Democracy Café
Can democracy be fixed?
Stories of crisis are everywhere. The RePair Democracy project, by contrast, focuses on hope in the midst of the crisis of democracy. Democracy is more than just election campaigns and party manifestos – democracy is a way of life. Democracy takes place every day on our own doorsteps, and always in the company of others.
Find out how democracy can be restored
Through the ‘Democracy Café’, the RePair Democracy project has developed a format in which citizens can raise and address their concerns regarding what constitutes a good life in their neighbourhood. This enables them either to put specific ideas into practice straight away or to bring them to the attention of local politicians – a social innovation that facilitates participation and ‘repairs’ democracy.
It’s about working together to address the issues on our own doorstep.
"RePair Democracy" research project
1 July 2018 – 31 December 2022
‘Social Innovations as a Testing Ground for Democratic Micro-Practices (RePaD)’ within the Bavarian research consortium ‘For Democracy’ on the future of democracy, funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts (STMWK).
Project Management
Team members
Since 1 January 2023, the Demokratiecafé.de platform has continued to be run by the anstiftung and is supported by academic research in cooperation with Hochschule München.
Selected publications:
Beck, G. & Jende, R. (2022) ‘Caring’ on one’s own doorstep: The politics of sustainability within the terrestrial paradigm. Sociology and Sustainability, 8, 84–105. (Web link)
Jende, R. & Beck, G. (2024) The Democracy Café: If you can’t fix it, you don’t own it! Ecological Economics, 30, 37–41. (Web link)