Future Of Democracy Research Articles

MORAL AND ETHICAL COMPONENT OF SCIENCE IN TIMES OF WAR

MORAL AND ETHICAL COMPONENT OF SCIENCE IN TIMES OF WAR

European data market: the rise of individuals to the “Mount Olympus” of artificial intelligence or the “oiling” of the human being?

This article aims to contribute to the debate on the long-term consequences arising from the creation of a European data market, considering the limitless potential of artificial intelligence (AI). Encouraging mass data production to develop AI could compromise the effective protection of personal data, the preservation of European liberal democracies and human rights, the promotion of innovation and even European economic prosperity. Bearing in mind the EU’s “spiritual and moral heritage”, enshrined in the Preamble of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (CFREU), it is essential to ensure that we are truly walking along a path that will lead us to a democratic future.

The Future of Democracy: Exploring the Potential of Block chain-Based Digital Voting Systems

A key component of democratic governance in modern countries is the election process. But due to worries about things like polling booth capturing, data manipulation, and vote rigging, a general mistrust in the electoral process has evolved. Because they put election data under the authority of outside organizations, both the traditional and computerized voting systems now in use lack the required transparency. Voters have few options to verify that election administrators will carefully and accurately count their votes due to a lack of openness. To create an electronic voting (e-voting) system that upholds the ideals of fairness and security, it is imperative to take advantage of developing technology, particularly blockchain. When correctly applied, blockchain technology's public distributed ledger holds the potential to make tampering almost impossible. In this regard, our research suggests a decentralized electronic voting system that makes use of blockchain technology as a remedy to deal with the aforementioned issues. Through the elimination of the possibility of centralized election control, this approach seeks to reduce the dangers connected with conventional election procedures and increase voter confidence. The suggested method offers a tamper-proof, transparent, verifiable, economical, and reliable voting process through the distribution of control across several governing and non-governing bodies. This paper examines the development and implementation of such a blockchain-based electronic voting system, shedding insight on how it may enhance the openness and accessibility of democratic elections in contemporary societies.

Afterword

The articles in this special issue of Social Anthropology reposition volatility as a critical concern for anthropological enquiry. At a time of global uncertainty – marked by environmental, economic, geopolitical and humanitarian crises – it seems that everyday life is more volatile than ever. But what does describing it so actually mean? Volatility is commonly understood to be a characteristic of, or a tendency for, things to change quickly and abruptly. It is often a way to describe a person's behaviour or even their character – to account for someone's rapid and perhaps surprising switch to anger and rage, for example. Some may, though, more usually think of volatility as an explanatory term that economists, business strategists and risk managers employ to describe, understand and forecast fluctuations in financial markets, trading and commodity price shocks, or when analysing the boom-and-bust nature of oil production and energy-dependent economies (e.g. Andersen and Bollerslev 2018; Campello and Zucco 2021; Sinclair 2013). Sociologists and political scientists also think of volatility as a useful hermeneutic for analysing the fragility and precarity of societies and political systems, as the editors and contributors of a recent book do when considering the future of democracies in Asia (Hsiao and Yang 2022). Ecologists talk of volatile ecosystems (e.g. Exton et al 2014), the nature of which become more urgent to understand in a rapidly changing world, and although the idea of abrupt change in climate systems and ecosystems is not new, the vast and ever-growing body of scientific literature about it now drips with references to thresholds and tipping points, to uncertainty, unpredictability, and to the transgression of planetary boundaries (e.g. Lenton 2013; Bonan and Doney 2018; Steffen et al 2018).

The vision of Caritapolis and perspectives of the future: The high point of Michael Novak’s work

Abstract The pinnacle of the Novak’s reflections on possible perspectives for the future of the world and the development of international relations is his vision of “Caritapolis” (“Civilization of love”), which is presented especially in the book The universal hunger for liberty – Why the clash of civilizations is not inevitable (2004a). Novak builds the concept on the religious assumptions and on the minimum level of general belief in basic principles (cultural humility, regulative idea of truth, the dignity of the individual person, solidarity), which he considers to be the key to the world security, prosperity and the democratic future of the globalized world. This “vision for the 21st century” is to contribute to the consideration of a universal civilization that would respect all its internal variations and create a certain unity despite its rich diversity of value and religious ideas. The aim of this paper is to present Novak’s concept of Caritapolis and to evaluate it in terms of context of the social doctrine of the Church, Catholic social thought debates, relevance in the context of debates in the social sciences, especially the theories of international relations.

