Stefan Roch
@stefan2710.bsky.social
Projectmanager NewDemocracy project @BertelsmannStiftung
> (Digital) Democracy
> (Innovative) Citizen Participation
> (Geeky) Boardgames
> (Digital) Democracy
> (Innovative) Citizen Participation
> (Geeky) Boardgames
The Nobel Price for literature goes to “the contemporary Hungarian master of apocalypse”. How fitting.
But a great choice none the less.
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...
But a great choice none the less.
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...
László Krasznahorkai wins the Nobel prize in literature 2025
Hungarian novelist celebrated for dystopian, melancholic novels that ‘reaffirm the power of art’
www.theguardian.com
October 9, 2025 at 9:23 PM
The Nobel Price for literature goes to “the contemporary Hungarian master of apocalypse”. How fitting.
But a great choice none the less.
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...
But a great choice none the less.
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...
#Wethepeople is a fascinating process started in the US last month.
Citizens from every congressional district will express and develop their ideas on fundamental democratic topics with help of GenAI and reflect on ideas of others.
Looking forward to first results.
wethepeople-250.org
Citizens from every congressional district will express and develop their ideas on fundamental democratic topics with help of GenAI and reflect on ideas of others.
Looking forward to first results.
wethepeople-250.org
We The People
We The People invites Americans from across the nation into conversation, to voice their opinions on America’s founding ideals and today's challenges, in their own words.
wethepeople-250.org
October 6, 2025 at 12:50 PM
#Wethepeople is a fascinating process started in the US last month.
Citizens from every congressional district will express and develop their ideas on fundamental democratic topics with help of GenAI and reflect on ideas of others.
Looking forward to first results.
wethepeople-250.org
Citizens from every congressional district will express and develop their ideas on fundamental democratic topics with help of GenAI and reflect on ideas of others.
Looking forward to first results.
wethepeople-250.org
Bernd #lastweektonight
YouTube video by LastWeekTonight
youtube.com
September 25, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Brilliant podcast by David Runciman and @cchwalisz.bsky.social asking all the right questions on deliberation, random selection and citizen assemblies. Best enjoyed in combination with @oliverescobar.bsky.social insightful paper: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!
David talks to @cchwalisz.bsky.social, founder & CEO of Democracy Next, about how citizens’ assemblies could help fix what’s wrong with democracy. Where does the idea of a jury of citizens chosen at random to answer political questions come from?
Find us at...🎧 ppfideas.com
David talks to @cchwalisz.bsky.social, founder & CEO of Democracy Next, about how citizens’ assemblies could help fix what’s wrong with democracy. Where does the idea of a jury of citizens chosen at random to answer political questions come from?
Find us at...🎧 ppfideas.com
September 22, 2025 at 7:17 AM
Brilliant podcast by David Runciman and @cchwalisz.bsky.social asking all the right questions on deliberation, random selection and citizen assemblies. Best enjoyed in combination with @oliverescobar.bsky.social insightful paper: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
We are going to have to live here with each other
In Germany as in the US, this is one foundational idea that:
- needs consensus in our democracy (we can argue/fight about most of the rest)
- is currently under heavy attack,
- is were democratic renewal starts.
In Germany as in the US, this is one foundational idea that:
- needs consensus in our democracy (we can argue/fight about most of the rest)
- is currently under heavy attack,
- is were democratic renewal starts.
September 18, 2025 at 10:53 AM
We are going to have to live here with each other
In Germany as in the US, this is one foundational idea that:
- needs consensus in our democracy (we can argue/fight about most of the rest)
- is currently under heavy attack,
- is were democratic renewal starts.
In Germany as in the US, this is one foundational idea that:
- needs consensus in our democracy (we can argue/fight about most of the rest)
- is currently under heavy attack,
- is were democratic renewal starts.
Reposted by Stefan Roch
Die Figuren des Horst Krause sind etwa so sehr Teil meiner inneren Heimat wie für andere Ostdeutsche Ute Freudenberg oder für Westdeutsche Asterix. Das hat vor allem mit einem einzigen Film zu tun: „Schultze gets the blues“.
(1/2)
(1/2)
Fernsehen: "Polizeiruf"-Schauspieler Horst Krause gestorben
Der durch seine Rolle als Fernseh-Dorfpolizist bekannte Schauspieler Horst Krause ist tot. Er starb im Alter von 83 Jahren.
www.zeit.de
September 8, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Die Figuren des Horst Krause sind etwa so sehr Teil meiner inneren Heimat wie für andere Ostdeutsche Ute Freudenberg oder für Westdeutsche Asterix. Das hat vor allem mit einem einzigen Film zu tun: „Schultze gets the blues“.
