LAURE GILLOT-ASSAYAG
I analyze democratic challenges in an interdisciplinary perspective,
aiming to connect research with policy outcomes
My previous articles have asked:
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What is the role of compromise in democracy?
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How important are ethics in politics?
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How to teach about democratic values?
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How to solve the crisis of legitimacy and trust in democratic institutions?
I am interested in working on projects related to:
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theories of democracy,
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public policies,
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political theory and political philosophy,
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constitutional design
A Methodology Manifesto
I believe that theory relies on a reciprocal relationship with real-world practice.
To understand sources of normativity, ruling out any reference to social facts and norms can lead to devastating outcomes in the real world:
"Historical examples are messy. But they are an important reality check for political morality. As a reality check, historical examples are preferable to stylized invented examples of the kind used in philosophical thought experiments. (…) The cliché has it that hard cases make for bad laws. invented cases make for even worse laws. (Margalit 2010, 98-99).
As such, I always refer to a wide variety of existing material (legal texts, historical materials, philosophical texts) and use hybrid methods that cross disciplinary boundaries, theories, narratives and practices.
A meaningful approach to democracy must integrate local and global perspectives, strive for ideal while remaining connected to feasible real-world applications.