Professor
Ron Levy
Professor
BSc (McGill); JD (Toronto); LLM (Columbia); PhD (Osgoode); admitted to Bar of Ontario

Professor Ron Levy is an interdisciplinary researcher writing on public law and political theory - especially deliberative democratic theory. His recent projects explore referendums in deeply divided societies, Indigenous constitutional reform, environmental constitutionalism and the deliberative dimensions of rights practice. Levy's books include Deliberative Peace Referendums (Oxford University Press, 2021, with Ian O'Flynn and Hoi Kong); The Cambridge Handbook of Deliberative Constitutionalism (Cambridge University Press, 2018, with Hoi Kong, Graeme Orr and Jeff King eds); and The Law of Deliberative Democracy (Routledge, 2016, with Graeme Orr). He has published numerous works on law and political theory, in several countries, including in Public Law, McGill Law Journal, UBC Law Review, UNSW Law Journal, Melbourne University Law Review, Federal Law Review, Public Law Review, Election Law Journal, Australian Journal of Political Science, Journal of Deliberative Democracy, Journal of Law and Philosophy and The Oxford Handbook of Deliberative Democracy.

Levy is the winner of several research awards including grants from the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Australian Research Council. He was a chief investigator on two ARC 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.

Levy convenes the International Advisory Panel on Referendums, a global network of scholars providing advice to governments and non-governmental organisations on referendum design and innovation. He also founded and co-convenes the ICON•S Constitutional Theory Group (Australia/New Zealand).

Levy has been a Fellow or Visitor at Cambridge, Yale, UC Berkeley, Stanford, McGill, Hebrew University, Sydney, King's College London and Oxford. He previously worked in the Ministry of the Attorney-General of Ontario, Constitutional Law Branch.

Current teaching: Commonwealth Constitutional Law, Australian Public Law, Contemporary Issues in Constitutional Law, Comparative Constitutional Law

Significant research publications

BOOKS & EDITED COLLECTIONS

ARTICLES AND CHAPTERS

REPORTS

View more publications on the ANU Researcher Portal

Link to ANU Researchers profile

Related websites

International Advisory Panel on Referendums

View more publications on the ANU Researcher Portal

Link to ANU Researchers profile

Research biography

Professor Dr Ron Levy is an interdisciplinary researcher writing on public law and political theory - especially deliberative democratic theory. His recent projects explore referendums in deeply divided societies, Indigenous constitutional reform, environmental constitutionalism and the deliberative dimensions of rights practice. Levy's books include Deliberative Peace Referendums (Oxford University Press, 2021, with Ian O'Flynn and Hoi Kong); The Cambridge Handbook of Deliberative Constitutionalism (Cambridge University Press, 2018, with Hoi Kong, Graeme Orr and Jeff King eds); and The Law of Deliberative Democracy (Routledge, 2016, with Graeme Orr). He has published numerous works on law and political theory, in several countries, including in Public Law, McGill Law Journal, UBC Law Review, UNSW Law Journal, Melbourne University Law Review, Federal Law Review, Public Law Review, Election Law Journal, Australian Journal of Political Science, Journal of Deliberative Democracy, Journal of Law and Philosophy and The Oxford Handbook of Deliberative Democracy.

Levy is the winner of several research awards including grants from the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Australian Research Council. He was a chief investigator on two ARC 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.

Levy convenes the International Advisory Panel on Referendums, a global network of scholars providing advice to governments and non-governmental organisations on referendum design and innovation. He also founded and co-convenes the ICON•S Constitutional Theory Group (Australia/New Zealand).

Levy has been a Fellow or Visitor at Cambridge, Yale, UC Berkeley, Stanford, McGill, Hebrew University, Sydney, King's College London and Oxford. He previously worked in the Ministry of the Attorney-General of Ontario, Constitutional Law Branch.

Research projects & collaborations

  • Deliberative constitutionalism
  • The law of deliberative democracy
  • Constitutional referendums
  • Referendums in divided societies
  • Rights and deliberation

Grants

  • ARC Discovery Project, 2013-2015: ‘The Law of Deliberative Democracy: Theory and Reform’ (with Graeme Orr) bridging research on law and deliberation
  • ARC Discovery Project, 2014-2016: Confronting the Devolution Paradox’ (with AJ Brown, Robyn Hollander, Paul Kildea, Rodney Smith) on federalism and political culture
  • COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) Action – Deliberative Constitution Making (led by Prof Min Rauchamps, Louvain, with 43 member states) – Non-European (Observer) member

Books & edited collections

Journal articles

Book chapters

Commissioned reports

Case notes & book reviews

PhD, MPhil and honours supervision

Willing to supervise in the areas:

  • Laws of politics and democracy
  • Constitutional law, theory, history and reform
  • Deliberative democracy
  • Referendums
  • Rights

Current courses

YearCourse codeCourse name
2023

LAWS1205

Class #4102

Australian Public Law
2023

LAWS6105

Class #2551

Australian Public Law
2023

LAWS2202

Class #7131

Commonwealth Constitutional Law
2023

LAWS6202

Class #5441

Commonwealth Constitutional Law
2023

LAWS4213

Class #7311

Contemporary Issues in Constitutional Law
2023

LAWS8128

Class #7312

Contemporary Issues in Constitutional Law
2023

LAWS8016

Class #1598

Comparative Constitutional Law

Previous courses

YearCourse codeCourse name
2023

LAWS6105

Class #2707

Australian Public Law
2023

LAWS1205

Class #2211

Australian Public Law
2023

LAWS4213

Class #1608

Contemporary Issues in Constitutional Laws
2023

LAWS8016

Class #3551

Comparative Constitutional Law

Past courses

  • Commonwealth Constitutional Law
  • Contemporary Issues in Constitutional Law (advanced elective)
  • Australian Public Law
  • Lawyers, Justice and Ethics
  • Torts
  • Comparative Constitutional Law

How my works connects with public policy

Professor Levy convenes the International Advisory Panel on Referendums, a global network of scholars providing advice to governments and non-governmental organisations on referendum design and innovation.

He also founded and co-convenes the ICON•S Constitutional Theory Group (Australia/New Zealand).

Levy also previously co-directed the Project on Deliberative Governance and Law (DGAL), within the Centre for International and Public Law. Based at the Australian National University and the University of British Columbia, DGAL is an international network of scholars. The project advances research on institutional innovation based on cutting-edge studies of law, governance and deliberative democracy, and provides a platform for innovative ideas to influence domestic and international approaches to governance.

Ron Levy

Research themes

Constitutional Law and Theory
Environmental Law
Human Rights Law and Policy
Indigenous Peoples and the Law
Law, Governance and Development

Contacts

ron.levy@anu.edu.au
ANU College of Law, Bld 7, Fellows Rd, Acton ACT 2600