The workshop is co-organised by the Max Weber Programme and the "Democracy in the 21st Century" and "Crisis of Expert Knowledge and Authority" EUI Interdisciplinary Research Clusters.
Abstract of the workshop:
In a modern, complex society, knowledge and expertise are said to serve as an essential tool to tackle varieties of societal problems. The reliance on experts and expertise for governing – often dubbed technocracy –, however, is alleged to weaken ties between people and the government, thereby undermining the functioning of democratic politics.
Coming from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, we have organised a workshop on "Technocracy in Time and Space" to revisit this alleged tension between technocracy and democracy, broadly conceived, in different historical and geographical settings. Key research questions to be explored throughout the workshop include: To what extent is technocracy compatible with democracy? Is technocracy displacing democracy across societies? To what extent does democracy rely on technocratic means to operate? Paying renewed attention to technocracy and technocratic forms of governance also invites parallel discussions about populism and ‘technopopulism’ as an alternative form of government. Thus, an inquiry into technocracy can highlight the conditions for, and the viability of, future democracy.
Panel 1 International experiences
- Julia Gray (University of Pennsylvania/EUI)
- Adélie Chevée (EUI)
- May Tamimova (University of Oxford/EUI)
- Discussant: Corinna Unger (EUI)
Panel 2. European experiences
- Paul Dermine (EUI)
- Sebastian Diessner (EUI)
- Johanna Breuer (EUI)
- Discussant: Antoine Vauchez, (CNRS, Paris 1 – Sorbonne/EUI)
Panel 3. Innovation, Regulation, Policy-Making: (Un)Orthodox Approaches to Technocratic Governance
- Martin Kohlrausch (KU Leuven)
- Diane Stone (EUI)
- Claudio Radaelli (EUI) and Roberto Baldoli (UCL)
- Discussant: Takuya Onoda (EUI)
Panel 4. Roundtable: Technocratic governance in Italy and Europe: 100 days of the Draghi administration
- Erik Jones (EUI)
- Giulia Pastorella (Azione/Zoom)
- Paolo Graziano (University of Padova)
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Hybrid event: Refectory, Badia and Online (Zoom)
Due to limited space in presence, seats will be granted on a first-come-first-served basis. If you wish to attend in person, please write an email to [email protected].
The Zoom link will be sent upon registration by 28 May (4pm). After the Registration's deadline, please send an email to [email protected]