We are pleased to announce that IstanPol is part of the Horizon Europe project DeAppeal – Deconstructing and Resisting Autocratic Appeal to Revitalise Democracy.

Coordinated by the Centre for Social Studies (CES) at the University of Coimbra, the project brings together an international consortium of academic and non-academic partners to examine the growing appeal of authoritarian politics and to develop strategies to strengthen democratic resilience across Europe and beyond.

The project seeks to better understand why authoritarian discourses, actors, and political practices have gained traction in different societies, while also exploring ways to counter democratic backsliding, polarization, and political disengagement. Through interdisciplinary research and collaboration between researchers and civil society actors, DeAppeal aims to contribute to more inclusive, participatory, and resilient democratic systems.

The consortium includes partners from across Europe, bringing together expertise in political science, sociology, democracy studies, public policy, and civil society engagement. Alongside IstanPol, the consortium includes the following institutions:

• CES - Centro de Estudos Sociais, Portugal (Consortium Coordinator)
• IDS - Institute of Development Studies, UK
• CEBRAP - Centro Brasileiro de Análise e Planejamento, Brazil (Associated Partner)
• UDEUSTO - Universidad de la Iglesia de Deusto Entidad Religiosa, Spain
• UH - Helsingin Yliopisto, Finland
• UPF - Universidad Pompeu Fabra, Spain
• IPU - International Psychoanalytic University Berlin GGMBH, Germany
• UNIWARSAW - Uniwersytet Warszawski, Poland
• HIVOS - Stichting Hivos (Humanistisch Instituut Voor Ontwikkelings Samenwerking), Netherlands & Zimbabwe
• MEDIAWISE - Asociatia Mediawise Society, Romania

As part of the consortium, IstanPol will contribute its expertise on democratic erosion, opposition politics, political polarization, and public opinion research in Türkiye and the broader region.

The project is funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe programme.