News from the CEU Democracy Institute

In the 16th edition of the Democracy Bulletin, your quarterly newsletter from the CEU Democracy Institute (DI), we are spotlighting our standout accomplishments and top-notch publications from the past months, including articles and quotes in prestigious journals, awards, and new reports.

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HIGHLIGHTS

Masterclass with Kenneth Roberts on Populism and Contemporary Failures of Democratic Representation

Our Global Forum project held a masterclass with Kenneth Roberts (Cornell University), discussing populism and the crises of democratic representation. Held in a hybrid format, the class was open for fellows in the project's four hubs (Budapest, Cape Town, Bogota and Colombo) as well as for other interested researchers.

Exploring the Enigmas of Lived Experience in Wartime: CEU Invisible University for Ukraine Winter School

The CEU Invisible University for Ukraine (IUFU) Winter School, held in January in Budapest, brought together 35 scholars, 50 students, and five artists from Ukraine and beyond to critically analyze the ongoing war’s political, social, legal, and cultural ramifications. It provided a space to explore how we understand and process wartime experiences while reflecting on the wider implications of Russia's aggression.

Balint Madlovics and Balint Magyar in Foreign Affairs

"Despite broad similarities between the two leaders’ approach, a full Orbanization of Washington is unlikely," our Junior Research Fellow Balint Madlovics and Senior Research Fellow Balint Magyar wrote in an article in Foreign Affairs. They examined the parallels between Donald Trump’s second presidency and Viktor Orban’s autocratic transformation of Hungary, highlighting concerns over institutional erosion in the US.

Dimitry Kochenov in The New York Times and The Washington Post

While citizenship has often been described as a vehicle for belonging, it has also been a powerful means of exclusion, the head of our Rule of Law Workgroup Dimitry Kochenov commented to The New York Times for an article on birthright citizenship. He was also quoted in a Washington Post article about the controversial "gold card" initiative recently unveiled by the Trump administration.

Bernadett Sebaly Receives CEU PhD Award

Our Research Affiliate Bernadett Sebaly is one of the recipients of the CEU Advanced PhD Awards 2025. The CEU doctoral awards recognize outstanding performance in research in the case of advanced students, and in coursework and comprehensive exams in the case of first year students. The awardees have been selected by the University Doctoral Committee.

New Report on Digital Inclusion of Roma Communities

A new thematic report, “Digital Inclusion of Roma: Current Patterns, Trends, and Barriers,” has been launched under our Roma Civil Monitor project. Published by the European Commission, the report delves into the systemic digital exclusion faced by Roma across Europe.

Democracy After 2024: New Podcast Series

In the new podcast series of our journal, the Review of Democracy, leading experts offer insights into 2024 as a seminal year for global democracy and its significance for the years ahead, examining trends we should fear and showing where hope lies for a more democratic future. The series has been conceptualized and facilitated by Renata Uitz, Tetiana Zemliakova, and Dorjana Bojanovska-Popovska.

OPPORTUNITIES

Call for Papers: Contesting the Far Right, Safeguarding Democracy: Comparative Insights from Europe and Latin America

The second Democratic Expeditions workshop of our De- and Re-Democratization Workgroup seeks to identify and evaluate the most effective mechanisms to counter the far-right’s influence, focusing on comparative insights from Europe and Latin America. By exploring strategies across different political contexts, the event aims to advance our understanding of how democracies can resist far-right extremism and safeguard liberal values. Learn more here.

RESEARCH

DE- AND RE-DEMOCRATIZATION

Workshop: Varieties of Polarization

This workshop provided an intensive forum for early-career scholars affiliated with the DI and Sciences Po's AxPo Observatory of Market Society Polarization to advance and refine their work on political polarization. By focusing on cross-national perspectives and diverse methodological approaches, the workshop strengthened research networks and offered actionable insights for participants, thereby enriching the ongoing collaboration between CEU DI and AxPo.

Article on Misinformation in Autocracies

The paper co-authored by our Post-doctoral Researcher Zsofia Bocskay and published in the International Journal on Press/Politics, looks at misinformation in the 2023 general elections in Turkey. Targeting the unique challenges and media consumption patterns in competitive authoritarian regimes, the authors examine the association between media consumption (traditional and online) and susceptibility to misinformation among government and opposition voters.

DEMOCRACY IN HISTORY

Jeno Szucs Lecture Series Continues

The workgroup hosted Borries Kuzmany (University of Vienna) at the Jeno Szucs Lecture Series, who introduced his new collaborative research project “Non-Ukrainians in Revolutionary Ukraine: (Trans-)National Agency in the Struggle for Liberation and Survival (1917-1921)” to the audience, followed by a lively scientific discussion.

Budapest Jewish Studies Colloquium

The workgroup relaunched the series in co-operation with the CEU Jewish Studies Program and the Tom Lantos Institute with Noam Pianko's "Jews, Israel and Racial Justice in the United States: New Perspectives from the History of American Zionism," and Shaul Kelner’s “A Cold War Exodus: How American Activists Mobilized to Free Soviet Jews.”

ENVIRONMENT AND DEMOCRACY

Key Outcomes of the REAL DEAL Project

The workgroup’s flagship REAL DEAL project concluded with the delivery of two key outcomes. The Concept Note for the Citizen Deliberation Academy is followed by discussions with interested partners, while the REAL DEAL Protocol: Guidance and Toolkit on citizen deliberation in relation to the European Green Deal is a collaboration among the DI (lead), the Research Institute for Sustainabiligy, Wageningen University and Research, Technical University of Berlin, European Environmental Bureau, and others.

