The Initiative and Referendum Institute Europe (IRI Europe) is a transnational think-tank dedicated to research and education on the procedures and practices of modern direct democracy.
Modern direct democracy facilitates popular sovereignty within the framework of a representative system by giving every citizen the right to initiate new proposals (e.g. new laws or constitutional amendments) and to take part in the final decision-making. As modern direct democracy has become much more common in Europe and worldwide, IRI Europe conducts research activities, offers educational programmes and is involved in analytical and consultation work.
IRI Europe is a non-partisan, non profit-making association with headquarters in Marburg/Germany and brings together some of the best experts on and practitioners of the initiative and referendum process across Europe and the world. IRI Europe is part of the emerging global network of IRI-think tanks, which also includes the US-based Initiative & Referendum Institute and IRI Asia.