Research agenda and future outlook

We live in an increasingly polarised present, looking to a complex and uncertain future while basing our legislative decisions on systems of the past. Policymakers need the processes and structures that underpin their political decision-making to be aligned with the complexities of the 21st century. But knowledge is not the only driver of political decision-making.

Emotions, self-interest, power relations and values all play their role in decision-making and political discourse. Today’s drivers of political behaviour have become more complex, transnational, instrumentalised and agenda-driven than ever, bringing into question the very nature of democracy.

There is a need to better understand and explain the drivers that influence policy decisions and political decision-making, this will help to optimise the way that evidence is used in policymaking. The multi-annual Enlightenment 2.0 research programme seeks to provide the interdisciplinary scientific underpinning to optimise this evolution of the political decision-making process.

The research programme is divided into 4 separate projects that are closely linked to ensure that each initiative benefits from the learnings and outcomes of the others:

Explore projects