The main objective of the flagship project is to create a platform for researchers analysing various aspects of the transformations of liberal democracies, democratisation processes, and the liberal international order itself, approaching the issue from multidisciplinary perspectives. In addition, FDL will develop think tank activities translating the research results into society and will be based on strategic cooperation with the already functioning LSE IDEAS CSEEP operating at WSMiP.
Future Democracy Lab is based in the Faculty of International and Political Studies.
Led by dr hab. Magdalena Góra, prof. UJ, it creates an Interdisciplinary Excellence Team aiming at creating a platform for researchers analysing various aspects of the transformations of liberal democracies, democratisation processes, and the liberal international order itself, approaching the issue from multidisciplinary perspectives.
Disciplines covered by the project - social science and humanities; political science and administration; security sciences; sociology; communication and media; law, economy, geography, psychology, and philosophy.
Liberal democracies in the world today are more fragile and vulnerable to crises. Social and political changes, as well as the technological revolution affecting both the functioning of societies and international relations, contribute to this. In addition, an unstable international system and the rise of authoritarian actors are further undermining liberal democracy in many parts of the world. In stable democratic systems social polarisation grows, the functioning of institutions is weakened by economic and social inequalities, contestation of democratic representation and redistribution grows, while citizens lose trust in political elites and traditional institutions of the constitutional state. At the supranational level, the liberal international order is growingly contested (Ikenberry 2018). The twilight of liberal democracy (Appelbaum 2020), its dying (Levitsky, Ziblatt 2018), or its crisis (Castells 2018) were proclaimed, to name just a few proposals. The multidimensional crises of war, climate change, pandemics, migration, growing inequalities, and globalisation challenge contemporary states and international organisations and deepen the crisis of democracy. These challenges open the question on the on the future shape of liberal democracy.
Key goals:
- Identify key challenges to the functioning of democracy on various levels and in selected areas.
- Elaborate responses and new practices of empowering democracy on local, national, and supranational/global level. - Build sustainable international and interdisciplinary research groups able to produce excellent outputs.
- Build a think tank delivering innovative ways of dissemination of knowledge and medium- and long-term social impact Organisational structure 2022-2023 (the 1-4 WP leader will change after 18 months)
FDL is being carried out by an interdisciplinary, international team of researchers from all faculties constituting the POB Society of the Future. The project is devoted to the issues of contemporary transformations of liberal democracy and challenges in the international arena, geopolitical conditions, strategic management, and international security. On the one hand, the project assumes the creation of an excellence team focusing on research on the state of contemporary democracy, on the other hand supporting expert activities focusing on the analysis of the status of democracy in various regions of the world and preparing expert opinions, reports and popularising issues related to possible directions of democracy development in the future. In this respect, cooperation with the LSE IDEAS CSEEP at the Jagiellonian University operating at the WSMiP will be undertaken, in particular through a series of reports and expert publications (research policy briefs, research policy papers) and a blog.
FDL is led by a project leader (principal investigator) and a core team (composed of WPs leaders). The project leader is responsible for the overall theoretical and scientific coherence of the project. The research is organised in several Work Packages (thematic groups conducting research in specific areas) led by lead investigators (LI) coming from various disciplines and faculties. The WPs will operate for 18 months. After that period the new set of WPs will be organised through an open competition. The separate WP will be devoted to providing think tank activities aiming at the dissemination or research results. This WP will be made up of a group of experts responsible for preparing opinions and reports (see attached structure chart). Administrative support will be provided.
4I principle in the heart of FDL
Internationalisation: FDL and Working Packages (WPs) include renowned researchers from the JU’s partner universities, i.e. UNA Europa; publications are prepared in English in prestigious outlets; organisation of international conferences; foreign internships in renowned research centres;
Interdisciplinarity: the project team includes researchers from all the faculties forming Priority Area FutureSoc, representing various academic disciplines. WPs conduct interdisciplinary research initiatives involving scholars from multiple international academic centers.
Integration: the project is implemented in cooperation with the socio-economic environment of the University: in individual activities (CSOs as part of applications) and in the organisation of joint seminars and conferences. Key aim: translating research results into practical aspects of the functioning of the society of the future.
Innovation: FDL implements innovative, multidisciplinary methodological approaches and tools to provide a deeper picture of the state of democracy in the world. FDL builds novel and innovative approaches to dissemination, focusing on presence in social media and engaging key stakeholders with the focus on building sustainable mechanisms of cooperation between researchers and think tank activities.
Key results in the first nine months of functioning of FDL:
Research teams have prepared 9 project applications (3 to Horizon Europe by the European Commission, 3 to other international calls, and 3 to national funding institutions). 4 applications were successful.
Several publications were prepared (i.e. chapter in The Oxford Handbook of Polish Politics by Oxford University Press).
Workshops and conferences: Opening panel at the IV Congress of European Studies (9/23); section “Emotions and the Dynamics of International Liberal Order” at the 16th Pan-European Conference on International Relations. University of Potsdam (09/23); The polycrisis and the law. Krakauer-Augsburger Symposium (10/23) and many more.
New projects:
WP4 "Democratization in conflict-driven contexts" team is part of a successful project financed by the European Commission Invigorating Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy for a Resilient Europe, (HORIZON-CL2-2023-DEMOCRACY-01-08).
WP1 "Democratic practices and in comparative perspective" team is part of a successful COST network Rising nationalisms, shifting geopolitics, and the future of European higher education and research openness (OPEN).
WP3 “Rule of Law and Future of European Democracy” team won the project Restoration of the rule of law and independent judiciary as major challenges for Poland and Ukraine in the context of European integration funded by the Foundation of Polish Science.