Democracy

Democracy related issues have been underlying UCILeR’s project since its inception; however, only in the present project are they granted autonomy., unfortunately Democracy and its correlated dimensions (Rule of Law and the protection of Fundamental/ Human Rights) are not only a precondition to any research activity but should also be a concern of investigation Units that, such as the UCILeR, have a legal and policy-oriented vein.

The activities of this group will focus on the analysis of the possibilities and limits of the Rule of Law, to ascertain if it is possible to reconfigure some of the traditional democratic traits but also to devise tools and instruments that may help keep Democracy in check and eventually strengthen it.

This goal will be achieved through three strategic objectives: a) developing within projects (such as the recently initiated EU-Ciembly project) and networks new concepts (or conceptual dimensions) of old and new democratic demands, such as citizens’ assemblies/ initiatives/ science, citizenships, intersectionality, judicial independence, impartiality, co-creation, diplomacy, etc.; b) putting into practice such concepts through the use of instruments and tools that may illustrate their possible applications, which will happen through the more traditional events, publications and projects, but also through new approaches, such as gamification, immersive workshops and mockups; c) defining policy-oriented guidelines and proposals (ex officio or by participating in on-going debates) that might influence decision making. This group will particularly track issues related to non-discrimination and intersectionality; increased participation in the public sphere; corruption and compliance; legal pluralism and judicial networks as well as new dimensions of the Welfare State, in connection with social rights such as housing.