To the extent that perceptions of a crisis in liberal democracy in Europe can be confirmed, this paper investigates the nature of the problem and its causes, and asks what part, if any, digital technology plays in it.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank the commission members for making time to contribute to the project and for sharing their expertise and insights, which have helped shaped the argument of this paper. I would also like to thank Areeq Chowdhury, Asta Gudrun Helgadóttir, Catherine Howe, Namita Kambli and Anthony Zacharzewski, who led the working groups, for their input into the project. The three peer reviewers provided helpful comments which improved this paper. Robert Cooper also provided helpful comments on an earlier draft. I am grateful to my colleagues at Chatham House who have been involved in this project – in particular, Marjorie Buchser, Alina Lyadova, Robin Niblett, Chloé Prendleloup and Tom Raines. I am especially grateful to Jake Statham for his meticulous and thoughtful editing. Finally I would like to thank Janus Friis, whose support made this project possible.