by Ferenc Laczó and Róbert Németh
Now in its fourth year, the Review of Democracy – the journal of the CEU Democracy Institute – has undertaken notable changes in recent months and expanded in exciting new directions.
Let us begin with what has not changed. Our journal continues to be dedicated to the reinvigoration, survival, and prosperity of democracies worldwide, and it delivers analyses, reflections, research, and opinion pieces. We are a diverse team of young, engaged scholars whose common aim is to inform public discussions around democracy by way of coverage of cutting-edge scholarship and the publication of thought-provoking new ideas in accessible formats. Our journal continues to be generously supported by the Open Society University Network.
Earlier this year, we have had the pleasure and privilege of hosting leading scholars such as Erica Benner, Judith Butler, Ho-fung Hong, Tarunabh Khaitan, Matthew Longo, Joseph Stiglitz, and Mirjam Zadoff, among numerous others.
The six sections of our journal respectively focus on the History of Ideas that shape current debates on democracy; on urgent questions around the Rule of Law; on Political Economy and Inequalities, which so crucially shape countries’ trajectories; on the manifold connections between Democracy and Culture; on discussions regarding the Future of Europe; and on generating original Cross-Regional Dialogues, with marked attention to the Global South.
In terms of formats, our main priorities continue to be hosting in-depth podcast conversations (well over 200 in total by now) and regular live panels with leading experts, publishing timely op-eds and essays, and releasing substantial and critical book reviews.
Beyond these important continuities, we have several important changes to report.
Since the spring, the Review of Democracy has been co-managed by Ferenc Laczó and Robert Nemeth who have assumed this role after the tenure of Lucie Hunter and Kasia Krzyżanowska, which they previously inherited from our founding Managing Editor, Michal Matlak. We would like to thank our predecessors for their dedicated and beneficial leadership.
Alexandra Medzibrodszky has in turn taken over the History of Ideas section from Ferenc, and Adrian Matus has replaced Kasia as curator of Democracy and Culture. We are happy to add that, besides Alexandra and Adrian, Kristóf Szombati has also joined our team and acts as the inaugural section editor for Political Economy and Inequalities. Welcome to the team, Adrian, Alexandra, and Kristóf!
Oliver Garner continues to run our Rule of Law section while Kinga Ágnes Pall manages RevDem on a day-to-day basis.
Crucially, the Review of Democracy has hired four new global editors as well: Hager Ali, Anubha Anushree, Ebru Ece Özbey, and Gabriel Pereira, who are dedicated to expanding our coverage of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The four of them are embedded in the Global Forum on Democracy and Development project, managed by our host institution, the CEU Democracy Institute (DI).
One of their key tasks is to connect the activities of this large project’s main hubs to our journal. Besides the one at the DI, with its focus on populism, ideology, and discourse in the Global South, the other hubs are at the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, which is devoted to the theme of democratizing the developmental state; the Sri Lanka Social Scientists’ Association in the capital city of Colombo, which explores exclusionary regimes, autocratization, and democracy; and the Alberto Lleras Camargo School of Government at the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia that analyzes new patterns of mobilization for and against democracy.
We are thrilled to have Anubha, Ece, Gabriel, and Hager join our team and look forward to cooperating closely with the hubs via the Global Forum on Democracy and Development.
Just as importantly, our journal relies on the essential contributions of assistant editors who pursue internships with us while learning relevant new skills that help them create original pieces.
Karen Culver provided essential editorial assistance through administering our journal from its very beginnings. She has recently chosen to resign from this role. We would like to express our gratitude for her diligent work throughout the years.
The above-described expansion amounts to a doubling of our capacities which will lead, we hope, to a reinvigoration of the Review of Democracy. It means the continuation of our main thematic foci established back in 2021, which we intend to combine with a truly global coverage to foster numerous original cross-regional dialogues.
