Democracy – EURA

Democracy

28/02/2026

#81 Cities against democratic backsliding

In Conversation #81, Marta Lackowska explores how democratic backsliding is often accompanied by “subsidiarity backsliding”, as central governments weaken local autonomy through recentralization, financial pressure, and political control. Drawing on recent examples from Hungary, Poland, Turkey and beyond, she shows how cities are resisting these pressures and defending democracy through legal action, coalition-building, public communication, and progressive local policies.

25/01/2026

#80 Standing up for democracy and internationalism

The editors have invited me to write this, the 80th contribution to our series of international EURA Conversations. This is an honour for me. The downside is that they have asked me to provide some overall reflections on the series and on possible ways forward. Given the sheer diversity of contributions this is a bit of a challenge!

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