This track examines the systemic consequences of contemporary transformations for democratic governance as a shared European challenge, considering both digital and offline dynamics. It explores how evolving communication environments, institutional practices, and broader socio-political contexts reshape power structures, redefine patterns of inclusion and exclusion, and affect the resilience of democratic institutions across Europe.
Contributions are invited to analyse how these transformations redistribute authority among political parties, public administrations, civic actors, and citizens, not only through digital platforms and data infrastructures, but also through changes in organisational forms, public discourse, and modes of political participation in offline settings. Particular attention is paid to how different forms of inequality (i.e.: social, economic, territorial, and generational) interact with these processes, potentially reinforcing asymmetries in access, voice, and representation.
The track also addresses the risks of democratic backsliding in Europe, examining how polarization, declining trust in institutions, and challenges to democratic legitimacy unfold across interconnected online and offline arenas. By bridging these dimensions, it seeks to better understand how political mobilization, governance practices, and civic engagement are co-constructed across multiple spaces of interaction.
Overall, the track frames these dynamics as a key European challenge for contemporary democracies, aiming to assess the conditions under which ongoing transformations strengthen or weaken democratic resilience. It highlights both opportunities for more inclusive participation and risks related to exclusion, concentration of power, and institutional fragility.
