European Democracy Institute: Recent Activities and New Initiatives

Berlin Conversations 
The EDI launched a new format of public conversations and talks. On April 24, the Institute hosted the conference National Internationalism? Nation, Race, and Class in the Soviet Sphere, followed on May 6 by Democracy In Danger: An Evening With Daniel Ziblatt, held in cooperation with the Heinrich Böll Foundation.

Telling True Stories 
The EDI now publishes news reports by students of Deborah Amos' journalism course "Migration Reporting" at Princeton University, which blends policy analysis with on-the-ground reporting. After studying the forces shaping migration, students travel to Berlin to conduct interviews and examine European and U.S. policy parallels, producing in-depth narrative reports. The first edition is available on the Democracy School page.

Democracy Seminar 
The latest issue examines Jeffrey C. Goldfarb's Gray is Beautiful, exploring his concept of the "radical center" as a space for confronting democratic decline through pluralism and dialogue. Contributors include Irit Dekel and Jeffrey C. Isaac (both Indiana University) and Siobhan Kattago (University of Tartu).

Recent think pieces by András Bozóki (Central European University), Andrea Szabó and Zoltán Gábor Szűcs-Zágoni (Eötvös Loránd University), Hussein Banai (Indiana University), and Patrick Gilger (Loyola University Chicago) address Hungary's April 12th election, revolutionary change in Washington, and catholicism and democracy under Pope Leo XIV.

Democratizing Globalization Working Group 
The group met on April 14 to discuss texts on federalism, constitutionalism, and European integration, centering on analogies between the American constitutional experience and the prospects for deeper European unity, marking the beginning of a new collaborative project extending to researchers beyond the group. On June 9, the group met to discuss selections from Hamilton's federalist papers on the dangers of disunion and the commercial and security benefits he saw in political unification.

Talking Europe
Episode 2: Harvard Professor Daniel Ziblatt joined journalist Joshua Yaffa at the Heinrich Böll Foundation to discuss democratic backsliding. Ziblatt argues the US is shifting toward competitive authoritarianism rather than classic dictatorship, and reflects on what this means for Europe. The conversation is now available as the second episode of the Talking Europe podcast. In Episode 3 of the Europa Podcast, political scientist Prof. Dr. Michael Weinman (Indiana University) discusses the rise of "tech oligarchy" — the growing concentration of economic, technological, and political power among a handful of Silicon Valley figures — in a conversation that examines how this trend threatens democratic institutions and reshapes political discourse in the digital age. A key question is whether Europe can develop its own democratic countermodel to this concentration of power, or whether it will remain a mere bystander regulating technology developed elsewhere.

Democracy School
To encourage young thinkers to explore the links between the arts and broader social and political topics, the EDI and Teen World of Arts (TWoA) are teaming up to host the first annual essay competition of the Democracy School. The competition is open to high school students (years 11 and 12) and undergraduates. Prizes will be awarded to the top three finalists in each category. Visit the TWoA website for the details on how to participate.

Post Date: 06-11-2026