PhD defence by Francesco Colin

He argues that creating new ways for citizens to engage their governments can incentivise participation, but participatory innovations may also reinforce uneven power balances and ‘channel’ citizens’ grievances into manageable spaces. 

His research examines the space created by the right to petition and the way in which citizens actually seize it. It focuses on citizens’ capacity to navigate the formal boundaries of the right to petition in order to claim their rights.

Doctoral Board

Chair

Professor Ruard Ganzevoort

Doctoral dissertation supervisor

Professor Thea Hilhorst
Dr Kees Biekart
Dr Sylvia Bergh

Full Doctoral Committee

• Professor Francesco Cavatorta, University of Laval
• Professor Tanja Müller, University of Manchester
• Professor Michael Willis, University of Oxford
• Dr Yasmine Berriane, French National Centre for Scientific Research
• Professor Wil Hout, International Institute of Social Studies
• Dr Marijn Faling, International Institute of Social Studies