The Future of Democracy and Public Sphere After COVID-19

Governments around the world have used a variety of methods to prevent and control COVID-19 pandemic. The efficiency of those methods has created a public debate on the capacity of the states and their capability of governance. Meanwhile, leadership, state institutions and political systems have been questioned. The crisis has also created “fear” in the society which makes easy to implement surveillance policies. In this policy note, Dr. Gülfem Saydan Sanver elaborates different strategies of the states that might pose danger for the future of democracy and discusses the potential for e-democracy and online platforms as an alternative public sphere during and after COVID-19. She also proposes viable policy options to ensure digital democracy without violating personal liberties and right to transparency. 

(The policy note is available only in Turkish.)