PLEDGE Horizon project

😤Is this what democracy should feel like?
💔Is our modern Idemocracy shaped more by emotions than by ideals.

🔗Find out more by following the link: www.pledgeproject.eu/an-overview-...

#democracyincrisis #affectivepolitics #PLEDGEproject #populism #polarization #democracy

📢 New Blog Alert!
How is the far-right thriving in today’s social media age?
📝 Read PLEDGE Blog Post #4
🔗https://www.pledgeproject.eu/pledge-blog-post-4-by-ulund-team-far-right-politics-in-the-age-of-social-media-where-grievance-meets-entertainment/
#PLEDGEproject #FarRight #SocialMediaPolitics

🧠How can we design democratic processes that truly feel public?

📘 Read the full report here:
🔗https://www.pledgeproject.eu/report-on-design-principles-for-emotion-sensitive-policy-making-wp6-pledge-project-on-zenodo/

#PLEDGEproject #PolicyDesign #democracy

🗣️On Ressentiment, Victimhood, and Revanchism
How is populism in Turkey shaped?
(📌This endeavor, delivered by Ayhan Kaya, Senior Researcher from the Istanbul Bilgi University and member of our Steering Committee, is available only in Turkish.)
👉Read more: www.yeniarayis.com/yazi/ressent...

Our sister project is running an impactful EU-wide survey, “Emotions in Politics,” examining how emotions shape public opinion on critical EU topics.
🔗 Take the survey now and contribute your perspective:
👉 crowdsourcing.ecas.org/en/Mores

🔍 The PLEDGE Codebook v.1 unpacks the emotional logic behind protests, polarization, and civic engagement—with real-world examples, emotional mechanisms, and research-ready tools.

📥 Interested in exploring more?
Download the full document here: www.pledgeproject.eu/research-rep...

PLEDGE Blog Post #3
📰 Why are citizens across Europe feeling alienated from democratic processes? What fuels the growing sense of disconnection from institutions meant to represent them?
📍Read it here: www.pledgeproject.eu/pledge-blog-...

📢 NEW RELEASE: PLEDGE Conceptual Framework v1
At the heart of the framework are two emotional engines:
💢 EMRes: Resentment, hostility, polarization;
💞 EMSoS: Empathy, solidarity, action.
📘 Download the full report here: www.pledgeproject.eu/research-rep....
🔗 Visit our website: www.pledgeproject.eu.

Across Europe, anti-immigrant rhetoric by right-wing populists is fueling real violence.
🎙️Prof. Bilewicz: When hate is normalized, attacks follow—as in Poland, 2015. This isn’t an isolated phenomenon.
🧠 #PLEDGE studies this shift.
📚[PL] Read more: pap.pl/aktualnosci/...
🌍 pledgeproject.eu

When people feel unheard, humiliated, excluded… They don’t compromise. They withdraw. Or retaliate.
🧠 PLEDGE maps the reasons behind that. You can’t fix what you don’t feel.
📘 This and many more to come at Grievance Politics Briefings.
🔗 Read more: www.pledgeproject.eu/1-what-is-gr...
Stay tuned.

🗣️ Politics making you miserable? You’re not imagining it. Is it all just toxic rhetoric, or a deeper emotional divide?
Read More 👇
🔗https://www.pledgeproject.eu/pledge-blog-post-2-by-css-team-are-political-discussions-making-us-unhappy/
#PLEDGEproject #PoliticalCommunication #EmotionsInPolitics

Why do we fear the poor?
This TED Talk unpacks aporophobia—the rejection of poverty—and how it fuels grievance politics. At PLEDGE, we explore these emotional drivers of exclusion & how to build an inclusive democracy.
🎥https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZODPxP68zT0
🔗http://pledgeproject.eu

📢 Save the Date: June 26 | Brussels

Smarter Together Workshop:

Emotions in Policy Making—How to Master Emotions to Better Solve Public Problems
With Dr. Thomas Legein & Prof. Dr. Karen Celis (PLEDGE, VUB)

🔗https://linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7329057878122598400/

👉 Don’t miss it!

💭Climate change isn’t just technical—it’s emotional.

Our new blog post looks at how frustration, fear, and hope can shape how people respond to green policies—and how those emotions can be a force for democratic connection.

