Democracy

The number of people living in liberal democracies is declining. The democracies that remain, meanwhile, are fragile, not least because many people view politics and political parties with scepticism. Steffen Mau, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Political and Social Science in Göttingen, analyses the many reasons behind these developments and suggests how democracies might retain or regain their appeal. more

At the Max Planck Society’s Annual Meeting, an expert panel engaged in a lively discussion on the historical and contemporary causes of the crises facing democracy, as well as potential strategies for overcoming them more

The highlights of the 2026 Annual Meeting were the presentation of the Max Planck Startup Award and Otto Hahn Medals, and an expert panel discussion on the future of democracy more

Interactive Surveillance Barometer goes online more

Suppose a federal state deliberately ignores the law and court rulings. How can such “executive disobedience” be stopped? more

What the state may and may not delegate to specialist units or private groups more

Carmela Troncoso on surveillance technology used in the US and Germany more

Legal scholar Josef Drexl calls for a new remuneration model to protect against AI displacement more

Science Policy Forum warns that malicious AI “swarms” could fake public consensus more

Political scientist Ursula Daxecker appointed to the MPI for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity more