Professor Dr. Brigitte Geißel

Alfried Krupp Senior Fellow
(October 2018 - September 2019) 

  • Born 1962
  • Studied politic science
  • Professor for political science and political sociology, Director of the Research Center ‚Democratic innovations‘ at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main

Fellow project: „The future of democracy between representation and participation – a task-oriented approach“

Debates about the “crisis of representative politics” or even the “death of democracy” are currently as much in vogue as discussions about the “future of democracy” or „democracy after representation“. My project aims at providing a normatively innovative as well as factual approach. Normatively it is based on the conviction that democracies have to fulfill two main tasks, namely collective will-formation and decision making, and a variety of procedures are applicable – elections as well as referenda and other forms of citizens’ involvement. Empirically, the project identifies evidence-based, which (combinations of) old and new democratic procedures are appropriate in order to fulfill these democratic tasks. The project will contribute not only to the academic discussion about the future of democracy, but also to the real world of politics with suggestions for shaping future democratic developments.