Across Europe and beyond, the Covid‑19 pandemic has coincided with declining trust in democratic institutions and science, growing social divisions, and widening inequalities. At the same time, new forms of political participation and civic engagement have emerged, from local mutual aid initiatives to transnational protest movements. This panel is part of INTERFACED’s effort to better understand these changes and the interfaces where citizens and institutions meet in everyday democratic life.
Participants will gain comparative perspectives on post‑pandemic participation and trust, and an opportunity to contribute their own observations to the INTERFACED research.
Why this conversation now?
INTERFACED is a three‑year Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action project that investigates how people participate in politics in eight European countries and Tunisia since the onset of the Covid‑19 pandemic. One of its core concerns is how “interfaces” between citizens and institutions enable or limit meaningful involvement in decision‑making.
Trust in public institutions plays a central role in how these interfaces function. In contexts marked by democratic and scientific mistrust, policy responses to crises, and intensifying inequalities, the question is not only whether people participate, but under what conditions they feel able to rely on institutions.
This conversation brings together researchers and practitioners to discuss emerging insights from different national and thematic contexts, including direct democracy, climate and human rights activism, and post‑pandemic governance.
Event details
- When: Friday 27 March 2026, 15:00–16:30 CET
- Where: Online via Zoom (link sent to registered participants)
- Registration: Participation is free of charge, registration is required to receive the Zoom link: Register here!
Agenda (CET)
- 15:00–15:10 – Opening and introduction
- Bojan Bobic & Veronica Davidov (Edgeryders)
- 15:10–15:50 – Lightning inputs (4 x 10min)
- Flaviana Palmisano (Sapienza University of Rome)
- Caroline Vernaillen (Democracy International)
- Adel Azouni (geologist, researcher and author)
- Nerea Gándara Guerra (Universidad Carlos III of Madrid)
- 15:50–16:10 – Moderated discussion
- Moderation: Veronica Davidov (Edgeryders)
- 16:10–16:25 – Audience Q&A (questions collected via this platform post)
- 16:25–16:30 – Closing and next steps
- Bojan Bobic
How to take part in the discussion and research
To align the event with the INTERFACED research design, we invite you to contribute in two ways:
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Ask a question for the Q&A Please post your question to the speakers as a reply under this topic. During the 15‑minute Q&A, we will base the discussion on questions submitted here.
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Respond to a short research prompt What is the single biggest barrier to trusting public institutions in your local community, and one way to address it? We are collecting brief reflections as qualitative input into INTERFACED’s research and few responses will be selected and featured in the moderated discussion during this panel.
About INTERFACED
INTERFACED is a three‑year Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action funded by the European Research Executive Agency under project number 101178268. It investigates diverse forms of political participation that have emerged since the onset of the Covid‑19 pandemic, with the goal of understanding how interfaces between citizens and representative institutions can support more inclusive, democratic governance.
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