Latest News:
We are pleased to welcome several new members to the Portulans Democracy Project’s growing team!
Ana Luisa de Moraes Azenha (Postdoctoral Researcher) is a researcher specializing in participatory and digital democracy. She holds a PhD in Political Science from Humboldt University of Berlin, and brings extensive experience from projects such as the LATINNO database on democratic innovations in Latin America (Berlin Social Science Centre), the DigiPartIndex on digital participation (Centre for Democracy Aarau and Procivis), and research on victim participation in post-war justice processes (University of Konstanz).
Marcel Stolz (AI Lab Research Fellow) studied computer science at the University of Bern (BSc and MSc), with a minor degree in musicology. He continued his studies at the University of Oxford, where he pursued a DPhil (PhD) in cybersecurity. Alongside his studies, Marcel has worked on national policy recommendations with Oxford’s Global Cybersecurity Capacity Centre (GCSCC) and as a short-term consultant for the World Bank Group.
Grant Blank (Research Fellow) is a sociologist specializing in the social and cultural impact of the Internet, the digital divide, statistical and qualitative methods, and cultural sociology. He was the Survey Research Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute and Senior Research Fellow of Harris Manchester College at the University of Oxford.
Aras Coskuntuncel (Research Fellow) is a researcher and instructor who completed his Ph.D. at American University in communication, studying the struggle to control the flow of information in the digital era in the case of Turkey. Aras was a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Media and Social Impact (CMSI), where he led and contributed to multiple award-winning research projects. His research explores the relationships among media, technology, and democracy.
 
Paper: Democratic Innovations of the Digital Age – The Portulans Democracy Project
Democratic innovations offer a potential for addressing democratic backsliding. This latest working paper introduces the concept of democratic innovations and key issues raised by earlier research. It describes a new approach proposed to classify innovations in democratic processes and institutions and critically study a selected set of cases at multiple levels of analysis, including surveys of public innovations in participation.
 

About the Project
The Portulans Institute is pleased to share that we are launching an exciting new research initiative focused on the future of democracy. The Portulans Democracy Project (PDP) aims to contribute to the global enhancement of democratic institutions, processes, and practices worldwide.
While much discussion worldwide has focused on concerns over democratic backsliding, erosion of trust, and other risks to democracy, this project will focus on the rise of information and communication initiatives that could improve democratic structures and processes. The PDP will identify contemporary but truly novel initiatives at various stages of implementation from anywhere in the world – from actors (e.g., platforms) and institutions to local, national, and regional levels. What are the most innovative types of democratic initiatives and the most potentially transformative among each type? This project aims to shift the narrative and the attention of research to the potential for innovations in democratic processes and institutions as well as providing examples for policy and practice.
The PDP aims to move beyond conventional metrics to identify and analyze forward-looking innovations across diverse levels of governance. Through rigorous research, cross-sector engagement, and the development of accessible, policy-relevant outputs, the PDP seeks to document these innovations and assess their potential to contribute to democratic resilience.
This first phase of the project will focus on the identification and categorization of various democratic initiatives (e.g. government-citizen communication, new approaches to independent journalism, democratic Internet platforms, ‘democratic-AI’), highlighting key examples and best practices. Standout innovations within each category will then be examined through in-depth case studies to critically assess their transformative potential.
While anchored primarily in case studies, this research will also draw on multiple methods, including targeted searches and expert interviews to identify the most promising innovations. The research will be complemented by a set of workshops and forums to critically discuss the current status and potential of democratic innovations.
This research will be supported by the development of a streamlined Democratic Resilience Lab at the Portulans Institute. The Lab’s objective is to develop an AI-enhanced tool that utilizes natural language processing (NLP) analyses to better help understand identified  democratic innovations and their components. This tool will help assess democratic innovations  in relation to existing indicators of democratic performance, such as those provided by Freedom House, the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem), and the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Unlike national indices, this study will examine innovations at all levels of governance in a more dynamic way.
