Irish Citizens' Assembly Project
Posted 14 March, 2019
- Professor Farrell will receive the award, alongside Dr Jane Suiter (DCU), for transforming Irish politics.
- This is the first time that the Brown Democracy Medal has been given to Irish academics.
- The medal is awarded by the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State University.
(opens in a new window)Professor David Farrell has been named as the 2019 recipient of the (opens in a new window)Brown Democracy Medal for his work on the Irish Citizens' Assembly Project.
The academic, from the UCD School of Politics and International Relations, will receive the award alongside (opens in a new window)Dr Jane Suiter, from Dublin City University, in recognition of their work in transforming Irish politics over the last decade.
The Brown Democracy medal, awarded by the (opens in a new window)McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State University, showcases the best projects being done to advance democracy across the globe.
This is the first time that the award has been given to Irish academics.
The success of the Irish Citizens' Assembly project, started in 2011, was influential in the Irish government’s decision to establish the Irish Constitutional Convention (ICC) and the Irish Citizens’ Assembly (ICA) – both of which played a significant role in the successful referenda on marriage equality and 8th Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland.
Speaking about the Brown Democracy Medal, Professor Farrell said: “It is quite an honour to have received this prestigious award, but more than anything it recognises the incredible Irish experience of using citizens’ assemblies to deal with difficult constitutional problems — an experience that is attracting a lot of international interest."
Dr Jane Suiter added: “The Irish people are international exemplars when it comes to deliberation and many countries are looking to us as setting the standard for debating difficult topics and giving citizens a powerful voice.”
We are excited to announce that (opens in a new window)@dfarrell_ucd and (opens in a new window)@JaneSuit of (opens in a new window)@CitizAssembly will receive this year's Brown Democracy Medal! They will visit Penn State in September to receive the medal and give a public lecture on their work. (opens in a new window)https://t.co/zqo0tpz09e
— McCourtney Institute for Democracy (@McCourtneyInst) (opens in a new window)March 13, 2019
Their project, started with an initiative called ‘We the Citizens’, aimed to test whether a more deliberative form of democracy could work in Ireland at a time when people felt adrift and disconnected from power.
It found that those who participated showed a greater interest in politics, expressed more willingness to discuss issues, and felt more positive about the ability of ordinary people to influence politics.
Nominating Professor Farrell and Dr Suiter for the Brown Democracy Medal, Professor John Gastil, a senior scholar in the McCourtney Institute, said their work exemplified the innovation the medal aims to recognise.
“The success of the Irish model has drawn notice from around the world,” he said.
“Considering the recent history of political conflict in Ireland, if this kind of deliberation worked there, it could work anywhere.”
As the project’s leaders Professor Farrell and Dr Suiter will receive the 2019 medal, presented by the McCourtney Institute for Democracy in the Penn State College of the Liberal Arts, in September where they’ll be invited to deliver a public lecture.
Following on from the ‘We the Citizens’ initiative, the pair advised on the ICA on its operation, and worked as the core of the academic team supporting the ICC.
Farrell and Suiter have argued that “the ICC and the ICA took the politics out of debate on sensitive issues due to the manner in which all representative parties were included in the membership.”
By: David Kearns, Digital Journalist / Media Officer, UCD University Relations