DEMOCRACY, DEMOGRAPHY & DIASPORA: ELECTORAL LEGITIMACY, KEY TO CROATIA’S FUTURE

Looking back at thirty years since the founding of the sovereign Republic of Croatia, this article asks to what extent Croatia's electoral process has succeeded or failed in guaranteeing the democratic rights of citizens in a free, healthy, transparent and productive society. Through frank, revealing interviews conducted with noted Croatian political and humanitarian leaders, legal experts, and scholars, this article examines whether the electoral process serves to select leaders who act in the best interests of the people or of politicians with deep roots in the country’s troubled communist past. Does the law confront corruption, wrest control of the government from privileged elites, and result in policies that win public support and create a mandate that officials implement? Are political leaders and parties held accountable for their actions? The answers to these questions demonstrate the key role that electoral law plays in Croatia’s pursuit of its rightful destiny -- a democratic future.

Lifetimes of Punishment: The Imperial Feedback Loop of Anti‐Asian Violence

As opposed to limiting the scope of anti‐Asian violence to “hate,” this article frames anti‐Asian violence as inextricable from U.S. empire. Building on Go (2020) American Journal of Sociology 125(5):1193, I theorize what I call the “imperial feedback loop” to conceptualize anti‐Asian violence within a postcolonial and transnational context. Using a series of life history interviews, I chart the pathways of two Cambodian American refugees along the migration‐to‐school‐to‐prison‐to‐deportation pipeline. I find that cyclical and intergenerational trauma, the criminalization of Cambodian youth, and refugee deportability sustains the psychological and structural violence of the imperial feedback loop. I relate these findings to Du Boisian scholarship on criminality and imperialism and Asian Americanist scholarship on refugee subjectivity. I conclude by suggesting the interruption of the imperial feedback loop through anti‐PIC and anti‐border organizing and scholarship that critiques the roots of imperial violence and builds toward abolitionist democratic futures.

Europe’s quest for sustainability: An opportunity for centre–right parties?

The reasons for the decline of European centre–right parties since the 1990s are widely debated and subject to different explanations. One such explanation is that there has been a lack of an overarching narrative. In recent years, sustainability has become a dominant concept in European political debates. The article analyses whether this concept could become the core of a new political vision for centre–right parties and should no longer be considered only a leftist–green project. Three significant aspects of sustainability are discussed: future value creation, foreign relations and the future of democracy. In all three fields, there is a huge potential to redefine sustainability beyond the narrow environmentalist understanding, linking this approach to a long history of conservative, Christian Democratic thinking. For Europe as a global actor, sustainability could become a key component of its normative power, with many opportunities to link up with similar initiatives in other world regions.

ACTORS' APPROACH IN THE DISCOURSE OF REJECTING THE THRESHOLD FOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDACY IN GENERAL ELECTIONS IN INDONESIA

Civil society groups and political parties have disagreed with the presidential threshold article passed by Parliament and the government. The regulation is considered to limit the democratic rights and freedom of the public in choosing, determining, and submitting themselves as presidential candidates. This study aims to explain how actors (agencies) build movements against presidential threshold regulations (structure). The theory used in this study is Anthony Giddens' structuration theory. This research uses qualitative methods by analyzing some content in online media and Constitutional Court rulings related to presidential threshold lawsuits and processing data using the Nvivo 12+ application. The findings of this study indicate that the most crucial aspect of the movement against actors is that it is conducted by challenging the presidential threshold rule before the Constitutional Court, developing public opinion, and holding multiple demonstrations. Second, the size of the presidential threshold rejection vote is based on the future of democracy and freedom, weakening the presidential system and contradicting other regulations. Third, of the many lawsuits filed by the public and political parties, the Constitutional Court has consistently rejected them because the rule is an open legal policy, which means fully being a lawmaker, in this case, in Parliament.

