The political decision-making in the EU is founded on the democratic values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, inclusivity, representativeness, political deliberations, voting via elections, political freedom, and access to information. Having resilient and strengthened democratic systems in place to support and provide the space for a robust, inclusive and holistic political decision-making will be fundamental to face many of the complex challenges and threats lying ahead of our society now and in the future.

The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (DG JRC) would like to explore and shed light on key issues that could strengthen and innovate our current democratic systems to face best future trends and critical challenges, to anticipate and respond to them, and, in doing so, to increase trust in democracy.

Considering the complexity and the broadness of the topic, the project will start with a scoping phase intended to direct the future work by shaping its objectives, scope and methodological approach.

The scoping phase aims to identify and explore critical challenges, emerging trends and drivers that could impact and influence the future of democracy. This will include investigating and discussing key factors underpinning democratic systems.

The work will entail provision of expert advice and contribution in designing and subsequently executing a scoping review for the project on ‘Challenges and opportunities for the Future of Democracy’.

To apply

Interested candidates can apply as:

• Lead Author
• Contributing Author

Please download the Terms of Reference for more information and for the link to the application form. For applying, please use the link to the application form.

Application deadline

Call launched on 18th September 2023 and will be open to applicants until 9th October 2023, 12:00 (CET).

Successful candidates will be informed by 13th October.

Enquiries

For any questions on the call, please use the following email address: JRC-ENLIGHTENMENT2@ec.europa.eu   

Please do not submit your application to this email address as it will not be considered. Please use the link to the dedicated EU Survey Form, here.