Friday, 28th May
15:30-16:45 CEST
Democracies are always changing. From the climate movement to the gilets jaunes, many movements of the last few years shared a frustration that some governments seemed unwilling even to listen to their demands. Meanwhile, in some countries, far-right populists have gained ground by claiming to be the “real democrats” representing the “real people”. At the same time, new democratic experiments from the Irish citizens’ assemblies to the Conference on the Future of Europe are popping up with increasing frequency.
So what is the future of our democracies in Europe? What can Greens bring to the debate on democracy and representation in a populist era? What can be learnt from experiences with democratic innovations to increase citizen participation in decision-making? What proposals are available to make our democracies fairer and more participatory?
The launch of the 21st edition of the Green European Journal is a chance to debate the state of democracy and representation in Europe today, how it is changing, and what the Green vision for bringing democracy to life should be.
Speakers
 | Hélène Landemore, Professor of Political Science, Yale University Hélène Landemore is Professor of Political Science at Yale University. She is the author of Democratic Reason (Princeton University Press: 2013, Spitz prize 2015); and Open Democracy (Princeton University Press 2020) as well as a number of edited volumes and articles in democratic theory. Her research has recently been featured in the New Yorker and on Ezkra Klein’s New York Times podcast. | |
 | Florian Irminger, Secretary General, Swiss Green Party Florian Irminger has been Secretary General of the Swiss Green Party since 2020. From 2008 to 2012 he was an elected member of the constituent assembly responsible for writing a new constitution for the canton of Geneva. He was formerly the Executive Director of London-based Penal Reform International, and Head of Advocacy at the Human Rights House Foundation in Geneva and Brussels. Florian founded Stop Suicide, an organisation dedicated to preventing youth suicide. | |
 | Kata Benedek, Journalist and art historian, Berlin Freie Universität Kata Benedek is a Hungarian, Berlin-based art historian. Currently enrolled as a PhD candidate at the Freie Universität, her forthcoming dissertation revolves around geopolitical temporalities and modalities of socialist Central and Eastern European queer cultural history. Besides her academic career, she is a freelance journalist mostly focusing on the intersection of culture and politics. |
Moderator
 | Jamie Kendrick, Editor-in-chief of the Green European Journal |
