Public Lecture – Big Ideas for Democracy: Sergiu Ghergina

Democratic Innovations Beyond Established Democracies: Challenges and Developments in Europe

Democratic innovations, especially the direct and deliberative practices, gained momentum around the world in the last three decades. They slowly moved from experiments or isolated instances to routine tools in national and subnational governance. Their causes, functioning and consequences have received extensive attention in established democracies. However, it is less known what happens in other political settings where representative democracy has been recently consolidated, democratic backsliding is visible or communities still struggle to follow and implement the democratic principles. This presentation provides an overview of the challenges and recent developments of democratic innovations in Central and Eastern Europe, an area which brings together three types of countries: new democracies, transition countries and growingly illiberal regimes that were once democracies. The presentation will focus on institutional practices and people’s attitudes towards democratic innovations, covering thus both the supply and demand side.

Bio

Sergiu Gherghina is a Professor of Comparative Politics at the Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Glasgow. His research focuses on party politics, political participation, legislative behavior, and democratic innovations.