Rebuilding Democracies through National Dialogue

In the last years, trust in many democratic institutions has further eroded, opening space to increased radicalization, the rise of anti-system political parties, and the spread of disinformation. Citizens are often losing trust, both in public institutions and in each other. This has significant implications for societal cohesion, effective governance, international security, and the ability of nations to build consensus or respond promptly to new risks and opportunities. In places such as Ireland, France, Taiwan, Germany, or Estonia, citizen participation or a deliberative democracy has been tried as a promising long-term remedy. Is it an effective tool, and under what setup? Can it compete with the destructive social media world? And can presidents and national governments use it to rebuild trust?