News | 13.10.2022
The NORFACE Governance UNDPOLAR and POPBACK consortia have joined forces to organize the thematic workshop: "A multilevel understanding of populist polarization and its impact on democracy: Bridging the macro and the micro" on October 17th in Brussels.
Building on concerns about the current state of democracy, this workshop aims to map and tackle the significant challenges to democracy in turbulent times and focuses specifically on the complex relationship between populism, polarization, and democracy. Moreover, it seeks to do so interdisciplinary by including scholars from social sciences and humanities, particularly political science, social psychology, political economy, and media studies.
Central questions include: how do populism and polarization foster de-democratization? What links polarization trends at the micro-level (individual, organizational) to polarization at the macro-level (societal, institutional)? Do the rise of populist attitudes and ideological and affective polarization among citizens undermine support for democracy? What shape does polarization in the media sphere take, and how does it affect democracy?
The workshop will have four thematic panels with 12 exciting papers. A member of the organizing committee will chair each panel. The keynote speech on "Populism, Polarization, and Democracy" will be held by the Head of International IDEA’s Europe Programme.
The workshop will take one full day, from 9h to 18h. Coffee breaks, a sandwich, lunch, and dinner will be provided.
