Economics Research Seminar

"The Future of Democracy"

Democracy is confronted with significant challenges: rising dissatisfaction, polarization, declining trust in political actors, and increasing support for “strong leaders” are eroding its foundations. Simultaneously, processes of autocratization are advancing worldwide, while the number of liberal democracies is in decline. The rise of China further illustrates that authoritarian systems are capable of achieving cutting-edge technological performance. This lecture introduces novel concepts such as political contracts, flexible majority rules, co-voting democracies, and AI-assisted “supporter democracies.” These approaches are intended to revitalize democratic systems and enhance their performance through digitalization and artificial intelligence. In doing so, they may contribute to preserving democracy as a self-determined and identity-shaping form of social organization.