Spotlight: Strengthening Democracy Against Polarisation

What are the processes that drive people apart? The recent German election has sparked a public debate about whether our society is becoming increasingly divided into opposing camps. Young voters, in particular, gravitated towards either the political right or left. While democracy thrives on diverse opinions, at what point does ideological polarisation become problematic? Who stands to gain from a society that can no longer find common ground? And how can we counteract these divisions?

In this HIIG-Spotlight, we explore these pressing questions with two experts who study polarisation and use digital simulations and games to illuminate its underlying mechanisms.

After short inputs from Wander Jager and Stefano Braghiroli we invite you to bring your questions and discuss them with the speakers. Join us to add your perspectives to the table! The event will be moderated by Nataliia Sokolovska.

This event is organised as part of the Actiplex project, supported by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.

Speakers

Wander Jager, he is a social scientist with a broad interdisciplinary interest in social complex phenomena and transition to a sustainable society. Many of his projects use Agent Based Simulation as a method, where behavioral theory and empirical data are integrated in computer simulations of social dynamics in populations. Applications address transitions in the energy sector, migration and acculturation, community projects, opinion dynamics and polarization, littering and team performance. These simulations are being used to explore possible dynamics and responses to policy, but also as a tool to help communities to reflect on their own future.

Stefano Braghiroli, he is Associate Professor of European Studies at the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies of the University of Tartu. He currently serves as director of the Master’s programme in “European Studies” offered by the same institute. He received his PhD in Comparative and European Politics from the University of Siena (Italy) in 2010. His main research interests include party politics in the European Parliament, EU-Russia relations, regional integration, EU enlargement and neighbourhood policy, and party-based populism. His most recent publications include articles in New Perspectives, European Politics and Society, Contemporary Italian Politics, Southeast European and Black Sea Studies, Journal of Contemporary European Studies, Journal of Baltic Studies, Journal of Regional Security, and East European Politics as well as various book chapters.

Moderation

Nataliia Sokolovska, she is head of the Knowledge and Society research programme. She works on the interface between academia, policymaking and society and is interested in ways to provide better decision-making based on evidence from research. She deals with questions concerning quality in scientific advice to politics, explores ways of how to increase societal relevance of research and foster openness and integrity in this process.

Participation

Please register for this event using the registration form below. You will receive the Zoom link via email shortly before the event. If you have any further questions, please contact Sarah Spitz directly (sarah.spitz@hiig.de).