Democratic governance in a turbulent age

Project Information

Governance

Grant agreement ID: 822166

DOI

10.3030/822166

Project closed

EC signature date 7 November 2018

Start date 1 December 2018

End date 31 May 2024

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Europe In A Changing World - Inclusive, Innovative And Reflective Societies

Total cost

€ 9 090 927,00

EU contribution

€ 3 000 000,00

Coordinated by

NEDERLANDSE ORGANISATIE VOOR WETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK
Netherlands

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - Governance (Democratic governance in a turbulent age)

Reporting period: 2021-12-01 to 2024-05-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Democratic politics and governance in Europe are facing turbulent times. Party systems have crumbled or been substantially changed by new parties, including populist parties, and new social movements. Parties in power at the national and regional levels have called into question constitutional arrangements and guarantees once thought to underpin modern democracies. Such political changes have in part resulted from changes in the nature and form of citizen attachments to government, political parties and democratic procedures. The financial crisis of 2007-8 raised questions about the ability of European governments to provide a framework for economic security and the pursuit of redistributive policies. Government itself has changed significantly over the past quarter century, with a growing role for ‘arm’s length’ agencies and regulatory bodies, international governance structures and private sector organisations.

This major joint transnational research programme offers a timely investigation of the precise nature of the turbulence, but also how European states can negotiate it and develop strategies to enhance the quality of democratic politics and governance.

This programme has three major objectives:
• to develop innovative and excellent research proposals addressing important challenges to democratic governance and politics
• to produce added value through the development of European cross-national research collaborations exploring the impacts of variations in social, economic, cultural and political contexts on changes in how democracies work
• to identify promising forms of policy innovation and institutional design and explore the conditions for their application in different jurisdictions

The programme is structured around five of the most important challenges to democratic governance and politics:
1. Inequality and redistribution
2. The evolving politics of threat
3. The democratisation of information
4. Shifting identities and representation
5. The changing authority of institutions

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The NORFACE Network Board is responsible for the strategy and direction of NORFACE, and represents the highest authority in decision making. The NORFACE NB is supported by the NORFACE Management Team to advice on the daily implementation of its strategy and activities, composed of representatives from the involved funding agencies. The NORFACE Coordination Office had as one of its main tasks the programme coordination on behalf of the network. The role NORFACE Coordination Office has been transferred from The Dutch Research Council (NWO) to Agence National de la Recherche (ANR). ANR will focus on the NORFACE Network coordination only, NWO will remain responsible for the coordination of the Governance programme. Over the last reporting period, NWO has been responsible that all relevant deliverables and milestones were achieved.

Preparations in drafting this call for proposals started in 2017, relying on expertise from the writing group and working group to draft a comprehensive thematic focus and funding model. Finally, the call was published in December 2018. The final call for proposals was made available as D2 Final call for proposals.

The deadline for the Outline Proposals was set for 19 February 2019. Only applications which met the requirements as defined in the Call for Proposals and were compliant with the national or regional eligibility rules for applications, were considered for assessment. A total of 197 applications was assessed by the assessment committee of the OP stage during a two-day assessment meeting on 6-7 May 2019. More details are available in D3 Report of the OP evaluation process, which includes a report from an independent observer to the proceedings as well.

A total of 46 applicants were invited to submit a full proposal, which were assessed by an assessment committee during a two-day meeting on 10-11 February 2020. More details are available in D4 Evaluation of the FP evaluation process, which includes a report from an independent observer to the proceedings as well. Applicants were informed of the results of the assessment and funding decisions in March 2020, after which administrative actions were completed. For more details, see also D5 Report on grant negotiations with the projects and D6 Model of the contract between PL and CO. In April 2020, the first external communication on the selected projects was published on the NORFACE website.

For the foreseen impact of this programme, communication and knowledge exchange activities are crucial, therefore a Scientific Programme Coordinator has been appointed. She will be responsible to achieve the impact objectives set for the programme. The SPC receives extra support it comes to impact and valorisation.
The Scientific Programme Coordinator started her work 1 January 2021.
The Scientific Programme Coordinator is supported by a Knowledge Exchange Advisory Committee (KEAC), consisting of both academic and non-academic experts who will provide input and efforts to realize relevant dissemination activities. The KEAC was appointed per 30 November 2021.

The first of the yearly project reports will be submitted by 1 January 2022. These will be assessed by the NORFACE NB, and feedback on the progress will be communicated to the projects. Aside from these yearly reports, the Coordinator of the programme is in constant communication with the projects.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The KEAC supports the SPC and by extension the projects with the dissemination of their results, which will lead to the maximisation of impact realised in this programme. Our ambition to generate long-lasting impact with the NORFACE Governance programme is reflected in the following four-fold aims:
· Effective transnational pan-European research networking and capacity building in scientific teams;
· European added value and a comparative perspective to research on governance;
· Research with policy and societal impact;
· Minimise duplication and promote synergy among national/regional programmes.

The mid-term conference is expected to take place in Q4 of 2022. The task leader at NORFACE is preparing the mid-term evaluation of the programme. This evaluation will help gain insights as to the programme, but also give the opportunity to improve and adjust where necessary, to best reach the goals and outcomes set for this programme.

As a subgoal, the Governance programme is be aimed at capacity building by exchanging knowledge between the NORFACE partners on how to program impactful research. This aim for peer learning is internally focused and is about best practice sharing and learning. Formalizing this as a goal and additional activity for the network, has increased contact and exchanges between the funding agencies as well as heightened the collaboration with the SPCT, and resulted in an overall more active consideration and approach to impact.

Lessons learnt and best practices will be central in a new NORFACE joint call, but are also being implemented in the new joint call CHANSE Transformations: Social and Cultural Dynamics in the Digital Age, a collaboration between the NORFACE and HERA networks, coordinated by the NCN in Poland. Additionally, individual programme coordinators from the affiliated funding agencies have taken a more open approach to sharing experiences and opening up to their international colleagues for advice and questions.

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