Renovating Democracy
Renovating Democracy
Renovating Democracy
Renovating Democracy
Renovating Democracy

Distrust continues to grow between the public and the institutions of self-government, and democratic values are under threat. Populism did not cause this crisis, but our democratic institutions emerged in an environment very different from our world of today. The emergence of a large, unregulated digital commons, where a customized media
marketplace and combative dialogue thrives, and the failure of an insider establishment to address the dislocations of globalization and rapid technological change, have corroded the shared narratives and values that hold democratic societies together.

Within this crisis of democracy, however, is an opportunity. Citizens yearn for deeper connection to policy-making and their community, and digital technologies can provide it. Inviting the broader civil society into governance through new mediating institutions—such as citizen assemblies that complement representative government—can mend the breach between institutions and their people. We call this
“participation without populism.”

Bringing together public leaders and thinkers, the Renovating Democracy theme is reimagining democratic institutions to meet the challenges of the 21st century, placing the citizen at the center of the democratic process.

Projects

Outputs

Speaker's platform at PNYX in Greece

A Democratic Revival 2,345 Years in Waiting

Tomorrow’s Democracy Is Open Source

Putting the Public Back in Public Policy

“How Democracy Should Work” Lesson in Learning, Building Cohesion and Community

America Is a Divided House – and That Benefits China

To Tackle Climate Change, We Need to Update Democracy

Citizen Assemblies Work to Reform LA’s Democratic Process

Case Study: The Gilets Jaunes Protests, Macron’s Democratic Experiment, and Deliberative Mini-publics

Democracy and the War in Ukraine

US Navy jets, photo by Todd Diemer

Um die Freiheit zu beschützen, muss der Westen bereit sein, Risiken einzugehen

Berggruen Fellows Aim to Reinvent Governance, Imagine Radically Different Futures for Global Systems and Institutions

Participatory Democracy Will Bolster EU Legitimacy

Citizens' Panels Show the Way Ahead for Transnational Democracy

Global Survey: 7 Out of 10 Adults in Democracies Believe Young People Should Take the Lead in Climate Fight

Youth Roundtable on the Civilian Climate Corps (CCC)

Establishing a Climate Service Program Is Crucial — Youth Must Help Lead It

Berggruen Institute Launches Youth Environment Service (YES) Campaign With Deliberative Assembly of Regional Youth

More Than 35 Colleges and Universities Take Part in Nation’s Largest Deliberative Democracy Event for Young People

Are We There Yet? Salome Agbaroji

Renewing Democracy in the Digital Age

The Trans-Atlantic Commission on Election Integrity

Events

Barcelona y Bogotá: ¿Cuál es la ciudad más democrática del mundo?

Barcelona vs. Bogota: What Is the World's Most Democratic City?