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Science of Democracy 2.0

November 12, 2025

🦋 Epistocracy, DemEarth, and the asteroid belt of democracy

Leonardo Fiorespino Who should decide what counts as democratic, and how? This series argues that such a challenge raises an ethical, a practical, and a philosophical difficulty. Leonardo Fiorespino questions the ethical issue and suggests that the practical and philosophical problems require ad hoc solutions Read more
November 6, 2025

🦋 The times have changed: beyond conventional studies of democracy 

Ryusaku Yamada Institutional theories rooted in the works of Joseph Schumpeter and Robert Dahl still dominate the study of democracy. But, argues Ryusaku Yamada, this Science of Democracy 2.0  discussion reveals the emergence of another current: scholars who engage democracy from critical perspectives and who seek to move beyond such frameworks Read more
October 31, 2025

🦋 Breaking democracy out of its box 

Mouli Banerjee We need to break democracy out of the disciplinary boundaries of political studies. A fresh, multidisciplinary approach to reimagining democracy, argues Mouli Banerjee, could be the antidote to the global democratic anxiety we are facing Read more
October 24, 2025

🦋 The pluriverse of democracy 

Ioannis Rigkos-Zitthen In a time of anthropogenic existential crises, writes Ioannis Rigkos-Zitthen, this new stage in the Science of Democracy conversation highlights how plural thinking can help rejuvenate democracy Read more
October 16, 2025

🦋 Democracy between anywhere and nowhere 

Simon Bein Do we need a paradigm shift in democracy research? Simon Bein broadens the current western-led perspective on searching for, and researching, democracies. Nevertheless, he warns, theorists should avoid making it more difficult to undertake comparative analyses of democratic systems  Read more
October 10, 2025

🦋 Ideology, normativity, and education

Michał Biedowicz Michał Biedowicz outlines a tripartite caveat for this new phase of the Science of Democracy discussion by considering a concept well known but rarely engaged in the study of politics: ideology. Here, he opens up normative considerations that need to be guided by education Read more
October 3, 2025

🦋 The ‘Fourth Theorist’ and the future of democracy  

Rishiraj Sen A new book by this series’ founder introduced the radical idea of a yet-to-exist theoretician who can access and condense immense amounts of information. Rishiraj Sen looks at the advantages and pitfalls of this concept, arguing that the ‘Fourth Theorist’ risks becoming an authoritarian figure, undemocratic in their theorisation of democracy  Read more
September 25, 2025

🦋 On democracy’s 'Fourth Theorist' 

Dimitra Mareta This new phase in the Science of Democracy series posits the idea of a 'Fourth Theorist' – a still-to-exist thinker who may in future come to life. But, asks Dimitra Mareta, will that person, or thing, deliver on their promises? Or will it the Fourth Theorist prove a false idol?  Read more

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THE EUROPEAN CONSORTIUM FOR POLITICAL RESEARCH
Advancing Political Science
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