Life at the Margins: Religious Minorities, Status, and the State

AbstractThis essay examines the claims-making practices of conservative evangelical Protestants in England and Satmar Hasidim in the United States, communities marginal to two contingents of leftist academic discourse today: scholars who see liberation as an anti-statist project and others who imagine religious diversity as a common good facilitated by the state. The author suggests that one way forward in the critical study of law and religion is to examine communities with political commitments that differ from our own—who shape their worlds alongside and through the state yet are unconcerned about a common democratic future. By showing that no liberal (statist) or liberatory (anti-statist) framework holds either the Satmar or evangelical Christian legal claims, the author identifies generative problems for thought that challenge current approaches to understanding religion-state entanglement in the contemporary world.

The January 6th, 2025, Project: Fascist Politics and the Rising Threats to American Democracy

The violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, can easily be viewed as a culmination of serious threats to democracy that have been building in our nation for years. I introduce this volume first by showing that the core challenges to our democracy are not new: public opinion survey data show that, for decades, 25 to 30 percent of Americans promote racial and religious hierarchies, believe conspiracies and misinformation, distrust democratic institutions, and support antidemocratic behavior. I argue, though, that the severity of threats facing American democracy right now are unusually high. This introduction summarizes those threats and some of the findings of the articles within this volume. This volume shows how we came to be at an inflection point in American history, some strategies for creating a safer and more inclusive democratic future, and some reasons for optimism about American democracy.

What’s the future for planning in a time of democratic retreat, white supremacy and silence

ABSTRACT It has been argued that we are witnessing an ‘antidemocratic turn’ in history, with an increase in ideologies of white supremacy and a disregard for the fundamental principles of democracy. Antidemocratic attacks are often directed, through hate and threats, towards politicians, researchers, and non-governmental organisations that engage in democratic aspects of societal development, such as critical and spatial investigations of racial discrimination, gender inequalities and human rights. The above is troubling news for a profession that often sees itself as a facilitator of democratic futures. This article shows how growing self-censorship is having real implications for planning. It is stated that the planning profession must ask itself what futures, and for whom, it is contributing to. It is argued that, as planners, we need to acknowledge that antidemocratic attacks from white supremacists stem from a colonial relationship which continues to produce violence, as well as deep inequalities around the world. It is furthermore argued that if the planning profession wants to contribute to democratic futures, it urgently needs to scrutinize how its own practices are imbued with racial capitalism. If not, the future of critical planning theory and practice comes into question.

Digital Transformation and Its Role in Improving Democracy: A Systematic Literature Review

In order to achieve a more inclusive and robust democracy, it is important to understand the role of digital transformation and how technology can be used as a tool to strengthen public participation, ensure transparency and increase government accountability. By looking at real examples and broader implications of digitalization in the context of democracy, existing opportunities and challenges can be identified, and appropriate policies can be formulated for a better democratic future. This review aimed to describe the digital transformation and its role in improving democracy. Literature search efforts are carried out by searching on search engines using certain keywords. Articles that match the inclusion criteria are reviewed in depth. Digitalization has played an important role in strengthening democracy in an unprecedented way. By expanding public participation, increasing transparency, and strengthening government accountability, digital technology has provided new opportunities for citizens to engage in political processes and effect social change. However, keep in mind that challenges and risks associated with digitization also exist, such as the spread of false information and data privacy.

Democracy and Interreligious Dialogue in Africa: Prolegomenon for an African Political Theology

Democracy and Interreligious Dialogue in Africa: Prolegomenon for an African Political Theology

Navigating Critical Language Education at the Crossroads of Neonationalism and Neoliberalism: The Role of Border Talk

AbstractIn this paper, we investigate the pressures placed upon English teaching by neo‐nationalist politics, particularly as it overlays existing neoliberal constraints. We focus on the experiences and perspectives of Brazilian teachers who are committed to critical language education even as it carries increasing risks to themselves. Interviews with five teachers are used to illustrate the ways in which their work is regulated through a form of power working through fear and threat of violence that has been termed (in)securitization (Rampton et al., 2022). By identifying the metapragmatic strategies adopted by teachers faced with hostile neo‐nationalist (in)securitization, including through what we are terming border talk, teachers and other agents in other settings are in a better position to strengthen critical language teaching and, as a consequence, fight for a more democratic future.