In the months ahead, we will be sharing early findings and, and inviting participation in workshops. If you’re working on or aware of a democratic initiative that deserves attention—or simply want to follow the project’s progress—we invite you to stay connected through the Portulans Institute website and LinkedIn. Feedback, suggestions, and ideas are welcome and can be shared by contacting the team at democracy@portulansinstitute.org
The Research Team
William H. Dutton (Project Lead) is a political scientist focused on Internet studies. Professor Dutton has studied democratic innovations from the first electronic city hall in the 1980s to his recent work on the power shift of the digital age, The Fifth Estate (OUP, 2023).
Dr. Rafael Escalona Reynoso (AI Lab Lead) serves as the CEO of Portulans Institute. In this role, he leads numerous high-profile projects, such as the production of the Network Readiness Index (NRI) and of various regional projects focused on technology, innovation, and human capital development. Rafael possesses a PhD in Regional Planning from Cornell University with a focus on Science and Technology Studies and Risk Analysis. He also has a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Science, Technology, and Infrastructure Policy.
Margaret van Wassenaer (Project Manager) is a researcher focusing on democratic innovation, institutional resilience, and the role of emerging technologies in shaping governance worldwide. With prior experience in global development and sustainability, she has managed large, multi-country initiatives with organizations including RTI International, CARE USA, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), and Cornell University, advancing evidence-based policy and systems-level change across sectors. She has also lectured at Cornell University, held consultancies at the World Bank and the United Nations, published case studies on international SMAEs, and has worked extensively in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Margaret holds an M.P.A. from Cornell University and a B.S. in Molecular Genetics and International Studies from the State University of New York at Fredonia and is committed to applying research and technology to build more inclusive, transparent, and resilient democracies.
Ana Luisa de Moraes Azenha (Postdoctoral Researcher) is a researcher specializing in participatory and digital democracy. She holds a PhD in Political Science from Humboldt University of Berlin, where her dissertation examined the outcomes and impacts of crowdsourcing legislative initiatives across Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. She brings extensive experience from projects such as the LATINNO database on democratic innovations in Latin America (Berlin Social Science Centre), the DigiPartIndex on digital participation (Centre for Democracy Aarau and Procivis), and research on victim participation in post-war justice processes (University of Konstanz).
Marcel Stolz (AI Lab Research Fellow) studied computer science at the University of Bern (BSc and MSc), with a minor degree in musicology. He continued his studies at the University of Oxford, where he pursued a DPhil (PhD) in cybersecurity. Alongside his studies, Marcel has worked on national policy recommendations with Oxford’s Global Cybersecurity Capacity Centre (GCSCC) and as a short-term consultant for the World Bank Group.
Grant Blank (Research Fellow) is a sociologist specializing in the social and cultural impact of the Internet, the digital divide, statistical and qualitative methods, and cultural sociology. He was the Survey Research Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute and Senior Research Fellow of Harris Manchester College at the University of Oxford.
Aras Coskuntuncel (Research Fellow) is a researcher and instructor who completed his Ph.D. at American University in communication, studying the struggle to control the flow of information in the digital era in the case of Turkey. Aras was a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Media and Social Impact (CMSI), where he led and contributed to multiple award-winning research projects. His research explores the relationships among media, technology, and democracy.
Lisa Chernenko (Associate Researcher) is a DPhil candidate in Social Data Science at the Oxford Internet Institute, Associate Researcher and a Project Lead in the Portulans Institute, where she works as part of the Democratic Innovations and Ukraine Case Studies teams. Her doctoral research is funded by the OII Shirley Scholarship and a Dieter Schwarz Foundation stipend. Lisa’s doctoral research explores strategies to counteract dehumanisation in hostile intergroup dynamics.
Funding for this Research
We extend our gratitude to Vanguard Charitable for supporting this work.
Roundtables, Workshops, and Forums
The project is in the process of organizing its first roundtable on innovations in democracies across the world. It will be held in Oxford but organized as a hybrid event to bring in remote contributions. The first roundtable will focus on identifying the major areas of innovations in the informational and communicative innovations in democratic institutions and practices.
Working Papers and Publications
Dutton, W. H.,“Democratic Innovations of the Digital Age: The Portulans Democracy Project” https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5395022
Dutton, W. H., and Chernenko, L, (in progress), “Models of Power Shifts of the Digital
Age: Reinforcement, Monitorial Citizenship, and the Fifth Estate”, for the De Gruyter
Handbook of Digital Politics.
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