The Center for Advanced Studies at LMU provides a forum for scientific exchange and discussion that bridges the divide between the established disciplines. Its activities are designed to promote all forms of collaborative research and to stimulate interdisciplinary communication within the University. In addition, it facilitates the integration of visiting scholars and scientists into the academic life of the University.
The assertion that democracy is now in a state of crisis can scarcely be denied. However, the precise nature of this crisis is seldom discussed. Is it democracy as a form of government that is at risk – or might it be the case that specific types of democracy with particular vulnerabilities are potentially endangered? Even the diagnostic toolkit that political scientists generally use to assess a democracy's state of health has so far shed very little light on how the “crisis” can be reliably characterized. This is a problematic state of affairs because, in a period marked by a general sense of crisis, an academic discipline that focuses on defining internal standards of validation rather than on provoking external reactions is sorely needed.
Philip Manow is Professor of Comparative Political Economy at the University of Bremen.
Moderator: Prof. Dr. Karsten Fischer (LMU)
The event will be conducted in German. For further information, see the CAS website.