We are pleased to announce the publication of the report Universities and the Future(s) of Representative Democracy, which presents the findings of a one-day policy seminar held in Brussels on 21 November 2025. The seminar was co-organized by the REDIRECT Project in partnership with the Coimbra Group of European Universities as part of the network’s 40th anniversary celebrations. The event brought together university leaders, academics, students, policymakers, journalists and representatives from European institutions to reflect on how universities can contribute to democratic resilience in times of polarization and declining institutional trust.
The seminar started from a broad diagnosis of “representative disconnect” — the widening gap between citizens and democratic institutions — and examined how higher education institutions can serve as key actors in strengthening democratic attachment, civic engagement, and informed public deliberation. Keynote speakers emphasized the responsibility of universities to model democratic values in their internal governance, pedagogy and public engagement, while warning against growing affective polarization, anti-scientific attitudes and the underrepresentation of younger generations in democratic life.
A central component of the seminar was a breakout session developed in collaboration with the REDIRECT Project, dedicated to exploring how universities might contribute to repairing or rethinking democratic representation. Drawing on REDIRECT’s analytical framework, participants reflected on three core conditions for a functioning system of democratic representation: the existence of a public space for competition and deliberation; the importance of interactive decision-making; and the effective reception of bottom-up claims within the broader representative ecology.
Discussion also addressed empirical indicators such as turnout, satisfaction with democracy, trust in institutions, intergenerational divides and polarization, as well as the potential role of civic education, participatory tools and cross-disciplinary initiatives in supporting democratic reconnection.
Despite largely pessimistic assessments of the current state of representative democracy, the seminar revealed broad consensus on the need for universities to play a more active role. Recommendations included strengthening bottom-up discussions of democratic values in classrooms, expanding active learning and cross-disciplinary activities, promoting deliberative practices in collaboration with local institutions, and simplifying democratic processes to make them more intelligible and inclusive for younger generations.
Overall, the seminar confirmed that universities can serve as laboratories for democratic innovation, reconnection and redirection. By integrating governance reforms, innovative teaching practices, research dissemination and civic engagement, higher education institutions can contribute to the renewal of representative democracy in Europe.
The full report is now available for consultation and download.
Date: 15 January 2026
Location: Brussels, Belgium
Partner: University of Siena (UNISI)
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