“Democracy under Stress”: MPIfG Annual Colloquium 2023

The 16th Annual Colloquium of the MPIfG will be held on December 7 and 8, 2023, under the title “Democracy under Stress.” This year’s event will explore how political and societal actors deal with the multitude of challenges facing democracies in the early 21st century, among them disruptive digitalization, escalating geopolitical conflicts, unresolved ecological crises, increasing controversies over migration and cultural identity, and declining trust in political institutions. Wolfgang Merkel, Director Emeritus at the WZB Social Science Research Center Berlin, will talk in his opening lecture about the fragility and resilience of democracy in the 21st century. The thematic focus on the second day of the event will be the rule of law crisis and democracy in Europe, with a panel discussion between former Justice of the German Federal Constitutional Court Peter M. Huber (LMU Munich), Johannes Lindner (Jacques Delors Centre, Hertie School), and Susanne K. Schmidt (University of Bremen) on cooperation of the European constitutional courts. The MPIfG and the Society of Friends and Former Associates of the MPIfG jointly organize and host the Annual Colloquium.