This multi-year program aims to deepen understanding of how political polarization and violence are affecting democratic societies—and to create the conditions for new thinking and collaborative approaches across sectors and countries.
Through a series of structured convenings, cross-national research, and practical exchanges, the program creates space for breakthrough conversations among leading researchers, policymakers, journalists, technologists, and civil society actors. It focuses on both advancing knowledge and identifying practical approaches that can strengthen democratic systems under pressure.
The program aims to:
Develop an International, Interdisciplinary Network
Build a connected community of experts and practitioners working on polarization and political violence across a range of mature democratic systems, facilitating learning and cooperation across sectors and countries.
Define Key Questions to Shape Future Research
Identify and refine the most urgent research questions related to polarization, incitement, and political violence, and contribute to the development of a cross-national research agenda focused on democratic resilience and risk.
Clarify the Drivers and Typologies of Political Violence
Explore the different forms political violence takes — including state-sponsored, state-opposed, and decentralized violence — and how each is influenced by factors such as polarization, identity conflict, and political competition.
Facilitate Breakthrough Conversations Across Divides
Create environments where participants from different backgrounds and perspectives can openly share insights, challenge assumptions, and develop new thinking on what contributes to political violence and how it might be addressed.
Assess Escalating Threats and Democratic Vulnerabilities
Improve understanding of how political violence emerges and spreads within democratic systems, with particular attention to the roles of digital technology, dangerous speech, and hybrid political structures.
Posit Practical Policy and Practice Recommendations
Translate insights into forward-looking recommendations for policymakers, practitioners, and platform leaders on how to better prevent, interrupt, or respond to the rising threats of political violence in democratic settings.
This program seeks not only to respond to immediate concerns but to lay the groundwork for a long-term, systemic response to one of the defining challenges of our democratic age.