Current Developments of Direct Democracy in Germany with Jan Renner

Rules of the Game – discussing democratic institutions

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.

Show notes with a full transcript and links to all material discussed: https://rulesofthegame.blog/current-developments-of-direct-democracy-in-germany/

Schedule: 00:00 Introduction / 03:20 Personal questions / 09:27 Main discussion / 48:14 Recommendations by Jan Renner.

Find out more about Jan Renner here: https://bayern.mehr-demokratie.de/ueber-uns/mitarbeiter-innen

Find out more about Mehr Demokratie Germany (More Democracy): https://www.mehr-demokratie.de/

Please send feedback to [e-mail]. If you find my discussions interesting and you’d like to support my work, consider buying me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/rulesofthegame

Many thanks to Ana Margarida Santos who edited the episode.

Please enjoy this wide ranging conversation with Jan Renner.

Music credits: To Be A Ball Of Light by Late Night Feeler and Fantasy Classical Themes by TheoTe.