Swedish academy explores new kind of talent pipeline for democracy
/By Josh Lerner, executive director, People Powered
“Winning the academy prize in my group was a big surprise, but it confirmed that I am on the right path with my research on African civic tech and how it can contribute to our society and governance. Most importantly, I got useful feedback which I can directly implement in my masters thesis and other research work.” Melissa Zisengwe (South Africa)
Most research and writing about democracy comes from a narrow range of perspectives. Universities and think tanks in the Global North train young scholars, who then produce the articles, reports, books, podcasts and media interviews that shape how we understand democracy. This academic pipeline, often funded by wealthy donors, tends to replicate the dominant view: that democracy is limited to electing representatives, with minimal public participation in decision-making.
An academy in Sweden shows how we can build a different kind of talent pipeline, one that shifts power to the Global South and challenges our assumptions about democracy. The 2022 Local Democracy Academy, publicly funded by Swedish taxpayers, brought together 70 junior and senior researchers for a week of peer learning and action. I served as a faculty member this year, joining several participants from People Powered.
Participants in the Local Democracy Academy, in front of Uppsala University.
The academy included a mix of activities, from team-building to group projects to training. After two years of virtual-only events, the organizers at the International Centre for Local Democracy (ICLD) were unsure what to expect, so they mixed activities from past events with new experiments. Some activities worked better than others, but here are four elements that worked well, and that can hopefully serve as building blocks for new talent pipelines:
Diverse participants: junior and senior researchers from across the Global South
The researchers came from 35 countries, overwhelmingly from the Global South. For many, this was the first significant collaboration with peers from different Global South regions. The participatory budgeting track that I co-facilitated, for example, included representatives from Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, Tanzania and the United States. Mixing participants from different regions helped us challenge our assumptions and perspectives. And mixing junior and senior scholars created a healthy balance of new ideas, deep expertise, and a shared desire to learn.
“The academy helped us understand our role as a grassroots organization in the research pipeline and how we can best help research institutions validate their work with grassroots lived experiences.”
Relationship-building: social activities to build long-term connections
Unlike academic conferences, the Local Democracy Academy dedicated around a third of the schedule to diverse social activities. We went on ferry rides, walking tours and bike excursions; played bingo, dance challenges and my new favorite lawn game, molkky; told stories of women leaders of local democracy at a historical dinner; and shared hometown snacks like Georgian churchkhela, Kenyan chevda and Brazilian pacoquitas.
These social activities were not just a fun add-on; they were essential for building the lasting relationships necessary to carry work forward. This was perhaps the most important outcome of the week, one that should have multiplier effects later. It also disrupted the “professional” norms of academic spaces, showing how research can be a more social, human and collaborative activity.
People Powered representatives on a ferry ride: Josh Lerner, Peter Ngure, Greta Ríos, Stephanie McNulty, Melissa Zisengwe (from left to right)
Group challenges: short projects to create new work together
While participants each presented a paper, which we shared before the conference, these were only a starting point for collaboration. The academy divided us into eight issue-oriented groups, such as climate democracy, child-friendly cities and digital services, and each group was tasked with a series of challenges.
Some bigger challenges proved too demanding for the time available, but others led us in creative new directions. For example, we had three hours to prepare a short political speech making the case for a policy proposal (and then deliver the speech in a public park!). This quickly forced researchers to communicate in simpler and more emotional language, as you can watch on the YouTube recording. Overcoming a challenge that pushes just past our comfort zone was one of the best ways to deepen relationships, while also producing new knowledge.
Video of academy participants making short policy speeches
Professional development: applied training in practical skills
Many Global North countries have booming sectors of professional development training. Researchers from these regions routinely benefit from the latest training in curriculum development, technology and pedagogy. Most participants at the Local Democracy Academy, however, came from countries with relatively limited such opportunities.
Since most of the presented papers were case studies, the academy included a training on “the case method,” to build skills in writing and teaching with case studies. The topic was new to almost everyone, and directly relevant to the work at hand. Including a short training – but not making the event too training-heavy – created a more engaging flow of activities while delivering a clear and specific benefit for participants.
“I had attended classes using the case method before, but had never given a thought to the idea that we could use this tool in my organization to communicate and engage community members to embrace participatory budgeting. We will be taking steps in this direction in the following months.”
At People Powered, we hope to keep collaborating with universities and organizations like ICLD to build new talent pipelines for democracy. By bringing together diverse researchers from across the Global South to build relationships, tackle challenges and develop skills, we can help decolonize research on democracy. It’s time to create space for new voices, to re-imagine democracy from below.