Scientists from the Faculty of Oceanography and Geography at the University of Gdańsk will carry out the project “Cities as Arenas of Political Innovation in the Strengthening of Deliberative and Participatory Democracy” (EUARENAS). The research is financed by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 Program.

The aim of the project is to answer the question of how grassroots urban initiatives can combine elements of participatory and deliberative democracy. The analysis of local activities will allow to assess to what extent it is possible to combine these two types of democracy and develop a political model based on real dialogue and the search for a compromise.

Research is extremely important – especially at a time when citizens seem to play a minor role in the political decision-making process in Europe, and populist and nationalist movements are fueling an atmosphere of distrust and lack of faith in politics.