Civil society organizations have an important impact on societies. However, their accountability and the sustainability of their actions is generating much discussion in a global context where the space for civil society is shrinking. Social impact management, from diagnosis and design, to assessment, to strategy, to communication is one of...
Turkey – European Union (EU) relations are at an all times low. The transformation of the Turkish political regime in the aftermath of the failed coup against President Erdogan puts significant pressure on the vision for a common future. Essentially, Turkey’s EU integration process is stalled. The importance of trade...
While the number of democracies has increased globally, their fragility can be easily observed as a new wave of authoritarian and illiberal thinking is driving political leadership in several countries – rich and poor, North and South, East and West. This fragility is peculiar as it affects both established and...
The expansion of the modern state at a global level started with the Peace of Westphalia and is still being consolidated. While states encompass the entire territory of the Globe, the way they work varies substantially across space and time. A subset of statehood experiences is related to the emergence...
A practical guide for NGOs, activists and volunteers about democratic limits of freedom of expression, countering hate speech, fake news and intimidation. Author(s): Stefan Cibian, Silvia Fierascu, Svjetlana Knezevic, Karin Liebhart, Hannes Meissner, Anca Molnos, Laura Ranca, Mariya Yurukova, Christiana Weidel. Download the Brochure here. Freedom of expression is under threat, in...
Stiftung Mercator organized the Winter Forum in Essen on January 10-12, 2020. The Forum brought together alumni from the different programs of the Foundation and facilitated discussions on topics such as intercultural youth exchange, civil society, education, migration, advocacy, research and the future of the European Union. Within the Forum...
The event The Europe of the Post-89ers took place in Berlin on November 6-7, 2019, being organized by Prof. Timothy Garton Ash of the European Studies Center, University of Oxford and by Stiftung Mercator. The event is part of the Dahrendorf Programme for the Study of Freedom, bringing together young researchers...
Laura Ranca and Stefan Cibian participated at the European Conference on Freedom of Expression in Vienna on June 14, 2019. Laura Ranca held a workshop on digital tools for countering disinformation and fake news. The conference was a great occasion to get to know different European and US initiatives that...
Hate speech, fake news, misinformation and disinformation — how does civil society perceive and counter these threats towards democracy? The European Project “Responsibility. Freedom of Expression” aims at identifying and promoting strategic approaches to tackle these challenges today and in the future. The Conference will bring together researchers, experts, activists...
Turkey-Europe Future Forum organized an alumni workshop in Istanbul on March 1-3, 2019 where the state of current relations between Turkey and the EU was discussed. Several project ideas were developed for contributing to improving the relations between Turkey and the EU. With the occasion of the visit, we learned...