Who is Perycles?

Perycles is a research consortium coordinated by the University of Groningen, Netherlands. Our consortium includes partners from Germany, Greece, Italy, Israel, the Netherlands, the UK, and Romania:

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Birkbeck, University of London

De Kiesmannen

Dimos Athinaion Epicheirisi Michanografisis

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

LiquidFeedback | Flexiguided GmbH

National Research Council of Italy

University of Bucharest

University of Groningen

Our consortium represents a diverse array of disciplines and scientific communities, integrating methods, theories, and perspectives from fields such as computer science, philosophy, political philosophy, political science, social choice, social psychology, and sociology.

We are united by three core insights:

Democracy is fascinating: Democracy captivates us, yet it is currently facing a crisis. Digital tools offer the potential to address the shortcomings of contemporary democratic systems, presenting an exciting intellectual challenge.

Designing democracy requires rigor: Prior to deployment, a democratic institution must be thoroughly understood. Accordingly, designing democratic institutions necessitates the most rigorous scientific methods, encompassing both theoretical and empirical research. We employ advanced formal methods for theory development and utilize both quantitative and qualitative empirical approaches.

Democracy is exciting: There are numerous ways to construct democratic systems. The outcomes of design choices are often surprising and enjoyable to explore.