Democracy Institute

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The Democracy Institute describes itself as "a politically independent public policy research organisation"[1]. Founded in 2006, it has bases in London and Washington where it claims to, “further public education through the production and dissemination of accessible commentary and scholarship” [2] by providing a, “a balanced and thoughtful perspective on topical issues, promoting open and rational debate based on evidence rather than ideology” [3].

People

Advisory Council

Nigel Ashford – Institute of Humane Studies | Juliette Baysham – Public Health Fellow | Jason Clemens – Pacific Research Institute | Veronique de Rugy – Mercatus Center | Jamie Dettmer – International Foundation for Electoral Systems | Chris Edwards – Cato Institute | Ivan Eland – Independent Institute | Jeremy Lott – Senior Fellow | Michael Mosbacher – Social Affairs Unit | Gerry Nicholls – Senior Fellow | Charles Pena – George Washington University | Christopher Preble – Cato Institute | Marian Tupy – Cato Institute | Martin Zelder – University of Chicago.[7]

Activities

The main focus of its attention is on public health initiatives that are likely to interfere with the marketing activities of the tobacco[8], alcohol[9] and food[10] industries.


The Institute is regularly consulted by the media as a body of experts in public health issues with Patrick Basham and John Luik frequently appearing as media commentators in37 worldwide newspaper articles between 2006 and 2010 cite Basham and Luik as experts on public health issues[11].


The Institute's director Patrick Basham is a former tobacco industry lobbyist and publishes most of the research on the Institute's website along with John Luik who is also a former tobacco industry lobbyist[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22].

The Institute describes itself as "a politically independent public policy research organization based in Washington and London". The think tank was founded in 2006. Its stated aims are:

to further public education through the production and dissemination of accessible commentary and scholarship. The Democracy Institute aims to provide a balanced and thoughtful perspective on topical issues, promoting open and rational debate based on evidence rather than ideology[23].

The Institute is regularly consulted by the media as experts in public health issues with Patrick Basham and John Luik regularly appearing as media commentators, 33 worldwide newspaper articles between 2006-2009 cite Basham and Luik as experts on public health issues[24].


Links

The Democracy Institute is a think tank with links to the Cato Institute [25] and Spiked online[26].


Publications

  • Partrick Basham, 2010, Sri Lanka needs carrot, not stick, The Guardian, 14-Feb-2010
  • Patrick Basham and John Luik, 2010, A bleary-eyed attitude to alcohol research, 3-February-2010
  • Patrick Basham, 2010, President Obama’s Fork in the Road, 25-Jan-2010
  • Patrick Basham & John Luik, 2010, The myth of an ‘obesity tsunami’, 22-Jan-2010
  • Patrick Basham & John Luik, 2010, In Defense of Santa, 21-Jan-2010
  • Patrick Basham, 2009, Butt Out! How Philip Morris Burned Ted Kennedy, the FDA & the Anti-Tobacco Movement, Democracy Institute
  • Patrick Basham & John Luik, 2009, Are Public Smoking Bans Necessary?, 17-Dec-2009
  • Patrick Basham & John Luik, 2009, Can the UK Avert a Smoking Irish Failure?, 29-October-2009
  • Patrick Basham & John Luik 2009, The City That Never Smokes, 26-October-2009
  • Patrick Basham & John Luik, 2009, Women keep drinking, 3-March-2009
  • DI Report, 2009, Alcohol Advertising Bans – September 20-Sep-2009
  • Patrick Basham, 2009, The Senator and the Symbol, 28-Aug-2009
  • Patrick Basham, 2009, Afghanistan's Democratic Debacle, 21-Aug-2009
  • Patrick Basham, 2009, Displaying the truth about policymaking, 13-Aug-2009
  • Patrick Basham & John Luik, 2009, A fat doctor in the White House?, 29-Jul-2009
  • Patrick Basham & John Luik, 2009, on discrimination against fat African-American women, 29-Jul-2009
  • Patrick Basham & John Luik, 2009, Banning alcohol ads won’t cure alcoholism, 21-Jul-2009 Tuesday 21 July 2009
  • Patrick Basham & John Luik, 2009, Turning fat people into social outcasts, on turning fat people into social outcasts, 30-Jun-2009
  • Patrick Basham & John Luik, 2009, Smoke gets in the government’s eyes, 23-Jun-2009
  • Patrick Basham, 2009, The unholy alliance between Philip Morris & the FDA in the Winston-Salem Journal, 06-Jun-2009
  • Patrick Basham and John Luik’s, 2009, KICKING THE SODA CAN: HARD TRUTHS ABOUT A SOFT DRINK TAX, 3-June-2009
  • Patrick Basham, 2009, Keep FDA away from tobacco Orange County Register, 3-June-2009
  • Patrick Basham & John Luik, 2009, A display of ignorance over youth smoking, 29 April 2009


Affiliations

Spiked | Institute of Humane Studies | Pacific Research Institute | Mercatus Center | International Foundation for Electoral Systems | Cato Institute | Independent Institute | Social Affairs Unit[27].

