In 2024, a historic number of voters globally are expected to participate in national elections, with no fewer than 64 countries, alongside the European Union, collectively representing approximately 49% of the world's population, gearing up for potentially transformative electoral outcomes.
For the European Research Council (ERC), this extraordinary election year presents an ideal opportunity to assess the breadth of its supported research on various facets of democracy. It offers a chance to assess how these studies can offer valuable insights to shape EU policies, aligning with the objectives outlined in the European Democracy Action Plan and the recent Defence of Democracy package.
These ERC-supported projects explore the complex challenges facing democratic systems today while showcasing the enduring strength of democratic principles and civic engagement. With a funding commitment of €368 million from Horizon 2020 (2014-2020) and Horizon Europe (2021-2027), the EU's key funding programmes for research and innovation, these projects stand ready to make significant contributions to advancing our understanding of democracy in the 21st century.
In the report, 215 selected projects are organised into six thematic clusters:
In the area of democratic governance and political representation, research covers topics such as the division of power, legitimacy, political parties and campaigning, transparency, eroding trust in the political system, gender equality in politics, the robustness of democracies.
Research on elections and voting covers topics such as peoples’ voting behaviours, their expectations of elections and democracy more broadly, intergenerational differences, election campaigns, and how to make elections more inclusive.
Projects on citizen engagement examine a variety of issues linked to citizen participation and engagement in democracy, including participatory forms of governance, participatory budgeting, stakeholder consultations, data activism, citizen movements, protests, citizen referendums, the relationship between socio-economic and educational contexts and citizen participation.
Other projects explore various challenges related to upholding human rights, turning their attention to specific policy areas. These include immigration policies, rights of people with disabilities, regulation of sensitive data management, prison management, EU constitutionalism, and the impact of emergency legislation on human rights and the rule of law.
Disinformation, fake news, and social media are important topic for democracy-related research. The rise of bots and the spread of disinformation and fake news have become pervasive issues, distorting public perceptions and undermining trust in information sources. Research addressing this issue includes developing innovative ways to counter the spread of disinformation, fake news and hate speech online as well as the use of social media for propaganda by foreign powers.
Projects on polarisation, populism, and authoritarianism cover a wide range of interrelated topics, including the connection between conspiracy theories and disruptive populist movements, authoritarian politics, political polarisation, what makes right or left populism more prominent in some countries than in others as well as anti-elite sentiments in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.
Additionally, the report offers a brief analysis of some ethical considerations researchers encounter while conducting studies on democracy.
