With Jan Renner I discuss current developments of direct democracy in Germany, and especially in Bavaria, his home state. Bavaria is the most advanced German federal state when it comes to direct democracy. Jan explains the specific direct democratic tools that are available and how Mehr Demokratie, the organization he works for, tries to change the rules of direct democracy to make citizen participation and decision making easier and better. He shares with us the strategies they pursue and obstacles they face.
As Germany is indeed a vibrant direct democracy at the communal and regional level, we talk about developments of direct democracy in the various states. Yet, Germany is still the only EU country that has not yet seen a nationwide referendum. We dig into the historical reasons for this fact and discuss the options for citizen participation, and pushbacks against direct democracy at the federal level.
Jan Renner is the Executive Director of Mehr Demokratie (More Democracy) in Bavaria. What I love about his story is how he became a young activist for direct democracy when he joined protest movements that made him more aware of what is wrong with the political system and so he joined the organization for more democracy and climbed its ranks. Jan studied Political Science, Sociology and History in Augsburg and Oslo.
- Find the show notes with links to all material discussed here.
--
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rulesofthegamepodcast/message
Click here to find the podcast platform
Or listen wherever you get your podcasts:
Spotify Anchor Breaker Google Podcast Apple Podcast Pocketcasts Radio Public