👉Read the full piece here: l1nq.com/7mc7R
#EMSoS #DemocraticInnovation

🚨 The 2nd #PLEDGEProject Newsletter is out!

Discover our scientific progress so far + where we’ve presented the project at key meetings & conferences. 🧪🌍

📰 Read it here: www.pledgeproject.eu/category/new...

#Newsletter #Research #ScienceInAction #EUprojects #Collaboration

💙Today on Emotion Awareness Day, we highlight the power of emotions in shaping democracy.

@mores-project.bsky.social @protemo.bsky.social @cidape.bsky.social ape.bsky.social‬ @encodemotion.bsky.social

#EmotionAwarenessDay #EmotionsInDemocracy

👉Kirsten Xanthippe, supporting PLEDGE’s research at the University of Southampton, shared insights into how social media fuels polarisation and how real or perceived injustices are shaping today’s political grievances.

🔥 Can the arts heal divides?

At the Arts Festival Summit in Edinburgh, the PLEDGE Horizon Project tackled polarisation, free speech & grievance politics.

💡 Kirsten Xanthippe (Univ. of Southampton) shared how social media fuels polarisation & grievance politics. #FreeSpeech#Democracy#PerformingArts

Tereza Capelos on Persuasion This analysis is insightful. For readers wanting to delve deeper in ressentiment and its relationship to the political psychology of grievance politics, please see open access academic work: Salmel...

For readers wanting to delve deeper in ressentiment and its relationship to the political psychology of grievance politics, please check the link below:
open.substack.com/pub/persuasi...

🔊How do political grievances and ressentiment shape freedom of expression in polarized societies?

👉Join Tereza Capelos at the 69th Pearl* Conference in Athens on May 23 as she explores grievance politics, ressentiment, and artistic freedom.

🔗https://shorturl.at/i38G2

🔊How do EU policies make you feel?
The @mores-project.bsky.social is seeking your opinion on how these key EU policies affect you:
- Climate Action
- War in Ukraine
- Food Safety
- Migration
- Fiscal Policy
Engage in crowdsourcing and ensure your voice is heard: crowdsourcing.ecas.org/en/Mores

Updates from Budapest!

On the final day of the #PLEDGEproject Budapest meeting, we hosted a dynamic Meet & Greet with local policymakers, NGOs & think tanks.

🌉 Real dialogue on emotional governance & democratic resilience.

Grateful to all who joined us! 🤝

#DemocraticInnovation #PolicyMaking

📢 The pledge work is as relevant as ever!

📰 Read the article by Francis Fukuyama reflecting on the Trump administration’s first 100 days.

🔗https://www.persuasion.community/p/100-days-of-ressentiment utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share

The #PLEDGEproject met in Budapest (Apr 23–25) for 3 days of collaboration, research sharing & strategic planning.
🔹 Policy design
🔹 Impact strategy
🔹 Sibling project roundtable
🔹 Stakeholder meet-up
More info 👉 www.pledgeproject.eu/pledge-conso...
#HorizonEU #Democracy

PLEDGE's Starter pack is out! Join our BlueSky Starter pack to follow our favorite feeds and people!!!

📢 New Policy Brief Alert!

Grievance politics is on the rise, posing challenges for democracy in the EU. But what if we could turn grievances into opportunities for positive change? 🤔💡

📖 Read more:
www.pledgeproject.eu/.../publica....
#PledgeProject #EUPolicy #GrievancePolitics

🔷Meet PLEDGE & get to know us better: 101 Key concepts 🔹

We are excited to initiate a series of posts introducing the key concepts & core ideas behind PLEDGE! 💡

#pledgehorizon #HorizonEU #grievancepolitics #EUprojects

📣 Breaking news 📣
The PLEDGE Horizon project website is live 🚀
Visit now our webpage and learn more about the project's objectives & its exceptional team!
🔗https://pledgeproject.eu

#pledgehorizon #HorizonEU #grievancepolitics #democraticinnovation #EUprojects

We are thrilled to announce the launch of
@PledgeHorizon project 🚀
Stay tuned for more news!
#pledgehorizon #HorizonEU #grievancepolitics #democraticinnovation #EUprojects