DemocracyNext stands at the forefront of a growing movement to build a new approach to decision making in the common interest. At a time when authoritarian forces are trying to centralise power and deepen divisions between people, we are doubling down our efforts to broaden who has power, and show that it’s possible to govern in the common interest across partisan divides. We champion sortition, deliberation, and rotation – the foundations of self-governance, now being rediscovered and put to work in citizens' assemblies around the world.
2025 was our third year. Several threads of our work came together – the conversation about technology, artificial intelligence, and democracy moved from the margins to the centre – and we were there, helping to shape it rather than react to it. We launched a network, wrote and published research, convened the field, and pushed the agenda that is at the frontier of some of the biggest questions facing our societies.
At the same time, our work to build lasting institutions deepened: in Birmingham, Deschutes, Vilnius, in Esch-sur-Alzette, and Kerewan, and in the cooperatives of Mondragon, we have been laying foundations and sowing seeds for the years ahead.
The mood of the moment makes this work more urgent, not less. The 'triple trust' dilemma – where people's trust in institutions, institutions' trust in people, and people's trust in one another are all alarmingly low – is real. But we see it as an opportunity as much as a problem.
We have a leapfrog moment: a chance to build democracies people can be excited about, rather than simply defending a status quo that is failing them.
We are proud of what we achieved in 2025, and deeply grateful to our team, partners, collaborators, and supporters who made it possible. Together, we are building a more just, joyful, and collaborative future where people have meaningful power to shape the decisions that affect their lives.
Another democratic future is possible.
– Claudia Chwalisz, Founder & CEO, DemocracyNext