Democracy is only as strong as the discourse and decision-making of its citizens, yet the United States and other countries around the world have slipped into an era of escalating division and distrust.
Ideological divisions and partisanship are rampant. Trust in governmental and civic institutions, in science, and in the media are at record lows. These trends are surfacing at a moment of significant social and technological change that is altering the most basic forms of engagement and debate among citizens.
On Wednesday, June 20, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University will bring together an international group of scholars and practitioners grappling with these issues and searching for solutions for a daylong workshop in Athens, Greece, the birthplace of democracy.