The Building Blocks for Democracy pilot explores how the key components of democratic systems function — and how they can evolve to meet the challenges of modern times. Its goal is to generate concrete policy recommendations that strengthen democracy’s resilience and adaptability worldwide.
Drawing on DCF’s expertise, the global reach of the Athens Democracy Forum (ADF) and the insights of leading experts and engaged citizens, this initiative sparks a global dialogue on democracy’s future.
How it works
Before each annual Athens Democracy Forum, the Democracy & Culture Foundation organizes five expert roundtables around the world — each dedicated to one of democracy’s core “building blocks”:
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People – the use of deliberative democracy tools
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Executive – balancing power among executive, legislative and judicial branches
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Information – tackling disinformation and exploring how technology can strengthen democracy
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Voting – addressing the uses and misuses of the ballot box
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Money – the power of influence, lobbying, political financing and reform needs
Each roundtable gathers 15–20 participants, including 3 experts, 3 commentators and a rapporteur, guided by a journalist moderator. Together, they identify at least two reform proposals per topic, engage in interactive deliberation and draft actionable policy ideas.
The roundtables took place in:
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Sydney (with the newDemocracy Foundation)
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Seoul (with the Future Consensus Institute / Ban Ki-moon Center for Global Citizens)
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Berlin (with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation)
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Tel Aviv (with Sapienship)
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New York (with the Bertelsmann Foundation)
A sixth roundtable in London (with the EBRD) ensured the internal consistency of the final recommendations. It reviewed all proposals collectively, ensuring they maintain liberal democracy’s institutional balance while remaining forward-looking and practical.
Each roundtable’s outcomes are then tested in citizens’ panels in the same cities, allowing feedback and adjustments. The final results are presented during the Athens Democracy Forum and published in a special global report, distributed to governments, major international organizations (OECD, IMF, World Bank, UN), corporations and media outlets.
The ORBIS Approach
Within this pilot, ORBIS will enhance and expand deliberation through its socio-technical solutions. Its digital tools will:
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Empower citizens and stakeholders to participate in post-roundtable discussions and co-create new ideas.
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Aggregate opinions for and against expert recommendations, identifying areas of consensus or conflict.
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Support experts in refining their proposals using citizen feedback, creating stronger, evidence-based policy recommendations.
This process will make public deliberation broader, more inclusive and more impactful, reinforcing democracy’s legitimacy and trustworthiness.
Expected Impact
Building Block of Democracy will combine top-down expertise with bottom-up citizen engagement to identify how democracy must adapt, evolve and reform in response to today’s challenges.
Through ORBIS technology and DCF’s global convening power, the project will move beyond diagnosing democracy’s vulnerabilities — and start defining concrete, actionable steps to make it more resilient, inclusive and future-proof.
This pilot is based on a DCF original project. Learn more here.
