Organizer: Cornell Center on Democracy, Rachel BEATTY RIEDL, Peggy Koenig ’78 Director of the Cornell Center on Democracy and Professor, Department of Government and Brooks School of Public Policy, Cornell University

Co-Sponsor: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung

Hosted at Sciences Po Bordeaux, Les Afriques dans le monde, David AMBROSETTI, CNRS research fellow

SCHEDULE

Thursday, June 25

13h45 – 14h Welcome: Dominique Darbon, Directeur, Sciences Po Bordeaux Introduction: Rachel Beatty Riedl, Cornell University

14h – 16h Panel 1 : Democratic Narratives, Practices, Rights, and Inclusion

Social cohesion poses some of the most profound challenges and opportunities for contemporary democracies. Questions of membership, belonging, rights, and inclusion are increasingly central to democratic politics across national and regional contexts.

This theme examines how democratic societies negotiate pluralism under conditions of demographic change, mobility, polarization, and social fragmentation. Building on research into rights, participation, and institutional trust, conversations will explore how legal frameworks, administrative practices, and political narratives shape citizens’ access to rights and opportunities for meaningful participation in public life and strengthen their commitment to the political community.

Crucially this theme includes an examination at the local, national, and transnational levels of engagement.  Panelists can invoke questions of sovereignty and the international order, national identity, human rights, and contestations between individuals, states, and regional and multilateral organizations that advance these themes.

Participants will also consider how polarization, declining trust, and affective hostility affect democratic inclusion, and how institutions at the national and international level might better channel disagreement productively without suppressing conflict or imposing consensus. A key goal is to identify strategies—normative, institutional, and policy-oriented—that strengthen pluralistic democratic commitments while respecting difference and contestation.

Chair/ Discussant: Benjamin Naimark-Rowse (Sciences Po)

Panelists: George Bob-Milliar  (KNUST, Ghana), Noam Lupu (Vanderbilt), Petra Radic (CEU), Javier Sajuria (QMUL), Julia Leininger (IDOS), Maya Tudor (Oxford), Céline Thiriot (Sciences Po Bordeaux)

16h15 – 18h15 Panel 2 : Administrative State and Governance for Democratic Renewal

Democratic governance depends critically on effective, accountable administrative institutions and the rule of law. Yet many democracies face erosion of institutional trust, rising authoritarian pressures, and increasing skepticism toward public administration.

This theme focuses on what it takes to sustain or restore the rule of law and democratic order, particularly in the face of democratic backsliding that is, unlike previous similar trends, subtle and ambiguous. When aspiring autocrats portray their actions as strengthening governability or reforming allegedly inefficient institutions, it is not easy not convince citizens that democracy is under threat.

Drawing on expertise in law, political science, public policy, and public administration, discussions will explore topics such as anti-corruption and transnational coordination and cooperation; the role of professional legal and bureaucratic communities in democratic resilience; freedom of expression and democratic narratives; and the design of administrative institutions that are transparent, accountable, and responsive to the public.

A central concern is how administrative states can maintain legitimacy and effectiveness while operating under conditions of polarization, crisis governance, and rapid institutional change. Attention to anti-corruption institutions and practices at the local, national, and transnational level are also welcome. Comparative perspectives—across jurisdictions, levels of government, and legal traditions—are particularly welcome.

Chair/ Discussant: Rachel Beatty Riedl (Cornell)

Panelists: Joe Wong (University of Toronto), Dan Slater (University of Michigan), Adam Harris (UCL), David Ambrosetti (Sciences Po Bordeaux), Armin von Schiller (IDOS), Irene Lizzola (Sciences Po Bordeaux), Per Andersson (V-Dem and Stockholm)

Friday, June 26

10h – 12h Panel 3 : Technology and Democracy

Emerging technologies are rapidly reshaping democratic life, transforming how citizens receive information, how power is exercised, and how accountability and participation are organized. Whether these technologies strengthen or undermine democracy depends in large measure on how they are governed.

This theme addresses the democratic implications of artificial intelligence, algorithmic decision-making, digital platforms, surveillance technologies, evolving information ecosystems, and digital financial tools. Drawing on expertise in computer science, law, public policy, ethics, and the social sciences, discussions will focus on how technological systems interact with democratic values such as transparency, accountability, inclusion, and rights.

Participants will examine where existing governance frameworks succeed or fail, how democratic institutions can adapt to rapid technological change, and what policy and institutional arrangements can align innovation with democratic principles while mitigating risks to participation, privacy, and public trust. Comparative and interdisciplinary perspectives are especially encouraged.

Chair/Discussant: Filip Milacic (FES/CEU)

Panelists: Matias Bianchi (Asunto Del Sur), Georgia Gilroy (Institute of Development Studies IDS), Lauren Mushro (Bank of Montreal), Sofiya Sayankina (Center for International Cooperation and Strategy, Republic of Korea), Nejla Asimovic (Georgetown), Sarah Spencer (FCDO)

14h – 16h Panel 4 : Democratic Resilience and Renewal

Across many contexts, democratic institutions face declining public trust, weakened civic norms, and growing skepticism about democratic effectiveness. Indeed, many citizens define democracy primarily in terms of free elections and majority rule, while placing much less value on liberal principles such as checks and balances, and minority rights. This allows illiberal leaders to present themselves as ‘true democrats’. Yet periods of strain also open space for democratic renewal.

This theme focuses on the sources of democratic resilience, including political culture, civic participation, institutional design, agreement on the characteristics of the political community, and public narratives. Drawing on political science, philosophy, psychology, behavioral science, communication and media studies, education, and constitutional law, discussions will explore how values, identities, and information environments shape understanding of democracy, democratic participation and tolerance for disagreement.

Participants will examine the consequences of polarization and social fragmentation—including affective hostility and erosion of civic norms—and assess how democratic practices can be redesigned to reduce polarization while sustaining contestation and pluralism. In addition, participants will suggest ways to improve citizens’ understanding of democracy, i.e. how to convince them of the essential role of liberal elements for the proper functioning of democracy. A key objective is to connect theoretical insights to practical outcomes, including tools and strategies that can inform policymakers, public servants, and civil society actors working to sustain democratic life.

Chair/ Discussant: Matias Bianchi

Panelists: Kenneth Roberts (Cornell), Filip Milacic (FES/CEU), Richard Youngs (Carnegie Europe), Camille Bedock (Sciences Po Bordeaux), Rachel Beatty Riedl (Cornell), Jennifer McCoy (Georgia State, Carnegie)

16h- 16h30 Conference wrap-up and next steps

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