Democracy is losing relevance. This applies to the parliamentary democracies to be compared in Italy as well as in Germany. There is no sign of passionate enthusiasm on the part of the citizens towards their politicians, the political institutions or the political processes. Meanwhile, disenchantment with politics and contempt for politics characterise everyday life in both countries – for similar, but certainly not the same reasons. On the other hand, the processes of representative democracy work. And citizens participate intensively in elections. What is creeping or disruptively changing the quality of our democracies? That is what we want to look for. Because in addition to global problems such as war, the digital transformation, demographic and climate policy challenges, there are concrete questions about the quality of democracy in Germany and Italy. We want to work together on this in various thematic blocks: 1. measuring democracy – the quality of freedom; 2. political will formation/party competitions/movements: Mechanisms and patterns; 3.Elections and voter markets: participation potentials; 4. Structural change of public sphere: media and AI as companions of erosion; 5. Ways out: resilience of democracy.
Within the framework of the “IMPACT”
Coordination
Demokratie-Stiftung der Universität zu Köln, in collaboration with Villa Vigoni
Credits
Photos | Villa Vigoni
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