BrIAS DEGO

 

Funding: Brussels Institute for Advanced Studies ULB-VUB

 

Overarching theme: Democracy under pressure (Coord: Emilie van Haute and Silvia Erzeel)

Despite the optimism at the turn of the century, democracies are witnessing a profound crisis, with numerous indicators suggesting that democratic systems are under increasing strain. From the rise of authoritarianism to widespread disillusionment with political institutions, the challenges facing democracies are significant. Long-established democracies are encountering an unprecedented erosion of democratic norms: trust in democratic institutions is declining across many regions and citizens are becoming increasingly skeptical about the capacity of democratic governance to deliver on its promises.

Democracy, both as an ideal and a practice, has reached a critical juncture. It is now essential to assess the specific challenges facing democratic systems and explore potential pathways for renewal. This BrIAS proposal focuses on four areas identified as key challenges to democratic governance: 
 

(1) polarization, populism, and violence;
(2) democratic short-termism and sustainability;
(3) technology, misinformation, and artificial intelligence;
(4) inequality and inclusion.


The proposal will be structured around these four work packages, each addressing one of the central challenges faced by contemporary democracies. However, we do not merely want to diagnose problems; we also seek to provide solutions. To that end, the cross-cutting theme of democratic innovations will be woven through these work packages, o\ering pathways to help democracies adapt and thrive.

Work Package 1 (WP1): Polarization, Populism, and Violence (Coord: Jasper Van Assche, Cescup ULB; Bram Spruyt, TOR/Brispo VUB)

Political polarization is surging in many democratic systems, leading to heightened societal divisions and, in some cases, outright political violence. These divisions, often driven by identity politics, ideological extremism, and the manipulation of information, create an environment where compromise and consensus-building become nearly impossible. The rise of populist movements (and the reactions they elicit among nonpopulists), which exploit these divides, further exacerbates the problem by promoting an "us versus them" mentality, undermining the democratic norms of pluralism and tolerance. This work package will bring together international experts to examine the root causes of polarization and societal divisions, while also exploring potential democratic and institutional innovations to mitigate these challenges. Deliberative democratic processes, such as citizens' assemblies and participatory forums, have shown promise in fostering dialogue across ideological divides. By creating structured spaces for citizens from different backgrounds to engage in meaningful discussions, these innovations can help reduce polarization and build social cohesion. The work package will evaluate the effectiveness of such approaches and explore how they could be scaled or adapted to dfferent democratic contexts.
 

Work Package 2 (WP2): Democratic Short-Termism and Sustainability (Coord.: Louise Knops, Sonya/iiSTE ULB; Didier Caluwaerts, POLI/DFUTURE VUB)

While the first WP addresses tensions between groups, a second challenge democracies face is the growing tensions between current and future generations. Despite long-term issues such as climate change, migration, budget deficits, and social sustainability, democracies are often ill-equipped to handle these challenges. The short-term focus of elected o\icials, who tend to prioritize policies with immediate benefits for their constituents rather than addressing long-term concerns, has proven especially problematic. This short-termism is driven by electoral cycles, where politicians are incentivized to focus on the next election rather than the long-term well-being of future generations.

This work package will bring together international experts to examine how democratic systems, by their very nature, promote short-term thinking and how this impedes governments' ability to implement sustainable policies. It will explore the institutional features of democratic governance that contribute to this problem but will also focus on developing solutions. Specifically, we aim to assess institutional and democratic innovations that incorporate long-term thinking into decision-making processes. Examples include “Parliamentary Futures Committees” or “Ombudsmen for Future Generations,” which are designed to represent the interests of future generations in current policy debates. Other potential reforms include extending policy planning horizons, establishing independent bodies to evaluate the long-term impacts of policies, and integrating sustainability into constitutional frameworks.
 

Work Package 3 (WP3): Technology, Misinformation, and AI (Coord.: Caroline Close, Cevipol/Social Media Lab ULB; Ike Picone, SCOM/SMIT VUB)

A third major challenge involves the proliferation of digital technologies, particularly social media, which have fundamentally transformed democratic processes. While these technologies have increased transparency, improved access to information, and enabled more direct forms of citizen engagement, they have also introduced significant challenges for democratic governance. The spread of misinformation, the use of technology to manipulate public opinion, and the role of AI in potentially influencing electoral outcomes have all raised concerns about the integrity of democratic processes.

This work package will bring together international experts to analyze the impact of technology on democracy, focusing particularly on how digital platforms and AI have both supported and undermined democratic governance. It will examine the role of social media in amplifying misinformation and polarizing discourse, as well as the ways in which AI can be used for political manipulation, including through micro-targeting and deepfake technologies. At the same time, this work package will explore how technology can be harnessed to enhance democratic accountability and participation. For instance, blockchain technology could be used to create secure, transparent voting systems, while AI could assist in fact-checking and combating misinformation. However, the work package will also address the ethical and regulatory implications of using AI in democratic processes. The focus will be on identifying ways to balance the benefits of technology with the risks it poses to democratic governance.

Work Package 4 (WP4): Inequality and Inclusion (Coord.: Daniel Zamora, GERME ULB; Karen Celis, POLI/DFUTURE VUB)

In the final work package, inequality stands out as one of the most profound challenges to democratic governance. Growing disparities in wealth, income, and economic power, along with structural inequalities linked to gender, race/ethnicity, age, social class, and ability, undermine the principle of equal representation. This creates a sense of disillusionment, resentment, and alienation among large segments of the population. As inequality deepens, the voices of marginalized communities are increasingly excluded from the political process.

This work package will bring together international experts to explore the relationship between democracy and inequality, focusing on how economic, gender, and social disparities structure political inequalities, and how they weaken democratic institutions and democratic linkage. A key focus will be on innovations that aim to address inequality within democratic governance. For instance, participatory budgeting allows citizens to directly influence how public funds are allocated, providing marginalized communities with a mechanism to shape decision-making processes. Other institutional innovations, such as electoral quotas, reserved seats, electoral reforms, redistribution, and public engagement strategies, o\er pathways to creating a more inclusive democratic system. This work package will assess the e\ectiveness of these approaches in promoting greater inclusivity and ensuring that democratic governance serves the interests of all citizens, not just the privileged few.

Cross-cutting Work Package (CWP): democratic innovations

The cross-cutting theme of democratic innovations will be woven through each work package and their activities (seminars). It will also generate specific activities (fora, international conference and art and architecture events) that will involve additional colleagues.