REDIRECT is a four-year research project funded (€3 millions) by the Horizon Programme (and UKRI for the Exeter participation). It aims is to enhance our understanding of the current transformations of representative democracy in Europe at national and supranational level, assessing whether the centre of gravity of democratic representation is shifting away from the traditional forms of political intermediation, such as parties, parliaments, and party-based government, towards other forms of political representation. Its focus is on the representative disconnect, a multidimensional phenomenon of regression of the demos-kratos linkage involving institutional, behavioural and affective components, which risks undermining the trust in and legitimacy of the overall system of democratic representation. The two main questions REDIRECT addresses are: a) what are the nature, scope, aspects and causes of the representative disconnect; and b) how can the current representative disconnect be addressed, ameliorated, and/or rectified? The Exeter team comprises Dario Castiglione, Lise Herman, Oliver James, Alice Moseley, and Andrew Schaap. Dario and Andy will work on the more theoretical aspects of the project, while Lise, Oliver and Alice will study the role that Citizens’ Assemblies can play in the changing ecology of political representation. The project comprises seven international partners, from Italy, Belgium, Hungary, Norway, Poland, and the UK.
May 8th and 9th 2025, University of Exeter
Student Engagement & Deliberation on the University’s Climate and Sustainability Agenda
A two-day Learning and Engagement Event with Public Lecture
Organised by the Exeter ReDirect Research project (Horizon/ UKRI)
Sponsored by the Societies and Cultures Institute (SCI) visiting lecturer series
Day 1 (8th May):1.30-4.30pm (buffet lunch 1-1.30).
Venue: Constantine Leventis Teaching Room, Building One, Business School
Workshop (2.00-4.30): Lessons from French Student Citizens Assemblies on Climate Change
Day 2 (9th May): 11.30-3.00pm (buffet lunch 12.30-1.30).
Venue: Matrix Lecture Theatre, Building One, Business School
Public Lecture (11.30-12.30): Prof Emilie Frenkiel: ‘'Politicisation and Empowerment/ Disempowerment within Student Citizen's Assemblies’
Roundtable (1.30-3.00): Student Engagement Priorities at the University of Exeter
19-20 May 2025, Reed Hall, University of Exeter
Study Workshop: Can public deliberation help address the environmental crisis?
Practitioners and academics are invited to address the question of whether citizens’ deliberative forums may contribute to revitalise the representative political system. The aim of this two-day workshop is to foster a productive dialogue between political representatives, public administrators, civil activists, and researchers about the challenges and the proposals for citizens’ involvement in public debate, political deliberation and policy making for a sustainable environment.
20 May 2025, Reed Hall, University of Exeter
Public Lecture: When, Where, and Why Might Elected Political Elites Reach for Democratic Innovations?
By Professor Mark E. Warren. Sponsored by the Department of Social and Political Sciences, Philosophy and Anthropology.
Download Lecture Abstract and Prof Mark Warren’s Brief Bio
The Public lecture will be followed by a Postgraduate Master Class on political representation, democratic innovation and citizens’ deliberative assembly.
Public Lecture and Master Class
13.00-14.00 Politics Public Lecture by Professor Mark E Warren, ‘When, Where, and Why Might Elected Political Elites Reach for Democratic Innovations?, followed by Q/A. Location: Ibrahim Ahmed Room, Reed Hall
14.15-16.00 Workshop / Postgraduate Masterclass on Democratic deliberation and Representation, with Professor Mark E. Warren and other academics. Location: Ibrahim Ahmed Room, Reed Hall
Mihaela Mihai on Representative Claim-Making and Social Ignorance
In this interview, recorded in Falmouth on 29 May 2024, Prof Mihaela Mihai (Edinburgh) discusses her article, ‘Foundational Moments, Representative Claims and the Ecology of Social Ignorance’ which was published Political Studies in 2022.
Visions of Representation is a series of interviews with scholars in democratic theory recorded by Andrew Schaap as part of the EU Horizon-funded project Redirect (101095142).
Suzanne Dovi on Representation and Political Absence
In this interview, recorded at University College Dublin on 13 August 2024, Prof Suzanne Dovi (Arizona) discusses her article, ‘What’s Missing: A Typology of Political Absence’ which was published in the Journal of Politics in 2020.
Monica Brito Vieira on Representing Silence in Politics
In this interview, recorded at the University of York on 10 January 2025, Prof Monica Brito Vieira (York) discusses her article, 'Representing Silence in Politics’ which was published in the American Political Science Review in 2020.
Interview with Professor Alfio Mastropaolo
As part of the Horizon-funded REDIRECT project, Andrew Schaap (Exeter) interviews Prof Alfio Mastropaolo (Turin) about the chapter on ‘Representation and the Invention of Modern Politics’ in his recently published book (in Italian): Making War by Other Means: Sociology of Democratic Government (2023).
Interview with Professors Céline Spector (Paris Sorbonne) and Nadia Urbinati (Columbia University, NY)
Find the video of each part of the interview:
On 29 February 2024, The REDIRECT online workshop explored the issue of inclusion/exclusion in representative democracy, in conversation with Professors Suzanne Dovi (University of Arizona) and Petra Meier (University of Antwerp), chaired by Dario Castiglione (Exeter) and Eline Severs (VUB).
The workshop on 9 February focused on "Modern Representative Democracy: Origins, nature, and Principles – State of the Debate". We explored the issue of Modern Representative Democracy from both historical-institutional and philosophical-conceptual perspectives. The conversation was guided by the reflections of Professors Céline Spector (Paris Sorbonne) and Nadia Urbinati (Columbia University, NY), and chaired by Dario Castiglione (Exeter University).
"Disinformation and the Vulnerabilities of Democracies: An Ostromian Perspective"
Seminar by Professor Barbara Allen, Carleton University, Senior Research Fellow at Ostrom Workshop (Indiana University)
"Empirical Dimensions of Political Representation: What we have learned from surveys. What we have neglected."
Seminar by Professor Luca Verzichelli, CIRCaP, University of Siena, Coordinator EU Horizon REDIRECT Project
This workshop is organized by the Centre for Political Thought and connected to the European Horizon REDIRECT project. Although the research project is about the current state of representative democracy, the workshop we have organized is of a more historical character, and focussed on the early modern emergence of concepts, practices and institutions of democracy and representation. None of the presenters are linked to the research project. They presented their own work on some of these ideas.
- Session 1: "Representation" Alan Cromartie (University of Reading): The Word ‘Represent’: 1300-1649
- Session 2: "The People" James Harris (University of St. Andrews): The People and the Multitude: Pufendorf and Locke in Reply to Hobbes
- Session 3: "Democracy" Cesare Cuttica, (University of Helsinki): Studying Early Modern Democracy: Questions and (a Few) Answers. Markku Peltonen (University of Helsinki): Early Modern Democracy: Three Approaches