Democracy, Governance and Trust

Overview

The call on Democracy, Governance and Trust (DGT) seeks to understand specifically how democracy, governance, and trust are integral to the tackling of both short-term crises and long-term challenges and are themselves a focus of the discontent and disruption facing many societies. It will support research that develops diverse methodological, disciplinary, and cross-national perspectives in relation to these topics, their causes, and dynamics; and builds capacity to respond creatively to these challenges, thereby maximising opportunities to strengthen democracy, governance, and trust for the benefit of all in society. 

We invite interdisciplinary (understood here as the integration of information, data, techniques, tools, perspectives, methodologies, concepts, or theories from two or more disciplines or bodies of specialized knowledge) and innovative research proposals that promise advances in one or several of the following ways: 

1. Improve and innovate our conceptualization and theorization of democracy, governance and trust. 
2. Address topics aimed at collective responses to global challenges for democracy, governance and trust. 
3. Empirically define and describe the opportunities, challenges and crises relevant to democracy, governance and trust from a historical, contemporary, or prospective perspective. 
4. Offer diverse methodological, disciplinary, and cross-national perspectives on these topics. 
5. Study or test interventions (i.e., improving outcomes and making a difference) aimed at enhancing democratic processes, improving governance, and rebuilding trust in formal and informal political systems, economic structures, cultural associations, education and public institutions. 
6. Advance knowledge through co-developing work programs with communities, educators, and key stakeholders in civil society, education and government. 
7. Examine the role of digital media, tools, and technologies in eroding or strengthening democracy, governance and trust and the roles of education, cultural institutions and the law in shaping, facilitating and restraining this role of digital media. 

The DGT call will focus on areas derived from the following nine cross-cutting themes of democracy, governance and trust. 

• Concepts, understandings, and models of democracy, governance and trust 
• Education 
• Media, information, and communication 
• Economies and economic systems 
• Identities, discrimination, marginalization, and inequalities 
• Ecosystems and environments 
• Epistemologies, knowledge, and expertise 
• History and culture 
• Power, authority, and conflict

• Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact their relevant national contact persons and to ensure that all call requirements and eligibility criteria of the funding organizations from which funding is requested are fully met.
• National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) are the participating organizations in 2023.
• Compulsory Notice of Intent to Apply (NOI) is due on 15th September 2023 (no later than midnight BRT) – please use the NOI Form (https://fapesp.br/15999/t-ap-dgt-2023) to submit your intent.
• Full Proposals must be submitted by 6th November 2023 (no later than midnight BRT) via SAGe ( (link will be active week commencing 3 July 2023).