(1/2)
(1/2)
Großer Film, und eine große Identifikationsfigur des Ostens, ohne jemals stereotypischer „Ossi“ zu sein.
RIP Horst Krause.
RIP Horst Krause.
Adieu Horst Krause. 🖤
Und Danke für Schultze Gets The Blues
Und Danke für Schultze Gets The Blues
September 8, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Großer Film, und eine große Identifikationsfigur des Ostens, ohne jemals stereotypischer „Ossi“ zu sein.
RIP Horst Krause.
RIP Horst Krause.
Ja! ähnlich @ezrakleinbot.bsky.social Buch #abundance.
"Vielleicht liegt der Weg, mehr Menschen zu erreichen, darin, (...) zu zeigen, dass Dinge möglich sind, an die sie selbst nicht geglaubt hätten. (...) Rechtsextreme können nur zerstören, die Aufgabe der Linken ist es, Dinge zu erfinden"
"Vielleicht liegt der Weg, mehr Menschen zu erreichen, darin, (...) zu zeigen, dass Dinge möglich sind, an die sie selbst nicht geglaubt hätten. (...) Rechtsextreme können nur zerstören, die Aufgabe der Linken ist es, Dinge zu erfinden"
Ich hab auf Jens Jessens These in der ZEIT geantwortet, die Linken seien Schuld am Aufstieg der Rechten.
(Geschenklink)
www.zeit.de/politik/deut...
(Geschenklink)
www.zeit.de/politik/deut...
Links sein: Reden wir von denselben Menschen?
Ist die Linke selber schuld am Rechtsruck, wie ZEIT-Autor Jens Jessen schreibt? Nein. Nur uralte Lastenrad-Klischees abzufeiern, ist einfach zu wenig.
www.zeit.de
September 3, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Ja! ähnlich @ezrakleinbot.bsky.social Buch #abundance.
"Vielleicht liegt der Weg, mehr Menschen zu erreichen, darin, (...) zu zeigen, dass Dinge möglich sind, an die sie selbst nicht geglaubt hätten. (...) Rechtsextreme können nur zerstören, die Aufgabe der Linken ist es, Dinge zu erfinden"
"Vielleicht liegt der Weg, mehr Menschen zu erreichen, darin, (...) zu zeigen, dass Dinge möglich sind, an die sie selbst nicht geglaubt hätten. (...) Rechtsextreme können nur zerstören, die Aufgabe der Linken ist es, Dinge zu erfinden"
50 years after his death, Shostakovich reminds us that in authoritarian regimes, resistance & conformity often intertwine. Politics may be painted black & white, but people live and create in shades of grey. He was a genius whose art was shaped by his own ambiguities. youtu.be/c1j5IOZmh6g?...
Shostakovich / F. Noack : Waltz No.2 | F. Noack, piano
YouTube video by Florian Noack
youtu.be
August 9, 2025 at 8:56 PM
50 years after his death, Shostakovich reminds us that in authoritarian regimes, resistance & conformity often intertwine. Politics may be painted black & white, but people live and create in shades of grey. He was a genius whose art was shaped by his own ambiguities. youtu.be/c1j5IOZmh6g?...
„The statistical fixation of the early 21st century that’s made so many bad predictions and fathered so many puzzling defeats must be abandoned. We are not in an era of small calculations but of great movements.“
I've had it with data.—
www.unpopularfront.news/p/against-po...
www.unpopularfront.news/p/against-po...
Against Polling
It's 90% Bullshit
www.unpopularfront.news
August 6, 2025 at 5:13 PM
„The statistical fixation of the early 21st century that’s made so many bad predictions and fathered so many puzzling defeats must be abandoned. We are not in an era of small calculations but of great movements.“
Lessons from Hungary for the US: „(To the) nation’s great (…) institutions: The illusion that you are smarter than the strongman, that you’ll outmaneuver him with silent cleverness, is just that — an illusion. Now, more than ever, your principled leadership matters.“ www.nytimes.com/2025/07/23/o...
Opinion | I Watched It Happen in Hungary. Now It’s Happening Here.
www.nytimes.com
July 23, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Lessons from Hungary for the US: „(To the) nation’s great (…) institutions: The illusion that you are smarter than the strongman, that you’ll outmaneuver him with silent cleverness, is just that — an illusion. Now, more than ever, your principled leadership matters.“ www.nytimes.com/2025/07/23/o...
A highly thought-provoking article, thanks for that @oliverescobar.bsky.social !
"Democratic innovations are conflated with deliberative democracy in policy and civil society discourses, media coverage, and even scholarly accounts (...). (This) reduces the actual diversity of the field."
"Democratic innovations are conflated with deliberative democracy in policy and civil society discourses, media coverage, and even scholarly accounts (...). (This) reduces the actual diversity of the field."
