Prof. John Gastil z Uniwersytetu Stanowego Pensylwanii, Stany Zjednoczone, z wykładem gościnnym 19 maja

Centrum Deliberacji zaprasza na wykład pod tytułem Boosting Democratic Resilience through Better Online Public Engagement: Introducing the Concept of a ‘Democracy Machine’, który prof. John Gastil wygłosi 19 maja 2026 r. w godz. 16:45-18:15, na naszym wydziale, w sali 18 (parter). Wykład odbędzie się w j. angielskim.

Poniżej zamieszczamy wprowadzenie do wykładu i biogram wykładowcy.

Abstract

Around the globe, democracy strains under the weight of polarization, misinformation, public distrust, and authoritarian populist movements. Yet democratic systems can become more resilient when citizens have better ways to learn, deliberate, and participate in government decision making. In this lecture, John Gastil suggests how local and regional governments can strengthen democracy through practical reforms. Drawing on lessons from both democratic innovation and online games and tools, Prof. Gastil introduces the idea of deploying a “Democracy Machine.” This digital network of institutions and technologies could help democratic systems withstand shocks by becoming more open, deliberative, and responsive to the needs of their constituents.

Lecturer’s biography

John Gastil is a Distinguished Professor at Penn State, where he holds appointments in Communication Arts and Sciences, Political Science, and the School of Public Policy. He has led research supported by the National Science Foundation on election reforms, jury deliberation, and how bias shapes public opinion. Prof. Gastil is one of the leading scholars of deliberative democracy and has published articles and books on the subject for three decades. His talk at the University of Warsaw is adapted from his forthcoming book, Rewiring the Democracy Machine: A Call for Changing How We Govern Ourselves Online, which will be published with open public access in 2027 by Temple University Press.

Expert visit under the Action I.1.1/IV.1.1 “Mentoring Programme” within “Excellence Initiative – Research University” at the invitation of the team of the Centre for Deliberation of the Faculty of Sociology, University of Warsaw.