Social Sciences
The Representative Disconnect: diagnosis and strategies for rectification (REDIRECT)
1 January 2023 - 1 January 2027
PI/s in Exeter: Dr Dario Castiglione
Research partners: Lise Herman, Oliver James, Alice Moseley, and Andrew Schaap.
Sponsor(s): Horizon Programme (and UKRI for the Exeter participation)
About the research
REDIRECT is a four-year research project funded (€3 millions) by the Horizon Programme (and UKRI for the Exeter participation). It aims is to enhance our understanding of the current transformations of representative democracy in Europe at national and supranational level, assessing whether the centre of gravity of democratic representation is shifting away from the traditional forms of political intermediation, such as parties, parliaments, and party-based government, towards other forms of political representation. Its focus is on the representative disconnect, a multidimensional phenomenon of regression of the demos-kratos linkage involving institutional, behavioural and affective components, which risks undermining the trust in and legitimacy of the overall system of democratic representation. The two main questions REDIRECT addresses are: a) what are the nature, scope, aspects and causes of the representative disconnect; and b) how can the current representative disconnect be addressed, ameliorated, and/or rectified? The project comprises seven international partners, from Italy, Belgium, Hungary, Norway, Poland, and the UK.
The Exeter team comprises Dario Castiglione (PI), Lise Herman, Oliver James, Alice Moseley, and Andrew Schaap.