Liberal democratic institutions and values face significant challenges today. Political polarization, declining trust, the erosion of fundamental democratic norms, and the rise of strongman leaders have weakened the post-war consensus. The increasing focus of electoral competition and media discourse on cultural issues has intensified political conflicts and constrained rational deliberation.
The conference “Democracy, Illiberal Alternatives, and Culture Wars”, co-organized by the Political Science Department at Central European University and Georgetown University, sought to address these challenges. The event took place on Monday, May 19, 2025, at CEU’s campus in Vienna. It featured presentations from several researchers involved in the AUTHLIB project, including:
- Zsolt Enyedi – Types of Illiberalism: Elite and Mass Arguments Against Liberal Democracy
- Erin K. Jenne – The New Political Conservatism: The Closing Semantic Space Between Populism, Nationalism, and Religion in Europe and North America
- Carsten Q. Schneider – Detecting Democratic Decline: Political Leaders’ Public Speech as an Early Warning Signal
The conference brought together leading scholars to explore the rising challenges facing liberal democracy today, including the growing appeal of illiberal alternatives, the intensification of culture wars, and the implications of polarization, populism, and religious nationalism.
Find the presentations below. The full program of the event is available here: https://events.ceu.edu/2025-05-19/democracy-illiberal-alternatives-and-culture-wars
Zsolt Enyedi – Types of Illiberalism: Elite and Mass Arguments Against Liberal Democracy
Erin Jenne – The New Political Conservatism
Carsten Q. Schneider – Detecting Democratic Decline
