Partnerbericht

Reclaim the State?

Every four years, in March, the Dutch local elections offer an opportunity for the city’s inhabitants to influence the look and the shape of their local governments. Or do they? What if citizens could play an active part in how the municipal budgets are spent? Is ticking a box on a ballot paper every few years really a democracy?

In the new edition of her book ‘Reclaim the State: Experiments in Popular Democracy’, British author Hilary Wainwright sets out on a journey from Brazil to Britain to discover real-life examples of cities experimenting with another kind of democracy, the one in which citizens actively participate in decisions over public resources and services.
 

PANEL:
Hilary Wainwright, Fellow of the Transnational Institute (TNI), Editor of the British magazine Red Pepper and the author of ‘Reclaim the State: Experiments in Popular Democracy’

Joost Kircz, Borough Council (Deelraad) member for the Amsterdam Anders/De Groenen (AA/DG) party, 2002-2010

Bertil Videt (Chair), Co-director of the International Institute for Research and Education (IIRE)

see for more information: www.tni.org

DATE: Wednesday, 17 March 2010
TIME: 20-21:30hrs
VENUE: IIRE, Lombokstraat 40, NL-1094 AL Amsterdam
ENTRANCE: Free, donations welcome