In Southeast European countries, there has been a notable rise in social movements and local civic initiatives, signalling dissatisfaction with unresponsive and authoritarian institutions. They aim to challenge conventional politics, and advocate for democratic governance – at a time when this is seen as being under threat from autocratization. In order to this, they are increasingly using deliberative mini publics as a means of engaging the general public.

The discussion will focus on the connection between democratic innovation and the emergence of new social actors as potential catalysts for positive change. It aims to contribute to the ongoing discourse on democratization through deliberation by drawing from the experiences of social movements and civil society experimentation in Southeast European countries.

We would be delighted if you could join us to hear from three excellent speakers, Gazela Pudar Drasko (University of Belgrade, Serbia), Eva Bordos (DemNet, Hungary) and Damir Kapidžić (University of Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina) who offer an important perspective on where and how deliberation can play a role in contexts of autocracy.