🤔 What's the point of democratic innovation? Can it address crurrent crises and build democracies for the future?
💡In this new article @adrianbua.bsky.social and I argue that the field needs to strengthen its change-making orientation and capacity. Open access 👉🏼 journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
💡In this new article @adrianbua.bsky.social and I argue that the field needs to strengthen its change-making orientation and capacity. Open access 👉🏼 journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Democratic innovation for change: A participatory corrective to deliberative hegemony - Oliver Escobar, Adrian Bua, 2025
The world faces social, political, economic, and ecological crises, and there is doubt that democratic governance can cope. Democracies rely on a narrow set of ...
journals.sagepub.com
July 18, 2025 at 8:24 AM
A highly thought-provoking article, thanks for that @oliverescobar.bsky.social !
"Democratic innovations are conflated with deliberative democracy in policy and civil society discourses, media coverage, and even scholarly accounts (...). (This) reduces the actual diversity of the field."
"Democratic innovations are conflated with deliberative democracy in policy and civil society discourses, media coverage, and even scholarly accounts (...). (This) reduces the actual diversity of the field."
Aweful.
July 18, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Aweful.
Reposted by Stefan Roch
Designing social media to improve public dialogue is possible. Better yet, platforms like Pol.is and Rappler Communities are already operational.
www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/soci...
www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/soci...
Social media can support or undermine democracy — it comes down to how it’s designed
Platform design is a silent pilot steering human behavior.
www.niemanlab.org
July 7, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Designing social media to improve public dialogue is possible. Better yet, platforms like Pol.is and Rappler Communities are already operational.
www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/soci...
www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/soci...
Reposted by Stefan Roch
Bowling Green, Kentucky, is home to 75,000 residents who recently wrapped up an experiment in using AI for democracy: Can an online polling platform, powered by machine learning, capture what residents want to see happen in their city?
A small US city experiments with AI to find out what residents want
Residents of Bowling Green, Kentucky, used machine learning to shape civic debate. The real test is whether the government acts on the results.
www.technologyreview.com
April 15, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Bowling Green, Kentucky, is home to 75,000 residents who recently wrapped up an experiment in using AI for democracy: Can an online polling platform, powered by machine learning, capture what residents want to see happen in their city?
Reposted by Stefan Roch
Bluesky's near-consensus that AI doesn't work and won't be a technology that has major knock-on effects on society is…not grounded in reality. No mater how loudly and repetitively people say it.
I’m just a tech critic, standing in front of other tech critics, asking them to please stop insisting that the AI hype bubble is totally gonna collapse any minute now.
Your confidence is making it harder for the rest of us. It may be what your audience wants to hear, but that doesn’t make it true.
Your confidence is making it harder for the rest of us. It may be what your audience wants to hear, but that doesn’t make it true.
July 1, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Bluesky's near-consensus that AI doesn't work and won't be a technology that has major knock-on effects on society is…not grounded in reality. No mater how loudly and repetitively people say it.
🌈💪💪🏻💪🏽💪🏿🌈
June 28, 2025 at 9:50 AM
🌈💪💪🏻💪🏽💪🏿🌈
Quite disenchanting, but highly informative and rich forecasting report on the future of AI: ai-2027.com
To all deliberative democrats around here, it is a particular pun that the authors have given their vision of the ultimate global AI doomsday machine the name "Consensus-1".
To all deliberative democrats around here, it is a particular pun that the authors have given their vision of the ultimate global AI doomsday machine the name "Consensus-1".
AI 2027
A research-backed AI scenario forecast.
ai-2027.com
May 16, 2025 at 8:04 AM
Quite disenchanting, but highly informative and rich forecasting report on the future of AI: ai-2027.com
To all deliberative democrats around here, it is a particular pun that the authors have given their vision of the ultimate global AI doomsday machine the name "Consensus-1".
To all deliberative democrats around here, it is a particular pun that the authors have given their vision of the ultimate global AI doomsday machine the name "Consensus-1".
Reposted by Stefan Roch
💥🇭🇺 Police have given up guarding Budapest’s Liberty Bridge as anti-government protesters shut down traffic on four major bridges, rallying against Viktor Orbán’s new law curbing freedom of assembly and banning the Pride march.
They vow to escalate with a 24-hour shutdown next week.
They vow to escalate with a 24-hour shutdown next week.
April 1, 2025 at 7:31 PM
💥🇭🇺 Police have given up guarding Budapest’s Liberty Bridge as anti-government protesters shut down traffic on four major bridges, rallying against Viktor Orbán’s new law curbing freedom of assembly and banning the Pride march.
They vow to escalate with a 24-hour shutdown next week.
They vow to escalate with a 24-hour shutdown next week.
Danke lieber Ilko-Sascha für diesen bewegenden Nachruf.
