In our third Vienna Coffee House Conversation Ivan Vejvoda talks to Wolfgang Merkel, professor emeritus of political science at Berlin's Humboldt University, author and editor of numerous influential books - including 2018's Democracy and Crisis: Challenges in Turbulent Times - and a visiting IWM fellow. Starting with a discussion of his article, "Who Governs in Deep Crises?: The Case of Germany" - published as the world reckoned with the spread of coronavirus in May 2020 - Merkel and Vejvoda discuss the challenges facing and the dynamics at play in democratic societies in times of political and social strife. They address the decline of mainstream parties, the shortfall of representation on one side of a new political divide and the political modesty of Merkel's powerful namesake.
Wolfgang Merkel is on twitter @merkel_wolfgang and his most recent book, Democracy and Crisis: Challenges in Turbulent Times is available from Springer. His 2020 article 'Who Governs in Deep Crises?" can be read at Berghahn.
Ivan Vejvoda is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM where, in cooperation with leading European organisations and think tanks IWM and ERSTE Foundation have joined forces to tackle some of the most crucial topics: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.
The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences. Since its foundation in 1982, it has promoted intellectual exchange between East and West, between academia and society, and between a variety of disciplines and schools of thought. In this way, the IWM has become a vibrant center of intellectual life in Vienna.
The IWM is a community of scholars pursuing advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. For nearly four decades, the Institute has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions of the world. It hosts more than a hundred fellows each year, organizes public exchanges, and publishes books, articles, and digital fora.
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