“Interfaces for Democratic Participation: Deliberation, Mobilization and Contestation Since the Onset of the Covid-19 Pandemic” is a multinational project led in Spain by our colleague Gema García Albacete and funded through a Horizon Europe research grant by the European Commission (HORIZON, 2025–2027).
The project examines how people have participated in politics since the COVID-19 pandemic, a period marked by declining trust in democracy and science, as well as increasing social divisions and inequalities. Its main goal is to understand the different ways in which citizens interact with political institutions and to assess how effectively these interactions allow for genuine citizen participation in decision-making and governance.
To achieve this, the project uses a combination of research methods — large-scale surveys, experiments, data analysis, and fieldwork — to gain a comprehensive understanding of political participation in different contexts. The study is conducted in eight European countries and Tunisia, allowing for a comparison of diverse political realities, including contexts with active opposition to authoritarianism. By analyzing citizen-government interactions, INTERFACED aims to contribute to the improvement of democratic systems and to promote more inclusive participation, particularly among underrepresented or disadvantaged groups. The project will also provide policy recommendations aimed at reducing participation barriers and strengthening democratic legitimacy.
The consortium is coordinated by City, University of London (UK) and includes the following partners:
- Dublin City University (Ireland)
- Edgeryders OU (Estonia)
- European Citizen Action Service (Belgium)
- HUN-REN Centre for Social Sciences, Budapest (Hungary)
- JFRC Fondation Jasmin Ltd. (UK)
- Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main (Germany)
- Københavns Universitet (Denmark)
- Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Spain)
- Università degli Studi di Parma (Italy)
- Universitatea Babeș-Bolyai (Romania)
Duration: 2025 – 2027
Funding: Horizon Europe (Grant Agreement No. 101178268)
Website: interfaced.eu
