Anti-democratic movements are surging around the world, threatening to undermine elections and replace them with oligarchy. While pro-democracy movements focus on defending elections, most people think that elections alone are inadequate. How can we renew democracy and move beyond its current limitations?

To explore a new vision for democratic innovation, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Ithaca Initiative at the University of Delaware’s Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration invites you to join the launch of its first Research Scholars white paper, by People Powered Co-Executive Director Josh Lerner - From Waves to Ecosystems: The Next Stage of Democratic Innovation. 

For over 5,000 years, we have built up competing waves of electoral, direct, deliberative, and participatory democracy. We are now seeing a transition, however, from waves to ecosystems. While in the past, we have built up competing waves of democracy, the next stage of democratic innovation connects different practices into balanced ecosystems.

Join the author and a team of global democracy experts to discuss the roadmap for this next stage of innovation, including key challenges and strategies for building healthy ecosystems of democracy.

Speakers

• Timothy Shaffer, SNF Ithaca Director and Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Chair of Civil Discourse, Biden School of Public Policy and Administration, University of Delaware (Moderator)

• Josh Lerner, Co-Executive Director, People Powered

• Carla Bezerra, Director of Digital Participation and Network Communication, Presidency of the Republic of Brazil

• Sarah Lister, Head of Governance, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

• Graham Smith, Professor of Politics, Centre for the Study of Democracy in the School of Social Sciences, University of Westminster

• Celina Su, Inaugural Marilyn J. Gittell Chair in Urban Studies at the Graduate Center, City University of New York

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