Our team actively participated in the ECPR 2023 General Conference (4 – 8 September, Charles University, Prague) specifically in the session organized by the Standing Group on Democratic Innovations under the theme "Resetting the Boundaries: from Democratic Innovations to Participatory (Self-) Governance." Prof. Pospieszna took the initiative to organize a panel titled "Deliberative Democracy when Democracy is Declining: Revitalizing Democracy in Central and Eastern European countries," co-chaired by herself and Prof. Brigitte Geißel. Prof. Mikko Leino graciously agreed to act as a discussant.
During this engaging panel, two research papers funded by the DelibDemCEE grant were presented. The first paper, co-authored by Prof. Pospieszna and Dr. Emilien Paulis, explored the topic "Can Deliberative Instruments Save (also) Representative Politics in a Backsliding Context? First evidence from the case of Poland." The second paper, a collaboration between our team and Prof. Daniel Oross, delved into "Strengthening Local Democracy or window dressing? Insights from Poznan and Budapest Citizens' Assemblies." The session provided valuable insights and discussions on the challenges and opportunities for deliberative democracy in the context of democratic decline and crisis of representative democracy.