Election organization can be a daunting task. It is both an important and time-consuming task to organize a board of directors and/or a delegate election. Mistakes can easily be made and diminish confidence in your cooperative’s ability to conduct elections, damaging your reputation as well as your future turnout. In order for your next elections to run smoothly, we have some practical tips for you to read that will help your election organization run smoothly. Continue reading
The history of credit unions depicts an important change in financial and cooperative services. In the 19th century, credit unions started to offer affordable banking and loan services to customers and paved the way for a fairer financial market. Read more about the history of credit unions in our second blog article.
In the first blog of our new series about credit unions, we take a look at their key features and how they contribute to the financial services market.
More and more municipalities count on digital communication services to involve the public. Hence, many municipalities have already created or plan to establish online participation and consultation platforms. However, can these measures help increase public participation? More transparency = more public participation The internet offers various possibilities to take part in different debates and discussions […]
In the second part of our series on digital democracy, we are looking at liquid democracy. Liquid democracy is a fascinating modern take on participation and the form democracy could take in the future. Read on for a short introduction. Liquid Democracy – What is it & How It Works Liquid democracy is in essence a mix […]
Cyber security is becoming more and more important in the globalized world. Since everything is connected, IT security should, and often is, a central focus for companies, organizations and private individuals. Continue reading
Democracy is invaluable, which is why even astronauts orbiting the earth are able to take part in elections.
With its numerous referendums, Switzerland is regarded as the model democratic state. However, a relative low number of citizens use this method of influencing politics directly. Previous referendums have had a voter turnout of around 30%. That is why the Swiss, as well as other countries, are thinking about introducing compulsory voting. In this part of our series, we have collected and summarized the advantages and disadvantages to this proposal. Continue reading
In North America, voting is not compulsory. In a democracy, individuals can decide for themselves if they make use of their right to vote. Still, non-voters are often in the media focus. Newspapers report about the voter turnout in elections even on Election Day. Days before, you can find raising requests to go vote in social media. Continue reading
In Germany, voting is a right which citizens can refuse to exercise. However, in other countries, it is compulsory. In the second part of our series, we present these countries and explain the consequences on society. Continue reading
Politics and elections campaigns are unimaginable without social networks. Yet Donald Trump, President-elect of the United States, has made Twitter into a political issue. He opts for a strategy which is completely different from his predecessors and lacks any clear vision.
His tweets shocks opponents and make his supporters cheer. How does it look on probably most the famous Twitter account in the world? Continue reading
Many years citizens have fought for suffrage – and still do. Suffrage is one of the highest commodities in democracy. A commodity, which many citizens see as natural. Therefore, some countries introduced compulsory voting, in some it is discussed.
An example is Switzerland, which is on the one hand admired for its referendums but on the other hand suffers from a low turnout. It is so low, that many ask to introduce an electoral duty. However, should a right become an obligation? Is this even democratic?
We try to find answers to these questions in our new series. Continue reading