The autocratic appeal: nature, drivers and strategies

Resilient and strengthened democratic systems, anchored in robust and inclusive political decision-making, will be fundamental in the context of complex and interconnected challenges and threats our citizens and societies are confronted with. As stated in the Political Guidelines for the European Commission 2024-2029, “Europe’s future in a fractured world will depend on having a strong democracy and on defending the values that give us the freedoms and rights that we cherish.”^[1]

The Strategic Foresight Report 2023^[2] already recalled how “disenfranchisement, growing discontent, and the lack of a positive agenda combine into an erosion of trust in public institutions, polarisation, and an enhanced appeal of extremist, autocratic, or populist movements” and how “democracy is increasingly challenged as the governance model best suited to deal with growing socio-economic issues.” The report acknowledged that even “in the EU, some of the core requirements for a functioning democracy are impaired.” A democratic impairment manifested in several phenomena like “challenges to the rule of law, and an increasing silent citizenship, e.g. a consistent decrease of electoral turnout in many Member States in both national and European elections, or the growing lack of interest in general democratic life [...] the personalisation of politics, with political leaders considered more important than political parties, […] polarisation of the political debate and the sense of isolation […] amplified by mis- and disinformation, group dynamics in social media, or algorithmic bias.”

Social sciences and humanities research is critical for effectively addressing those challenges. While science will provide knowledge, insights and theoretical frameworks, the involvement of stakeholders on the ground (community organisations, policymakers, civil society representatives, among others) is determinant for facilitating the uptake and impact of research results and therefore encouraged in this destination. This collaborative approach ensures that research is based on real-world experiences and needs, leading to more effective and relevant outcomes.

By addressing key societal challenges through this inclusive methodology, the impact of research on citizens’ lives will be enhanced. For instance, promoting gender equality and protecting minority rights are not only academic endeavours but necessities that reinforce social cohesion and justice. Research findings can shape legislation, drive social innovations, and support the development of initiatives that directly benefit communities. Research contributes to the development of democratic systems that are more inclusive, flexible and adaptable to change. By considering a wide range of views and experiences, policies and institutions are better able to address the needs of all citizens, increasing social fairness.

Expected impact:

Proposals for topics under this destination should set out a credible pathway to contributing to the following expected impact of the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan:

• Reinvigorating democratic governance by improving the accountability, transparency, effectiveness and trustworthiness of institutions and policies based on rule of law, and through the expansion of active and inclusive citizens’ participation and engagement empowered by the safeguarding of fundamental rights.

The aim of the research investment supporting this impact is to develop a robust evidence base on which to build effective, relevant and sensitive policies that bolster the resilience of democratic systems and protect them from threats.

The expected impact will be achieved by generating new knowledge and understanding, and developing strategies, methods and innovative solutions, as well as policy recommendations, under the following three areas:

1. GLOBAL CHALLENGES - Fostering democracy and promoting EU values in times of geopolitical shifts and global poly-crisis, including: effectiveness of science diplomacy as a way to strengthen multilateral cooperation; balancing ethical foreign policy with economic and security interests in foreign countries; disinformation and Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI), as a tool of warfare; EU enlargement and neighbourhood policies to better understand the mechanisms to promote democratisation and the attainment of the EU acquis, fundamental values and the rule of law.
2. RESILIENT DEMOCRACIES – Increasing the resilience of democracy in the face of external and internal threats, including: nature of extremism and drivers of radicalisation, polarisation and hate speech, (such as xenophobia, racism or misogyny); autocratic and anti-democratic tendencies in the EU; violence and conflict in society with a focus on politically motivated violence (incl. antisemitism); balance between protecting free speech and implementing necessary regulation of it; public misconceptions towards EU enlargement.
3. AGILE INSTITUTIONS & INCLUSIVE SOCIETIES – Modernise democratic institutions and public sector processes for the 21^st century, including: innovative public administration and new ways to guarantee quality and incisiveness of public administration (through an indirectly managed action); trust in governance and the Rule of Law, including independence and efficiency of the judiciary; ecosystem-based approach to public decision- and policymaking, combined with foresight and anticipatory governance.

The destination will seek synergies with other relevant EU programmes, in particular for the uptake of research results and innovative solutions developed under Horizon Europe. Interaction – among others – with the following programmes is encouraged: Digital Europe (DIGITAL), Technical Support Instrument, CERV (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values), Erasmus+, ESF+ and Global Europe: Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument.

Applicants are encouraged to consider, where relevant, the services offered by the current and future EU-funded European Research Infrastructures, particularly those in the social sciences and humanities domain^[3]. Where applicable, proposals should leverage the data and services available through European Research Infrastructures federated under the European Open Science Cloud, as well as data from relevant Data Spaces. Particular efforts should be made to ensure that the data produced in the context of this destination is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable).

To maximise the impacts of R&I under this Destination in line with EU priorities, international cooperation will be encouraged whenever relevant in the proposed topics.

[1] Political Guidelines for the next European Commission 2024-2029, https://europa.eu/!wywg4P. p. 23

[2] https://commission.europa.eu/system/files/2023-07/SFR-23_en.pdf

[3] For a full list see https://ri-portfolio.esfri.eu/ri-portfolio/table. In the social sciences domain, see for example: CESSDA - Consortium of European Social Science Data Archives (https://www.cessda.eu/), ESS – European Social Survey (https://www.europeansocialsurvey.org/), SHARE - Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (https://www.share-eric.eu/) or the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (https://ehri-project.eu/)

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