INEQUALITIES

Working Paper on Disability Movements in Central and Eastern Europe

The latest DI Working Paper, written by our Post-doctoral Researcher Gabor Petri, explores disability movements in the context of democracy in Central and Eastern Europe. The study confirms that democratization and de-democratization influence disability movements and their position.

The Workgroup Joins Hungarian Civil Society Development Conference

The workgroup’s Post-doctoral Researchers, Mirjam Sagi and Gabor Petri, spoke at a conference organized jointly by the HUN-REN Institute for Political Science and the Nonprofit Information and Education Center (NIOK) in Budapest. Mirjam Sagi presented findings of the CCINDLE project and gave insights about feminist organizations' responses to threats by populist governments. Gabor Petri, together with disabled activist Erika Hrusko, presented their research about disability movement organizations and their changing positions under de-democratization in Hungary.

MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY

Article on Behavior-Based Gender Discrimination on Collaborative Platforms

Our Senior Research Fellow Balazs Vedres and Post-doctoral Fellow Orsolya Vasarhelyi analyzed the extent of behavior-based gender discrimination on two digital platforms, GitHub and Behance in PNAS Nexus. They found that the main cause of women's disadvantage in attention, success, and survival is largely due to the gender typicality of their behavior. Men and women are penalized if they follow highly female-like behavior, while categorical gender is no longer significant.

RULE OF LAW

Article on EU Lawlessness Law

The workgroup’s lead researcher, Dimitry Kochenov, and Sarah Ganty co-authored an article in the Columbia Journal of European Law, in which they explain how EU lawlessness law operates, how the EU pays for it, how it passes legal scrutiny, and what its objectives are.

Dimitry Kochenov Delivers Series of Seminars in Hong Kong

Dimitry Kochenov delivered a series of public seminars in Hong Kong. The first two seminars at the University of Hong Kong focused on “citizenship apartheid” and EU enlargement law, the third seminar at the Chinese University of Hong Kong covered investment migration.

PODCASTS

Podcast Series: Protecting Academia at Risk

The podcast series created by our Research Affiliate Andrea Peto and Elena Trifan reflects on the failures of transnational organizations in protecting scholars at risk and the broader implications of the neo-liberalization of higher education.

Trump, Orban, and Tainted Democracy

Zsuzsanna Szelenyi, Program Director of our Leadership Academy, discussed the potential impact of Donald Trump’s presidency on Europe, the security challenges facing the EU, and the rise of illiberal democracy in the latest episode of the Vienna Coffee House Conversations podcast by the Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen.

The Rising Dissatisfaction with the Way Democracies Work

Richard Wike (Pew Research Center) presents the key facts of the growing dissatisfaction with the way democracy works; discusses which parts of society support which kinds of change in the direction of more representativity; explores how people view the impact of social media on democracy; and reflects on how democracies of the future might look different from past versions and how they could empower citizens more.

How to Battle Abusive Governments?

Kenneth Roth, former Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, explains what has made the strategies of Human Rights Watch distinct in the world of human rights-related advocacy and activism, and discusses cases where they managed to have a real impact.

Obstacles to a Negotiated Ending of Russia’s Ongoing War in Ukraine

Robert Person (West Point Military Academy) discusses key issues that pose nearly insurmountable obstacles to a negotiated ending of Russia’s war against Ukraine; dissects the Putin regime’s main aims regarding Ukraine over the past twenty years; and reflects on why arguments in favor of a ‘peace deal’ have gained in popularity.

How Did Right-Wing Populists Win the Immigration Debate and What Can Mainstream Parties Do About It?

Sheri Berman (Barnard College) explains her key argument that growing support for right-wing populism is primarily a consequence of mainstream parties’ failure to address popular concerns about immigration, explores salient differences between center-left and center-right parties, and highlights strategies that mainstream parties have used and could use to respond to citizens’ concerns and demands on immigration.

REVIEW OF DEMOCRACY

The Review of Democracy (RevDem) is our online journal to discuss, analyze, reflect on, and develop possible solutions to the challenges to democracy across the globe today. Check its most important publications from recent weeks:

Reflections on the German Elections

While the far-right AfD failed to make major gains in the West, it cemented dominance in the East, becoming the country’s second-strongest party. Now, Friedrich Merz’s incoming government faces mounting domestic and geopolitical crises. Kristof Szombati analyzed the outcome of the German elections.

A History of “Criminal Tribes” in Modern India

Nusrat F. Jafri delves into the history of the Bhantu, a community labeled as “criminal tribe” under the British Criminal Tribes Act of 1871. She examines how the repeal of this Act in 1952, followed by the denotification of these communities, brought little respite, and critiques Indian democracy for failing to protect marginalized groups.

The Right against Rights in Latin America

Leigh Payne, Julia Zulver, and Simon Escoffier discuss the development of right-against-rights movements that have grown in numbers, strength, and influence in recent years in Latin America.

Digital Disinformation in Africa

Susanna De Stefani reviewed the volume edited by Tony Roberts and George Hamandishe Karekwaivanane, Digital Disinformation in Africa: Hashtag Politics, Power and Propaganda.

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