The European University Institute (EUI) and the Scuola Normale Superiore (SNS) have signed a convention establishing BackDem, a new inter-university research centre on democratic backsliding. The agreement was signed by Prof. Erik Jones, Director of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies (RSCAS), on behalf of the EUI, and by Prof. Alessandro Schiesaro, Director of the Scuola Normale Superiore. This initiative builds on a long-standing and well-established tradition of academic cooperation between the two institutions.
BackDem is designed as a collaborative research hub for studying democratic backsliding and its resistance, bringing together researchers from across disciplinary boundaries — including party politics, contentious politics, comparative politics, policy studies, and the study of public opinion, norms, and polarisation — to examine how different democratic systems transform and become vulnerable over time, as well as how they resist and adapt. The centre takes an explicitly cross-regional approach, with a focus on Europe, Latin America, and the United States, and a critical perspective that foregrounds diversity across class, race, gender, ethnicity, and other dimensions.
The centre will carry out research, training, and dissemination activities. These include the organisation of seminars, conferences, workshops, and other scientific events; the development of publications and academic journals to support the systematic dissemination of research findings; and the promotion of exchanges with other national and international research groups and centres. BackDem also supports early-career researchers through an intensive seasonal school, and will create shared educational opportunities for students at various degree levels.
Other universities and research centres may apply to join BackDem, as may individual scholars and experts working in relevant fields. The centre is governed by a Board of Directors, composed of representatives from the founding institutions, and a Scientific Committee. The convention is valid for five years and is renewable.
The EUI contact for the centre is Lorenzo Cicchi, Co-Director of the European Governance and Policy Centre, which will host the project within the RSCAS. The SNS contact is Prof. Manuela Caiani, Associate Professor at the Scuola Normale Superiore.