Contact Details

London

Democracy Institute
2nd Floor
145-157 St John Street
London EC1V 4PY
0845 310 4144
www.democracyinstitute.org.uk
Email: info@democracyinstitute.org

Washington

Democracy Institute
2001 M St NW
Washington DC 20036
301 390 3711
www.democracyinstitute.org
Email: info@democracyinstitute.org

Notes

  1. The Democracy Institute (undated), About Us, (accessed 17th February 2011)
  2. The Democracy Institute (undated), About Us, (accessed 17th February 2011)
  3. The Democracy Institute (undated), About Us, (accessed 17th February 2011)
  4. About Us, About Us, Democracy Institute, accessed 10 February 2010
  5. Basham and Luik, Five-a-day won’t keep the doctor away, Spiked, 13 May 2010, accessed 5 August 2010.
  6. About the Author, Velvet Glove Iron Fist website, accessed 4 August 2010.
  7. About Us, Advisory Council, Democracy Institute, accessed 10 February 2010
  8. Patrick Basham & John Luik, NYC: The City that Never Smokes, The Democracy Institute, 26 October 2009, accessed 30 March 2010
  9. Patrick Basham & John Luik, A bleary-eyed attitude to alcohol research, The Democracy Institute, 2-February-2010, Accessed 30-March-2010
  10. Patrick Basham & John Luik, The myth of an ‘obesity tsunami', Democracy Institute, 19-January-2010, Accessed 30-March-2010
  11. Nexis UK (2011), [http://www.lexisnexis.com/uk/nexis/results/listview/listview.do?risb=21_T11279752283&start=1&sort=BOOLEAN&documentNo=&nodeDisplayName=&thresholdChange=true Nexis Search Terms "John Luik" and "Patrick Basham", (accessed 17th February 2011)
  12. Telefax, Tflb CONFEDERATION OF EUROPEAN COMMUNITY CIGARETTE MANUFACTURER LIMITED, CONFEDERATION OF EUROPEAN COMMUNITY CIGARETTE MANUFACTURER LIMITED, 22-June-1993
  13. Consultants, John Luik, Ontario Campaign for Action on Tobacco, Accessed 10-February-2010
  14. Consultants, John Luik, Ontario Campaign for Action on Tobacco, Accessed 10-February-2010
  15. Gori GB, Luik JC. Passive smoke: the EPA’s betrayal of science and policy. Vancouver, Canada: Fraser Institute, 1999
  16. Marsden, W., "Big tobacco's shell game with the truth," Montreal Gazette, June 21, 2001
  17. Montreal Gazette, Blowing smoke, Cornwall Standard Freeholder (Ontario), 2-July-2001
  18. Sherry Stein, Letter to Adrain Payne at British American Tobacco, 28-July-2000, Accessed through Tobacco Archives 18-February-2010
  19. Sherry Stein, Letter to Martin Broughton, 28-January-2000, Accessed through Tobacco Archives 20-February-2010
  20. Patrick Basham, Public Policy Sources, The Fraser Institute, 1-August-2000, Accessed through Tobacco Archives 20-February-2010
  21. Press Release, Media Release, The Fraser Institute, 9-April-1999, Accessed Through Tobacco Archives 18-February-2010
  22. Patrick Basham, Public Policy Sources, The Fraser Institute, 1-August-2000, Accessed through Tobacco Archives 20-February-2010
  23. About Us, About Us, Democracy Institute, Accessed 10-February-2010
  24. Nexis UK, Nexis Search Terms "John Luik" and "Patrick Basham", Nexis UK, 10-February-2010
  25. Patrick Basham, Adjunct Scholar, The Cato Institute, Accessed 30-March-2010
  26. All Articles, Articles by Basham & Luik, Spiked, accessed 30 March 2010
  27. About Us, Advisory Council, Democracy Institute, Accessed 10-February-2010