Democratic Governance in a Multipolar World: Geopolitical Shifts, Institutional Resilience and the Future of Global Order

The contemporary international system is undergoing a profound transformation characterized by the diffusion of global power, intensifying geopolitical competition, declining confidence in established multilateral institutions, and the growing political influence of emerging powers. As the international order moves toward greater multipolarity, democratic governance is increasingly shaped not only by domestic political dynamics but also by external strategic pressures, economic dependencies, technological disruption, security challenges, and competing models of political authority. These developments raise important questions about the capacity of democratic institutions to remain resilient, legitimate, and responsive in an increasingly fragmented global environment.
This panel discusses the link between multipolarity and the evolving character of democracy. It aims to understand how geopolitical realignment, great-power competition, regional power transition, and institutional change in global institutions are impacting democratic practices, political accountability, state capacity, institutional trust and governance effectiveness. Governments will be examined in particular for how they manage tensions between national sovereignty, strategic autonomy, democracy and involvement in an emergent international order.
The panel further explores the challenges to institutional resilience posed by democratic backsliding, political polarization, populism, disinformation and economic insecurity, technology and increasing security threats. The panel highlights democratic resilience as more than just the survival of democratic institutions, but as a reflection of how democratic institutions change, innovate and react to new domestic and international challenges.
The panel, combines work in the fields of democracy, geopolitics, comparative politics and international relations and global governance, and it will contribute to a multi-faceted approach to the question of how power shifts are influencing governance. Finally, it aims to evaluate the potential for a more multipolar world to both undermine democratic norms and institutions, and to make space for more pluralistic, representative, resilient and inclusive patterns of governance at the national and international levels.