Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe is in a particularly vulnerable moment as it faces a wave of populism, polarisation, and growing public disengagement against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine. Citizens’ Assemblies give people agency, strengthen quality information ecosystems, and overcome polarisation by bridging divides. In doing so, they can help strengthen people’s resilience to authoritarianism and populism.
A transnational Citizens’ Assembly could enable a deliberative opening far beyond national enclosures and the ‘Brussels bubble’
As the U.S. grapples with division and discord–and the 2024 elections loom–this old idea points to new ways of solving hard problems
Claudia Chwalisz talks about deliberation, new democratic models, and commitment as a form of participation. More