As part of the EU-funded INNOVADE project (Grant Agreement No. 101178306), Beyond the Horizon is proud to contribute to this comprehensive Interdisciplinary Knowledge Base on Digital Democracy. This deliverable, led by Paderborn University, provides a foundational analysis of how digital technologies are reshaping democratic practices—offering both opportunities for inclusive governance and risks like misinformation and foreign interference.
Authors: Christian Fuchs, Kevin Friesch, Joel Museba (Paderborn University); Laurien Coenen, Victor Werimo (KU Leuven); Octavio Barriuso Varela, Andrés del Alamo Cienfuegos (Fundación Cibervoluntarios); Hasan Suzen (Hybrid Core); Fatih Yilmaz, Derek Metivier, H. Turner (Beyond the Horizon ISSG)
Key Highlights from the Report
The 322-page Knowledge Base explores critical dimensions of digital democracy, including:
- Core Concepts: Defining digital democracy, its models, and the digital public sphere.
- Participation and Tools: Online participation, digital deliberation, open governance, and digital activism.
- Technological Applications: E-voting systems, with a focus on end-to-end verifiability (E2E-V) and electronic identities (eIDAS).
- Global Challenges: Emerging trends such as AI-driven foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), echo chambers, and the erosion of trust in institutions.
- Recommendations: Ten actionable insights, emphasizing the integration of participatory approaches with constitutional safeguards, strengthening open governance (OG), and robust defenses against misinformation.
As lead author Christian Fuchs notes: “If we want to properly shield digital democracy, then we need to know what it is that we want to defend. The questions arise: What is democracy? What is digital democracy? Understanding and advancing digital democracy requires a good understanding of what democracy and digital democracy are all about. This report provides conceptual and analytical foundations for answering these questions.”
This resource combines rigorous research with practical frameworks, making it an essential reference for policymakers, researchers, practitioners, and citizens aiming to build resilient democratic systems in the digital age.
Project Context and Announcement
The Knowledge Base was publicly released on September 15, 2025—International Day of Democracy—via the official INNOVADE Press Release. INNOVADE Coordinator Fatih Yilmaz (Beyond the Horizon) highlighted its timeliness: “The Knowledge Base is a timely and necessary contribution to the debate on digital democracy. As digitalisation reshapes the ways citizens engage with democratic processes, we must ensure that our institutions adapt without compromising democratic values. This resource equips policymakers, practitioners, and civil society with the analytical tools and frameworks needed to build inclusive, transparent, and resilient democratic systems fit for the digital age.”
Reference: INNOVADE Press Release (September 15, 2025). Available at: INNOVADE 2 Press Release.pdf.
The INNOVADE project develops scalable e-participation tools through Living Labs, ensuring outputs meet real-world needs. Stay updated by subscribing to the newsletter at innovade-democracy.eu/newsletter or following on social media:
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Funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101178306. Views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission.
