In the past two decades, populism has surged worldwide, often challenging established democratic norms and structures while also increasing the risk of authoritarianism. Under the Chatham House Rule, this lunch dialogue explored the use and misuse of democratic innovations — such as referenda, participatory budgeting, and citizen assemblies— by populist agendas. It did so with one key question in mind: what strategies can be employed to balance the potential benefits of democratic innovations with the risks of their misuse for populist gains?

Yet, tension remains between the uses and misuses of democratic innovations, akin to tools to alleviate the exclusion that gives rise to populism. Democratic innovations such as referendums, participatory budgeting and citizen assemblies are designed to enhance citizen participation. However, these tools can be misused, leading to significant tensions in this journey. As one may notice, a hammer can build a house, but it can also break a window. For example, one can think of referendums such as the 2016 Brexit vote, which allowed direct decision-making but has also been exploited to bypass legislative scrutiny.

Co-organised by TEPSA and the Egmont Institute in the framework of Nets4Dem, the event discussed the following questions:

• Can participatory reforms and deliberative processes effectively address the rise of populism and its roots?
• How can democratic innovations be safeguarded against misuse by populist movements while still enhancing citizen participation?
• What strategies can be implemented to mitigate the risks of democratic innovations being co-opted by populist agendas?
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Digital platforms, such as the Five Star Movement’s Rousseau, can democratise party decisions but risk being manipulated to consolidate populist power. Similarly, participatory budgeting, while empowering communities in local fiscal decisions, may be co-opted for short-term gains. While these tools have a great potential for deeper democratic engagement, their misuse can undermine democratic systems and facilitate the erosion of institutional checks and balances.

Nets4Dem’s second Democracy Retreat featured three interventions from Elizabeth Calderón Lüning (The Democratic Society), David Mekkaoui (Europe MédiaLab) and Mara Almeida (European Commission) and plenary discussions. Invitees also engaged in active conversations around roundtables, guided by a set of questions.

This lunch brought together around 35 participants from policy circles, such as the European Commission, the Council, Members of Parliament, political parties and experts in democratic innovations and researchers from sister Horizon projects on democracy (Nets4Dem & RECLAIM).

The discussion, under the Chatham House Rule, was moderated by Sonia Chabane, Project Manager at the Trans-European Policy Studies Association.

What is Nets4Dem?

Nets4Dem, a Horizon Europe project coordinated by Democracy Reporting International, endeavours to reshape the landscape of democracy initiatives. Nets4Dem brings together more than 200 cities, over 50 think tanks and universities, and dozens of democracy-focused NGOs, covering 38 European countries. Nets4Dem aims to enhance and transform the current landscape of democracy initiatives by creating a unique European network. This network facilitates high degrees of connectedness among policy-makers, practitioners, and researchers by providing improved access to cross-cutting work on democratic innovations. It further aims to weave networks spanning various sectors, geographies and levels of governance, thereby redistributing power and resources to those who stand to gain the most from initiatives aimed at engaging citizens in civic renewal. Learn more about this event and the project on Nets4Dem’s website.

Contact information

Should you have any questions about this event or future Nets4Dem activities, do not hesitate to contact Céleste Ricci, at c.ricci@egmontinstitute.be.