The Effects of Referendums: Peace, Prosperity and Good Governance

"Paix, ordre et bon gouvernement" are the principles upon which Canada was founded. But can institutions - in particular referendums - contribute to this goal? In my presentation I will discuss this using both arguments from classic thinkers (Aristotle and Machiavelli) and test the propositions using simple statistical methods and comparative data.

About the speaker

Professor Matt Qvortrup holds the Chair of Political Science and International Relations at Coventry University. He has previously been a visiting Professor at University of Sydney and a fellow at the London School of Economics. Described by the BBC as "the world's leading authority on referendums," Professor Qvortrup's most recent book is Referendums and Ethnic Conflict (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2014).

Professor Qvortrup's work on political institutions was awarded the PSA Prize in 2012. His book Angela Merkel: Queen of Europe will be published by Duckworth in 2016. In addition to his work as an academic, Matt has been an envoy for the US State Department and is currently a Special Adviser to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee in the British House of Commons. Matt lived in Canada as a child.

This event is organized by the Department of Political Science and the International Political Science Association (IPSA)/Association internationale de science politique (AISP).