Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
  • Publication
    Democratic strategies for reducing inequality
    (TASC at New Island, 2005)
    Text of a presentation to the Democracy Commission contained in Appendix 5 Papers presented to the Democracy Commission of the final report.
      171
  • Publication
    Fair representation and the concept of proportionality
    (Political Studies Association and Blackwell Publishing, 1996-09)
    The idea of proportionality, which compares votes cast to seats won, is a common test of fair representation. But fair representation is a relation between electoral aims and electoral outcomes. The proportionality test falsely presupposes that each voter aims to support a political party. It therefore tells us nothing about fair representation. We need to construct a deeper criterion of fair representation which takes account of citizens' multiple political concerns.
    Scopus© Citations 6  558
  • Publication
    What is participatory democracy?
    (Community Workers Co-Operative, 1997)
      1305
  • Publication
    Election of Green Party Cathaoirleach, 2007
    (Routledge, 2008-09)
    In the autumn of 2007 the Green Party elected a new Cathaoirleach (Chairperson) by means of a ballot of all of its members. What made the election especially interesting to students of politics is that it took place using a voting system that is rarely used in real political systems, the Borda Count. Because the Green Party was willing to make the full set of electoral data available for analysis, it was possible not just to review the actual result but to consider what the result would have been under alternative voting systems and to investigate some theoretically relevant counterfactual scenarios. In this report, I set out the background and outcome of the election and then use the full set of data to comment on its relevance to some theoretical debates about voting.
    Scopus© Citations 3  428
  • Publication
    Equality in education : an equality of condition perspective
    (Sage Publications, 2005) ;
    Transforming schools into truly egalitarian institutions requires a holistic and integrated approach. Using a robust conception of 'equality of condition', we examine key dimensions of equality that are central to both the purposes and processes of education: equality in educational and related resources; equality of respect and recognition; equality of power; and equality of love, care and solidarity. We indicate in each case some of the major changes that need to occur if we are to promote equality of condition. Starting with inequalities of resources, and in particular with inequalities tied to social class, we argue for abandoning rigid grouping policies, challenging the power of parents in relation to both selection and grouping, and changing curricula and assessment systems to make them more inclusive of the wide range of human intelligences. In relation to respect and recognition, we call for much more inclusive processes for respecting differences, not only in schools' organizational cultures, but also in their curriculum, pedagogy and assessment systems. Regarding inequalities of power, we call for democratization of both teacher-student relationships and school and college organization. For promoting equality of love, care and solidarity, we argue that schools need to develop an appreciation of the intrinsic role that emotions play in the process of teaching and learning, to provide a space for students and teachers to talk about their feelings and concerns, and to devise educational experiences that will enable students to develop their emotional skills or personal intelligences as a discrete area of human capability.
    Scopus© Citations 138  23310