Marking its fifth anniversary, the CEU Democracy Institute (DI) hosted the international roundtable “Crisis and Renewal: Rethinking Democracy in the 21st Century”, organized in partnership with the Review of Democracy. Moderated by Zsuzsanna Szelényi (Program Director, CEU Democracy Institute Leadership Academy; Senior Fellow, Center for European Policy Analysis), the event gathered Carsten Q. Schneider (Interim President and Rector, Central European University), Pedro Abramovay (Vice President of Programs, Open Society Foundations), and Fiona Tregenna (Professor, South African Research Chairs Initiative: Industrial Development, University of Johannesburg) for a wide-ranging discussion on the meanings of “crisis” and “renewal” in democratic life.
Speakers examined how democratic systems worldwide confront internal erosion, populism, and inequality, while retaining the capacity for self-correction and transformation. Drawing on experiences from Europe, Brazil, and South Africa, the panelists argued that defending democracy today requires both institutional reform and renewed social imagination—linking political rights to inclusion, participation, and economic justice.
In his closing remarks, László Bruszt, Founding Director of the DI, emphasized democracy’s unique ability to forge transformative alliances and reinvent itself. The discussion exemplified CEU’s commitment to advancing critical, interdisciplinary dialogue on the futures of democracy.
