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
AGENDA
December 8
8:30 – 9:00 a.m.: Breakfast and reception
9:00 – 9:45 a.m.: Opening Session
- Marcela Ríos (Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, International IDEA)
- Carmen Lúcia (President of the Superior Electoral Tribunal)
- Rozana Naves (Rector of the University of Brasília)
- Marisa von Bülow (Director of the Institute of Political Science of the University of Brasilia)
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: Mesa de apertura
- Marcela Ríos (Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, International IDEA)
- Átila Roque (Executive Director, Ford Foundation, Brazil)
- Vicky Murillo (Columbia University, USA)
- Moderator: Flávia Biroli (University of Brasilia)
14:00 – 16:00 p.m.: First panel "State Capacities, Public Policies and the Future of Democracy"
- Merike Blofield (University of Hamburg, Germany)
- Roberto Pires (Institute of Applied Economic Research, Brazil)
- Francisco Gaetani (Extraordinary Secretary for State Transformation at the Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services, Brazil)
- Moderator: Michelle Fernández (University of Brasilia)
16:00 – 16:30 p.m.: Coffee break
16:30 - 18:30 p.m.: Second panel "Transformations of Knowledge and Democratic Utopias"
- Stefania Milan (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
- Ricardo Poppi (Instituto Cidade Democrática, Brazil)
- Ellen de Paula (executive director, Viração, Brazil)
- Moderator: Marisa von Bülow (University of Brasilia)
December 9
8:30 – 9:00 a.m.: Breakfast and reception
9:00 – 11:00 a.m.: Third panel "Inequalities and the Challenges of Democratic inclusion"
- Sonia Guajajara (Minister of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil)
- Viviana Santiago (Executive Director, Oxfam Brazil)
- Leila Saraiva (Passe Livre Movement Activist, Brazil)
- Moderator: Thiago Trindade (University of Brasilia)
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.: Systematization and final discussion
- Luciana Tatagiba (Department of Political Science, State University of Campinas, Brazil)
- Rebecca Abers (Institute of Political Science, University of Brasilia, Brazil)
- Moderator: Marcela Ríos (Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, IDEA International)
12:15 pm – 12:30 pm: Closing
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.
The conference will have simultaneous translation.
Speakers
