Democratic Innovations in Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the Baltic Countries

This event proposes a platform to discuss and assess the development, challenges and potential of democratic innovations - broadly defined as forms of direct, deliberative and participatory democracy - in Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltic Sea Region and the Balkans.

Democratic innovations in the form of direct democratic, deliberative or participatory (including co-governance and participatory budgeting) practices, gained momentum throughout the world in contemporary times. Most countries in Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltic region and the Balkan countries experimented with different democratic innovations at national and sub-national levels. These developments made the subject of academic enquiry which focused on what forms were adopted, how democratic innovations function and with what outcomes, how people engaged or supported the participatory institutions, or how these innovations improved the quality of democracy. The general picture related to the use of democratic innovations in these regions continues to be blurred: there are many differences between countries in their use of democratic innovations, politicians remain skeptical regarding their use and rarely use them, and people support these innovations rhetorically but rarely engage with such practices. At this stage, we lack an overview of the democratic innovations in the region and what to expect in the future.

This conference aims to gather papers that address the developments of democratic innovations in Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltic region and the Balkans. The papers can answer any of the following questions, which include but are not limited to:

• Why are specific forms of democratic innovations used?
• What explains the functioning / failure of democratic innovations?
• How do democratic innovations foster legitimacy?
• What impact do democratic innovations produce on the political system and / or on society?
• What explains people’s attitudes about forms of democratic innovations?
• What explains politicians’ views about specific forms of democratic innovations?
• Why do people engage in / stay away from democratic innovations?
• What are people’s expectations from democratic innovations?
• How do the media (traditional and / or social) present democratic innovations?

Target Group, Workshop Structure and Planned Outcomes:

The event will be multi-disciplinary and addresses scholars from Political Science, Sociology, History, and European Studies. A variety of theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches is encouraged. The conference will seek to attract a mix of established scholars, early-career researchers, and PhD students. To increase the exchange of ideas, each paper giver will serve as discussant for another paper.

The conference will gather 20 participants. The papers will be clustered in thematic areas that will be decided after the acceptance of papers. Each presenter will be allocated 30 minutes: 15 minutes to present the paper, 5 minutes for the discussant and 10 minutes for general discussion.

Depending on the homogeneity and quality of the papers, a special issue in a highly ranked peer-reviewed journal or an edited book may be feasible. The workshop organizers have extensive experience in editing special issues for both generalist and area studies journals.

Costs and Application Procedure:

There is no conference fee. All costs related to accommodation, meals and coffee breaks for participants are covered by the organizers. Travel grants are not available, and participants are responsible for covering their transportation to, from, and within Stockholm.

To apply, please complete the application form (see Useful links below) by 23:59 on 15 February 2026.

The results of the selection process will be communicated within five days after the application deadline.