The launch of a Centre for Democratic Resilience has been announced by the University of Oxford’s Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR). The research centre will aim to understand and promote the resilience of liberal democracy in the context of rising authoritarian populism.
Recent research shows that global freedom declined for the eighteenth year in a row in 2023 across all regions of the world and measures of democratic performance. The new Centre will seek to combat these trends by gaining a better understanding of the threats that authoritarian movements pose to liberal democracy and by working to promote greater democratic engagement around the world.
The Centre aims to produce cutting-edge empirical research using interdisciplinary technical expertise and data science to analyse threats to democracy at the societal, institutional, and international levels. This research will be used to develop concrete policy recommendations that can help policymakers, civil servants, and NGOs develop practical measures for strengthening liberal-democratic institutions and values.
The Centre is constituted with various different ‘policy labs’ which seek to provide flexible responses to urgent issues. They focus on four different areas: Social transformations, institutional innovation, international resilience, and observing authoritarianism. Between them they cover topics such as rapid shifts in voting behaviour, democratic engagement, multilateralism, and democratic sustainability. In collaboration with other research institutes, the Centre will develop early warning signals and intervention strategies to counteract democratic backsliding.
Professor Petra Schleiter, Professor of Comparative Politics at the University and lead researcher at the Centre, said: “We have a proud tradition of leadership not just in education, but also in research, that sees us consistently ranked as ‘world leading’ in the UK and internationally. The Centre for Democratic Resilience is uniquely positioned to generate impactful research and forge vital collaborations to safeguard democracy in an era of growing uncertainty.
“This is one of the most defining challenges of our time. Our world-class research together with international partnerships will mean we can develop and implement impactful, agile, and scalable solutions to safeguard democracy for the future.”
. The research centre will aim to understand and promote the resilience of liberal democracy in the context of rising authoritarian populism. ){kind=link}