This text has been translated with the assistance of UiO GPT.
– Although democracy is a relatively stable and strong system, we are currently witnessing its fragility. Countries that we have been accustomed to viewing as democratic role models have swiftly altered course towards autocracy, said Katrine Fangen, acting director of UiO:Democracy and professor at the Department of Sociology and Human Geography. She was one of four researchers from the Faculty of Social Sciences who delivered presentations and contributed at the conference.
This is the second time the Democracy Conference has been held, and this year's event was a collaboration between UiO:Democracy and Oslo Science City.
Understanding challenges and sharing knowledge
A significant challenge in our time is, according to Fangen, the normalisation of extreme ideologies.
– Rhetoric and conspiracy theories that previously existed primarily in fringe environments are now being advocated by elected political leaders, wealthy individuals, and online influencers. The Democracy Conference is important to reflect on several questions: How resilient is democracy in 2025? How can we counter the forces that undermine democratic values? How can we strengthen our institutions in the face of authoritarian threats and extreme movements?
The aim of the Democracy Conference is to understand these challenges, to share knowledge, and to find solutions collaboratively, says Fangen.
Her most important message was that when democracy is undermined, it is the responsibility of researchers, politicians, and public commentators not to sit idly by but to both create and disseminate knowledge that can bolster democracy.
Fangen emphasises that a Democracy Conference is particularly crucial in our time.
– We live in an era where the state of democracy is weakening in a long list of countries, social media and new forms of communication contribute to the spread of anti-democratic attitudes, and various international conflicts exacerbate polarisation and insecurity. For me personally, this is also significant, as I have been tracking the development and normalisation of extreme views since the 1990s, says Fangen.
Heading in the wrong direction
Professor at the Department of Political Science, Carl Henrik Knutsen, delivered the keynote address at the conference titled: “Is democracy in retreat?” He delved into the data and statistics and had to summarise that, on the whole, developments are heading in the wrong direction, even if there are some silver linings.
– Democracy has been in decline globally over the last ten years. While most countries - Norway being one example - are roughly as democratic as they were a decade ago, many more countries have experienced a democratic decline than an increase during this period, says Knutsen.
He explains that the most common processes leading to democratic retreat are gradual erosions of democracy "from within," orchestrated by democratically elected leaders who transform the system to consolidate their own power and render it less democratic.
– These are often gradual processes and have occurred relatively more frequently in populous countries than in smaller nations. This trend can reverse, but it depends among other things on what happens in significant countries such as China, the United States, and Russia, he remarks.
Knutsen suggests that the best-case scenario for democracy globally could involve Trump failing in his attempts to alter the democratic landscape, a weakening of China's economy so it no longer presents a similarly attractive authoritarian model for other nations, and Russia losing its military engagement in Ukraine, thereby weakening the Russian regime.
Knutsen highlights that the Democracy Conference is essential because democracy is closely tied to a number of key normative values such as participation, freedom, and political equality, as well as raising awareness about democracy (and any threats against it) and what is required to safeguard it.
– It is vital to uphold and promote these values, as well as other values that democratic governance can indirectly help foster, such as improved living conditions for wide segments of the population.
Young men against immigration
Anders Ravik Jupskås, who is the director of the C-REX Centre for Research on Extremism, addressed how the far right increasingly mobilises young voters, particularly younger men.
– Many of the continent’s youth not only embrace hardline anti-immigration views but also seem prouder than ever to disseminate them. This development raises the question: Why are so many in Europe’s "Gen-Z" and younger "Millennials" adopting what is almost the antithesis of their parents' and grandparents' ideals? Jupskås questions.
He finds it striking that it is their parents and grandparents who largely championed leftist politics and initiated the sexual revolution of the 1960s.
– I pointed out four important factors: economic uncertainty, cultural shifts, social media, and the youth wings of the far right, he adds.
Jupskås insists that a Democracy Conference is crucial because democracy is under pressure in many parts of the world.
– In liberal democracies, it is particularly the far right that undermines central institutions of liberal democracy, whether it be an independent judiciary, free media, or academic freedom. We have seen this for a long time in Hungary. It has just begun in Italy. And if anyone had trouble noticing it before, the man in The White House has made it impossible to ignore. Understanding the driving forces behind this development is vital for maintaining liberal democracy, he states.
Strengthening an inclusive community
Cathrine Thorleifsson is a senior lecturer at the Department of Social Anthropology and has led the government-appointed Commission on Extremism.
– I referred to the Commission on Extremism's official report "Common Efforts Against Extremism." The report highlights the importance of holistic and early prevention, as well as collaboration across various sectors, to enhance democratic preparedness. It is essential to strengthen inclusive communities and actively engage civil society in efforts to prevent anti-democratic extremism and authoritarian trends. Education in critical thinking, democracy, and human rights is also central. Here, the university has a key societal mission, she says.
Thorleifsson believes that a Democracy Conference is important at a time when democracy is under pressure in many countries.
– Many societies are experiencing increased political polarisation, which can threaten democratic dialogue and cooperation. A Democracy Conference creates a platform for dialogue and debate across sectors and among various perspectives, and it can also contribute to developing strategies for strengthening democratic values and rights, says Cathrine Thorleifsson.