DemocracyNet Podcast

Democracy is studied from a wide variety of approaches. Yet, the different discourses on democracy offered by these disciplines seem to be drifting apart, missing opportunities to gain from each other. The reason for this situation might lie in the fact that many questions about how to relate one discipline to another are rarely discussed explicitely. Linked to an event series organized by young researchers members of the association DemocracyNet.eu in 2015-16 at the University of Zurich, this series of podcasts is meant as an opportunity to discuss openly and informally about these - and other - questions. Democracy: Bridging Facts and Norms gathers the different perspectives of advanced scholars on the question of how to brige (normative) political theory and empirical political science. What should the relation between political theory and empirical political science research on democracy be like? Should we ‘compromise’ on ideals when we assess the quality of real-existing democracies? What role should democracy scholars play in public discussions, and what are their responsibilities? More information on the project and the event series on our homepage www.democracynet.eu