Wem jetzt und in Zukunft die liberale Demokratie in Deutschland am Herzen liegt, sollte Gerd Poppe nicht nur ein Begriff, sondern Inspiration sein.
Wem jetzt und in Zukunft die liberale Demokratie in Deutschland am Herzen liegt, sollte Gerd Poppe nicht nur ein Begriff, sondern Inspiration sein.
Gerd Poppe: Ein Citoyen in einem Land ohne Bürgerrechte. Nachruf eines Freundes www.zeit.de/kultur/2025-...
Gerd Poppe: Ein Citoyen in einem Land ohne Bürgerrechte
Gerd Poppe war Bürgerrechtler, Politiker, lebenslang Freiheitskämpfer. In der DDR hielt er es zwei Jahrzehnte in der Opposition aus. Ein Nachruf von einem Freund
www.zeit.de
March 31, 2025 at 10:21 AM
Danke lieber Ilko-Sascha für diesen bewegenden Nachruf.
Wem jetzt und in Zukunft die liberale Demokratie in Deutschland am Herzen liegt, sollte Gerd Poppe nicht nur ein Begriff, sondern Inspiration sein.
Wem jetzt und in Zukunft die liberale Demokratie in Deutschland am Herzen liegt, sollte Gerd Poppe nicht nur ein Begriff, sondern Inspiration sein.
Question to #Pol.Is community. When analysing Pol.Is discussions, we seek group-informed consensus.
But is consensus really the right term nowadays? Shouldn't we seek scope for compromise in societal debates rather than consensus? @colinmegill.com @patcon.bsky.social @societyspeaks.bsky.social, etc
But is consensus really the right term nowadays? Shouldn't we seek scope for compromise in societal debates rather than consensus? @colinmegill.com @patcon.bsky.social @societyspeaks.bsky.social, etc
March 24, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Question to #Pol.Is community. When analysing Pol.Is discussions, we seek group-informed consensus.
But is consensus really the right term nowadays? Shouldn't we seek scope for compromise in societal debates rather than consensus? @colinmegill.com @patcon.bsky.social @societyspeaks.bsky.social, etc
But is consensus really the right term nowadays? Shouldn't we seek scope for compromise in societal debates rather than consensus? @colinmegill.com @patcon.bsky.social @societyspeaks.bsky.social, etc
The kind of news we need right now. Thanks @jagodamarinic.com for sharing in your podcast! www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
‘I’m still dancing’: Derbyshire woman has 105th birthday rave at care home
Hilda Jackson and fellow residents partied with strobe lights, glowsticks and drum’n’bass from festival-headliner
www.theguardian.com
February 28, 2025 at 7:05 AM
The kind of news we need right now. Thanks @jagodamarinic.com for sharing in your podcast! www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Reposted by Stefan Roch
The #EuroStack Report is out! It is about building a European alternative, to empower citizens, workers, industries to reclaim control of their digital future.
Read the report!
www.euro-stack.info
@bertelsmannst.bsky.social @ucl-iipp.bsky.social @ceps.eu @stiftungmercator.bsky.social
Read the report!
www.euro-stack.info
@bertelsmannst.bsky.social @ucl-iipp.bsky.social @ceps.eu @stiftungmercator.bsky.social
EuroStack
Building a european alternative for technological sovereignty
www.euro-stack.info
February 13, 2025 at 8:14 AM
The #EuroStack Report is out! It is about building a European alternative, to empower citizens, workers, industries to reclaim control of their digital future.
Read the report!
www.euro-stack.info
@bertelsmannst.bsky.social @ucl-iipp.bsky.social @ceps.eu @stiftungmercator.bsky.social
Read the report!
www.euro-stack.info
@bertelsmannst.bsky.social @ucl-iipp.bsky.social @ceps.eu @stiftungmercator.bsky.social
Reposted by Stefan Roch
Der Vorsitzende des Sachverständigenrates für Migration und Integration (SVR) Winfried Kluth
„Jenseits geltenden Rechts“
Warum der gestern mit Stimmen der AfD verabschiedete Entschließungsantrag nicht nur auf Kosten einer historisch gewichtigen Grundhaltung zustande kam, sondern sich auch über geltendes Recht erhebt, zeigt WINFRIED KLUTH:
verfassungsblog.de/funf-punkte-...
Warum der gestern mit Stimmen der AfD verabschiedete Entschließungsantrag nicht nur auf Kosten einer historisch gewichtigen Grundhaltung zustande kam, sondern sich auch über geltendes Recht erhebt, zeigt WINFRIED KLUTH:
verfassungsblog.de/funf-punkte-...
January 31, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Der Vorsitzende des Sachverständigenrates für Migration und Integration (SVR) Winfried Kluth