Prof Ron Levy

See Google Scholar profile here.

My work adapts the political theory of deliberative democracy to understand how contentious constitutional problems can be better managed. For example, I explore deliberative democratic approaches to polarising human rights cases, constitutional design in divided societies, and armed conflict. I am currently co-leading the Deliberative Peacemaking collaborative project, which draws on more than 25 contributors from 14 countries.

Past books include Deliberative Peace Referendums (Oxford University Press, 2021, with Ian O'Flynn and Hoi Kong); The Law of Deliberative Democracy (Routledge, 2016, with Graeme Orr) and The Cambridge Handbook of Deliberative Constitutionalism (Cambridge University Press, 2018, with Hoi Kong, Graeme Orr and Jeff King eds). Other works have appeared, for example, in Public Law, Global Constitutionalism, McGill Law Journal, UNSW Law Journal, Melbourne University Law Review, Public Law Review, Election Law Journal and The Oxford Handbook of Deliberative Democracy.

Grants include international funding and two Australian Research Council Discovery Projects: 'The Law of Deliberative Democracy: Theory and Reform' (DP130100706, 2013-2015) bridging research on election law with deliberative democratic theory; and 'Confronting the Devolution Paradox' (DP140102682, 2014-2016) on federalism and political culture.

Current and former roles include:

• Convenor of the International Advisory Panel on Referendums;
• Board Member of International Society of Constitutional Law (I•CON-S) Aus/NZ Branch, and Co-convenor of Constitutional Theory Group;
• Associate at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance; and
• Former Co-Director of the Project on Deliberative Governance and Law.
• Visiting positions at Yale, Cambridge, Stanford, McGill, Hebrew University, Sydney University, King's College London and Oxford.