The crises of democracy in and across different societies can be articulated as crises of public spaces. In any theory of democracy, be it electoral, liberal, radical, or otherwise, the public spaces feature prominently as one of the core ingredients for democratic societies. In fact, most constitutions create, require, and/or protect public spaces in one way or another. Our expectations for public spaces are correspondingly high. We expect them to foster and form human relationships, offer everyone equal opportunities to participate, and structure and facilitate public debates, while being safe, activating, and inspiring. This begs the question: Do we expect too much?
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The humanet3 project has been established as a joint research group by the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition, and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development. Its Principal Investigators are Prof. Armin von Bogdandy, Prof. Josef Drexl and Prof. Iyad Rahwan. The research group is led by Erik Tuchtfeld. It receives central funding from the Max Planck Society for the period from 2023 to 2026.