Objective
Democracy is under threat across the globe and, increasingly, within the European Union. Populist and authoritarian actors hollow out institutions and normalise illiberal practices. At the heart of this trend lies autocratic appeal—the capacity of authoritarian projects to resonate with citizens. Despite its urgency, the understanding of autocratic appeal remains fragmented. DeAppeal responds with the first comprehensive, interdisciplinary programme to explain why autocratic projects gain traction and to identify the societal and institutional conditions under which democratic appeal can be revived and mobilised. Using the lens of assemblage, the project examines how affective, discursive, and material drivers interact to generate both autocratic and democratic appeal. The project applies this framework across five crucial domains—gender, youth, everyday, institutions, and transnational—to investigate how authoritarian actors generate appeal and how resistance practices can contest authoritarian encroachment while cultivating vibrant democratic imaginaries. DeAppeal combines large-N analysis with in-depth, mixed-methods case research across 16 historical and contemporary contexts in Europe and beyond. A cross-cutting focus on digital authoritarianism and digital resistance further advances scholarship on how data, surveillance, and algorithmic governance reshape the citizen–state relationship. Building on robust evidence, DeAppeal delivers “Tools for thought”—scientific models that advance theory—and “Tools for practice”—co-created interventions developed with citizens, activists, educators, journalists, and policymakers. DeAppeal uses arts-based labs, science scepticism curricular workshops, and media literacy interventions to create strategies that counter (digital) autocratisation. A communication plan with audiovisual outputs and policy engagement ensures findings empower various audiences—from classrooms to EU institutions and global democracy forums.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- social sciences educational sciences didactics
- social sciences sociology governance
- social sciences media and communications journalism
- social sciences political sciences government systems democracy
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.2.2 - Culture, creativity and inclusive society
MAIN PROGRAMME
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HORIZON.2.2.1 - Democracy and Governance
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-CL2-2025-01
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
3000 995 COIMBRA
Portugal
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.