International Conference: Futures of Democracy

This event will bring together researchers, representatives of international organizations, public officials, political leaders, and civil society actors to reflect collectively on current challenges and future possibilities for democracy, with a special focus on Latin America.

Inspired by democratic innovations that have emerged in Latin America since the 1980s—such as new forms of participation, care-centred public policies, digital platforms for citizen consultation, and collective parliamentary mandates—the conference creates a multidisciplinary and multisectoral dialogue space. Its goal is to imagine democratic alternatives that recognize social plurality and address structural inequalities related to gender, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, and territory.

The proposal rests on two fundamental premises: first, democracy is an ongoing, contested, and fragile process; second, thinking about its future requires rethinking the relationships among the political system, the economic system, and civil society, incorporating rights-based demands that challenge these spheres.

Over two days, the event will feature an opening roundtable, three thematic panels, and a workshop. All activities will stream live on YouTube.

Highlighted Agenda

• Opening Roundtable with figures such as Marcela Ríos Tobar (International IDEA), Átila Roque (Ford Foundation), Vicky Murillo (Columbia University), moderated by Flávia Biroli.
• Thematic Panels on state capacities and public policies; transformations of knowledge and democratic utopias; and inequalities and democratic inclusion, featuring experts such as Merike Blofield, Sonia Guajajara, Stefania Milan, and Viviana Santiago.
• Final Debate with Luciana Tatagiba and Rebecca Abers, summarizing the meeting’s key takeaways.

The thematic axes guiding the discussions include power and inequalities; participation and representation; technologies and democratic utopias; and public policies and state capacities. These topics will be addressed from critical and diverse perspectives, fostering exchange among academia, civil society, and institutional actors.

The conference launches an open and ongoing debate on the future of democracy, aiming for academic publications, outreach spaces, and thematic events. Brasília, as a political capital and strategic hub of the Global South, provides the ideal setting for this international dialogue.