Politik und Gesellschaft

In recent years, authoritarian and semi-authoritarian states have used technological advancements to extend influence or control over “their” diaspora for political purposes. Recent examples of this are troubling: as the long arms of authoritarian states increasingly undermine social cohesion and democratic values, the need for adequate policy responses in democratic states has become urgent.

The rise of populism and the growing political polarization in advanced economies has exposed the phenomenon of spatial inequality. Globalization and digitalization amplify spatial inequalities by further concentrating “gains” and “losses.” For policymakers, confronting this complex problem without promising a “return to the past” is the challenge of our time.

Populism has taken an illiberal turn. Protecting liberal, pluralist societies from the threat of illiberal populism will require deep reforms to our education, communications, and political systems.

The small country of Austria where 2016 did not entail a win for the far-right might have some lessons for liberals who fear a dire 2017.