Institutions and Virtues Necessary for Democracy

SW 27– Institutions and Virtues Necessary for Democracy

Convenor: AMINTAPHIL

Contact: J.McGregor@asu.edu

In our contemporary moment—marked by deep polarization, social fragmentation, and epistemic bubbles—the health of liberal democracy is increasingly under strain. The way back to health might seem to be morelaws or better procedures, more “guardrails”. But liberal, pluralistic democracies cannot be sustained by institutions alone. While laws, voting systems, checks and balances, and even constitutions are
essential, they depend on a citizenry equipped with the virtues and shared norms and institutions necessary to navigate disagreement, respect diversity, and pursue justice. This workshop explores the virtues and institutions necessary for democracy.

Topics may include (but are not limited to):

Institutional Dimensions

• The role of constitutional design in sustaining democratic norms
  •    Judicial independence and its impact on democratic resilience
  •    Electoral systems and their influence on civic virtue
  •    Media institutions and the protection of democratic discourse
  •    Checks and balances: institutional safeguards against authoritarian
  drift
  Virtues and Civic Culture
  •    Civic responsibility and the ethics of participation
  •    Tolerance and pluralism as democratic virtues
  •    Integrity and accountability in public office
  •    The cultivation of trust in democratic societies
  •    Education for democratic citizenship
  Contemporary Challenges
  •    Digital platforms and the erosion or reinforcement of democratic
  virtues
  •    Populism and its effect on institutional stability
  •    Globalization and the transformation of democratic norms
  •    Virtues in times of crisis: resilience during pandemics or violent,
  political conflicts
  •    Intersections of law, politics, and moral philosophy in democratic
  governance

  (Papers accepted for this workshop may be considered for inclusion in
  our volume)