BackMs. Arlene Brock, former Ombudsman of Bermuda, Honorary Life Member of the IOI and current Fulbright Scholar at the Northeastern University School of Law (NUSL) will present the next Program on Human Rights in the Global Economy (PHRGE) Regional Faculty Colloquium on Thursday, 13 November 2014 from 12-1:30PM in the Knowles Conference Room. The title of Ms. Brock's talk will be, "Beyond the Vote: Citizen Oversight and the Construction of Sustainable Democracy." An abstract of the paper Arlene is preparing is appended below. For more information, or if you wish to attend, please RSVP to Simon Fischer.
Beyond the Vote: Citizen Oversight and the Construction of Sustainable Democracy
The right of the people to decide who should govern them, how and to which ends is the fundamental premise of democracy. The US War of Independence and later Civil Rights Movement have cemented this ideal in the self-identity of Americans and, indeed, inspired revolutions the world over. The US stands as a model and beacon for the idea of democracy and the notion that - through the act of voting - a nation of people can direct their collective fate. Yet, In the wake of the Supreme Court's embrace of the influence of money in Citizens United and voter suppression in Veasey v. Perry, an onlooker can be forgiven for questioning if the right to vote is fully effective as the only measure of and mechanism for democracy.
Elsewhere in the world there is an evolving concept and practice of independent, non-partisan citizen oversight of the public service. Official, publicly-funded Ombudsmen, Police Review Authorities, Human Rights and Freedom of Information commissions all contribute to democracy on an ongoing basis rather than just once every 4 years. Such bodies ensure direct access for and input from the people into how governments deliver public services. Complaints handled by oversight bodies not only provide administrative justice through redressing individual grievances but also can forge systemic changes in how governments actually work.
The Ombudsman institution in the US has a long tradition but is not as robust as it could be. There are only five State Ombudsmen. Notwithstanding it's much-vaunted exceptionalism, perhaps there is something that the US can learn from the rest of the world concerning the promise of civilian oversight and the emerging convergence of administrative justice and human rights.
Source: PHRGE, Northeastern University School of Law (Boston, Massachusetts), USA
