The Think Tank for Everyday Democracy

Our International Work

We understand that the best ideas come through working internationally. That’s why we work with partners around
the world to find solutions to the problems they have in common, from public service reform to democratic renewal; look
for effective ways to tackle transnational policy challenges, such as migration and security; and facilitate an international
network for the spread of the latest thinking and best practice.

Demos’s international partners include the French Government, the Open Society Institute, the City of Athens, the
Government of Italy, the ESRC, Demos Athens, the International Olympic Truce Centre, the European Space Agency,
the International Olympic Committee (IOC), The Education Foundation in Australia, the Victoria Curriculum and
Assessment Authority in Australia, the Netherlands Ministry of Justice, the OECD, The British Council in Belgium and
Finland, Sitra, the Canadian High Commission, The Electoral Commission, the Ashden Trust, the International Peace
Academy, KaosPilots and Pioneers for Change, the Government of New Zealand, as well as a number of FTSE 100
companies.

Find out more about the three main components to our international work:

Working with partners ¦ Transnational policy solutions ¦ Our international network ¦ Contact information

Working with partners

Demos works with partners around the world to find solutions to common challenges, drawing on expertise we
have developed in the UK.

In 2003 Demos established a sister organisation in Greece, Demos Athens. Since then, we have collaborated on
work on peace making and on some international comparative policy analysis. We also have Demos sister
organisations in Finland and Hungary.
In 2004 we worked with the Education Foundation in Australia to develop a ‘public value’ framework for
evaluating the impact and effectiveness of education services, drawing on our work in the UK with
the Department for Education and Skills and the National College for School Leadership.
We have worked with the Victoria Curriculum and Assessment Authority in Australia to develop a framework of
‘essential learnings’ for 5-15 year old students.
Governance Futures: Difference histories, common challenges and next generation governance in Europe:
Demos ran a conference in partnership with The British Council on the future of governance. The conference,
which was made up of participants from across the enlarged EU, looked at a range of issues, including
citizenship, security, legitimacy and leadership.
In January 2005 Tom Bentley presented a paper to an international education conference in Singapore. The
paper, Ethos and Integration, examines the role of school 'ethos' in achieving and improving educational
outcomes, and the possible contributions of leadership and other factors in creating positive ethos in school
settings.

Transnational policy solutions

Demos looks for solutions to today’s complex transnational policy challenges.

Our work on radicalisation with the ESRC, AHRC, and British and Canadian governments compares similiarities
between the UK, France, Netherlands, Denmark and Canada, and looks for ways for policy makers in each of
these countries to learn from one another and collaborate better.
Our 2003 report, People Flow, argued for a pan-European approach to managing migration. This has been
followed by seminars, meetings, conferences and press briefings across Europe.
In 2004 we worked with ten leading multi-nationals on a series of seminars and lectures on the challenges for
companies of managing the new range of global security threats, from terrorism to counterfeiting.
In October 2004 we ran a joint conference with the New York based International Peace Academy on the role of
the private sector in security sector reform (SSR).
Following the success of our 2003 BoHo Index of creative cities in the UK, Demos contributed the foreword to
Richard Florida’s European Creativity Index for cities across the EU, a report published in 2004.
 Demos has a growing body of work on space policy. In 2004 we published Masters of the Universe, a pamphlet
that argued for Europe to play a bigger role, and in October 2004 we published a report with the European
Space agency.

Our international network

Demos’s international network of thinkers and practitioners gives us access to the latest thinking and best
practice from around the world.

In April 2005, Tom Bentley and Kirsten Bound presented 'Enterprise Democracy' to the Confederation of Swedish
Enterprise (Are, Sweden), outlining a stategy for sustainable economic success in the knowledge economy.
In August 2004 we held a conference in Finland with The British Council and Sitra on multiculturalism,
immigration and innovation.
In 2003 we held a bi-lateral conference with the Canadian High Commission to bring together key policy makers
and thinkers from the two countries.
In 2004 we held an international conference on the personalisation of public services to facilitate exchange of
ideas between different countries.
In Autumn 2004 we held a seminar in Brussels on the role political campaigns played in influencing democratic
participation in the 2004 European Parliamentary elections. This was run in partnership with The Electoral
Commission.
Demos is a founding member of The European Edge, a new European network for think tanks and organisations
from across Europe.
See Through Science got its US launch in January at an event with The Woodrow Wilson Center as part of
its Foresight and Governance Project. It was launched in Brussels at The Centre in March.
See Through Science has recently been re-published by Change This.

If you would like more information about Demos’s international work and partnerships, contact Alessandra Buonfino,
Head of Research (Alessandra.Buonfino@demos.co.uk).

If your enquiries relate to specific content areas, please contact the relevant programme lead:

Adaptive State - Jamie Bartlett - jamie.bartlett@demos.co.uk

Self Build Cities - Melissa Mean - melissa.mean@demos.co.uk)
Atlas of Ideas - James Wilsdon (james.wilsdon@demos.co.uk)
Global Security - Charlie Edwards (charlie.edwards@demos.co.uk)
Valuing Culture - John Holden (john.holden@demos.co.uk)
Identity - Rachel Briggs (rachel.briggs@demos.co.uk)