CARRD - The Center for Applied Research on Risks to Democracy
The Center for Applied Research on Risks to Democracy, Tel Aviv University
The constitutional crisis that Israel has been facing since early 2023, which was exacerbated by a major military conflict that began in October 2023, along with the general wave of democratic backsliding around the world, highlights the fragility of democracy. These events demonstrate the urgent need to treat democratic institutions not as givens, but rather as entities that depend on public trust and are inclusive and accountable to all.
The deep understanding underlying the establishment of the Center is that the struggle for democracy is a constant one, and new answers must be sought to address emerging challenges. This is particularly necessary as the post-1945 faith in formal constitutions and courts as effective tools to secure democracy has been undermined in many countries. Divisive leaders have successfully delegitimized those institutions as non-representative, elitist bodies.
Israel is particularly vulnerable to the onslaught against democratic institutions as its society is deeply divided, and mutual mistrust is pervasive. Some regard certain groups (e.g., Palestinian citizens) as illegitimate partners, others – such as the Haredi communities – reject the very commitment to democracy, while still others are deeply divided over the meaning of democracy (whether liberal or not). Another fundamental divide exists regarding the territorial scope of the democratic state. These deep social divisions play out within a legal system that lacks a written constitution and whose institutional checks on political leaders are frail. The result is a uniquely fragile democracy, prone to manipulations by populist leaders who wish to consolidate their power.
Against this backdrop, Tel Aviv University (TAU) launches this ambitious initiative. The basic challenge that motivates the center is to identify and diagnose the challenges facing democracy in Israel and design the tools that can address them, thus creating ways to renew trust in the possibility of democratic decision-making and trust in public institutions. The center will respond to this challenge by (a) promoting innovative, applied and multidisciplinary research regarding the main problems facing Israeli society while learning about similar or other problems that exist in other democratic societies, (b) pursuing applied research to understand and solve those problems, and (c) developing tools for intervening in society by disseminating knowledge in the form of educational tools for instilling democratic values and empowering civil society initiatives aimed at rebuilding social and political trust.
Non-partisan in nature and with a focus on liberal democratic values, the Center will foster and promote innovative, applied, and multidisciplinary research that approaches democracy from diverse perspectives. At the same time, it will seek to cultivate a new cadre of leaders, teachers, and innovators equipped with a ‘democracy toolkit’ for the study and teaching of democracy.
Recognizing that the threats to democracy are manifold, the Center will leverage TAU’s global standing and uniquely multidisciplinary research culture to galvanize an entire community of scholars from across campus – as well as from overseas institutions. TAU and its President, Professor Ariel Porat, view the establishment of the Center as a top priority and the flagship project for boosting the positive impact of academia on a free, democratic, and pluralistic society.
