The next democracy – Lene Hartig Danielsen, Erdem Ovacik, Wolfgang Schmidt // #SFTF

How can democracy catch up with the demands of the 21st century? In
this episode of Signals from the Future, we dive deep into this
urgent question with three voices from across Europe: Erdem Ovacik
author of The Next Democracy, Lene Hartig Danielsen, democracy
practitioner from the City of Aarhus, and Wolfgang Schmidt, Head of
International Affairs for the City of Kiel. Together, they explore
how local governments, new technologies, and citizen engagement
could shape the next generation of democratic systems. Is it enough
to fix what’s broken — or do we need to rethink democracy
altogether? Can data and decentralization make institutions more
responsive and trustworthy? ️ And how do we strengthen democracy
between election days — not just on them? This conversation ranges
from practical reforms in Danish neighborhoods to bold ideas
inspired by tech and systems thinking — and asks what it really
takes to rebuild public trust in the face of global and local
challenges.