Agnieszka Pawłowska
In the current climate of populist narratives, citizens need a clear message about democracy. Agnieszka Pawłowska draws inspiration from the notion of plain language. Here, she proposes that citizens should be provided with plain democracy, which would empower them to recognise, understand, and use the fundamentals of democracy Read more
Norma Osterberg-Kaufmann
Democracy research must evolve. Citizens support democracy itself, but are growing disillusioned with democratic institutions. Christoph Mohamad-Klotzbach and Norma Osterberg-Kaufmann say we need to rethink our frameworks. Here, they argue for broadening the empirical paradigm – shifting focus from procedural checklists to people’s own understandings of democracy – to better grasp today’s crisis Read more
Jonas Wolff
Democracy is in trouble, and so is democracy research. In response, the Science of Democracy 2.0 lays out an ambitious agenda. While applauding this endeavour, Jonas Wolff explores a fundamental tension: is a radically pluralist approach to democracy research a tool to defend democracy? Read more
Erica Dorn
Erica Dorn and SofÃa Bosch Gómez argue that citizen disillusionment with democratic systems presents designers with an important opportunity. Moving beyond digital interfaces, relational design reimagines governance by prioritising equity, legitimacy, and collective care. Designers help shape who belongs, who decides, and the potential in participatory, inclusive, and systemic interventions Read more
Hong Do
The Science of Democracy 2.0 offers a bold, innovative rethinking of democracy by embracing diversity and challenging Western-centric models. Hong Do acknowledges its ambition, but argues it risks romantic pluralism by celebrating traditions without fully addressing embedded inequalities and power hierarchies within them Read more
Jean-Paul Gagnon
To kickstart another round of essays, Jean-Paul Gagnon recaps four years’ worth of discussions in The Loop's Science of Democracy series. He explains where this ever-growing community of scholars has got to so far – and where it aims to go next Read more
Markus Patberg
Many are calling for for reforms to social media platforms that will strengthen their democratic function. But to meaningfully reshape online platforms, we first need to determine their democratic purpose. Our goal, argues Markus Patberg, should be to empower civil society Read more
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