Revisiting Sebastian Haffner’s memoir Geschichte eines Deutschen in the Context of Contemporary Political Trends

Recent years have seen an authoritarian turn on a global scale which has stoked worries about the future of democracy and its institutions. Commentators, particularly in the United States, have made widespread comparisons with the 1920s and 1930s that bred fascism. Via a primary focus on a close reading of the fragmentary memoir Geschichte eines Deutschen by Sebastian Haffner (1907–1999), this article problematizes the drawing of historical analogies and assesses their validity and utility. Re-reading Haffner points to significant differences and also certain parallels between the experience of Weimar Germany and the political landscape of the present-day United States.

Remembering Herbert Gutman's Work, Culture, and Society Fifty Years On

Remembering Herbert Gutman's <i>Work, Culture, and Society</i> Fifty Years On

The Corporation, Democracy, and the Idea of the Bicameral Firm

This article introduces this special issue on the bicameral firm. It lays the groundwork by providing a brief overview of the democratic firm in its historical and political context. The article describes the main problems that large undemocratic corporations pose for society; it contrasts the main ways in which theorists and social movements have sought to democratize the firm—from voice-centric models (such as codetermination) to ownership-centric models (such as Employee Stock Ownership Plans and worker cooperatives); and it outlines the historical ebbs and flows of political movements for enhanced workplace democracy. It is within this context that it is fruitful to consider Isabelle Ferreras's powerful proposal for a bicameral firm. The article concludes by considering the real-world prospects for economic bicameralism and highlights a number of questions that Ferreras's proposal motivates us to consider—questions that are urgent and vital for anyone who cares about the future of democracy.

Shaheen Bagh and the Politics of Protest in the Anti-CAA Movement in India

This article attempts to understand the pathways and politics of resistance within the anti-CAA/NRC (Citizenship Amendment Act/National Register of Citizenship) protests in India. Led and organised by Muslim women, the activists living in the locality of Shaheen Bagh emerged as a powerful symbol of resistance against, and reimagination of, hegemonic notions of nationalism, secularism, citizenship, and belonging in contemporary India. By exploring the resistance seen in Shaheen Bagh as a case study, our analysis tries to understand the ways in which the protest was a reflection of emergent solidarity, engendered in part by the communalisation of everyday life in India and the rise of Hindu majoritarianism. We contend that the actions in Shaheen Bagh should be seen as symbolising an organic resistance movement located at the intersection of gender and religion. This research aims to raise the following questions: How did the activists from Shaheen Bagh navigate its potential as a gender-based protest movement while framing a political opposition to CAA/NRC? How does the idea of Shaheen Bagh offer us new vocabularies of thinking about alternative democratic futures through the prism of prefigurative politics? This article suggests we need to resist a linear or coherent reading of the protest and instead attend to its fragmentary, contested, and contradictory forms.

From Individual to Collective Logics of Thriving: Redesigning K–12 Learning Ecosystems to Support Equitable Civic Futures

The concept of “thriving” in educational policy refers to a loosely defined mix of academic, socioemotional, and civic outcomes associated with youth well-being. In this chapter, we analyze three focus areas in K–12 education—social emotional learning, 21st-century skills, and digital citizenship—and conclude that they are currently built on an individualistic neoliberal paradigm of learning and success. We argue that this paradigm is incommensurate with the personal, social, and civic flourishing necessary to sustain equitable multiracial democratic futures and offer instead an alternative collective logic of thriving. Our critical metasynthesis of the emergent field of social-design-based experimentation offers design principles educators can use to reorganize collective learning environments to support expansive youth thriving in schools and society.