The Future of Democracy: How Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration Can Make a Difference
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Featured image taken by Maira Troncoso at a workshop in Santiago titled Chile 2030: Pensar en futuros, convivir el presente (Chile 2030: Think about futures, live in the present).
This article explores the urgent challenges facing democracy today. It highlights how multi-stakeholder collaboration offers a way forward to preserve and reform democratic governance, drawing on real-world examples of significant efforts to foster meaningful change.
Democracy is under threat, facing unprecedented challenges, including rising authoritarianism, eroding of civil liberties, and increasing polarisation. Trust in institutions is at an all-time low, while misinformation and divisive rhetoric destabilise the democratic process. These forces threaten to unravel the fabric of democratic governance. As Melissa Spatz, the Co-Executive Director of the Trusted Elections Fund noted in an interview,
"U.S. democracy is at a critical moment, and I think that you could use several different lenses to understand the moment that we're in. Unfortunately, a really good starting point is to look at the rise of authoritarianism. In a global context, that is playing out in the U.S. just as it is elsewhere around the world."
Yet crisis brings opportunity, urging all of us—elected officials, civil society, the private sector, communities, and individuals—to take responsibility for safeguarding and strengthening democracy. This is a call for bold, collective action, not passive hope or isolated efforts.
Change requires both the ability to take action and the capacity for deep, empathetic connection. Adam Kahane, a Director at Reos Partners, observed, "Power without love is destructive, and love without power is weak." In the context of democracy, this means that pushing for reform requires not only strength and strategy but also genuine collaboration and understanding. Efforts to safeguard democracy must balance these forces—mobilising the power to drive change while fostering the relationships necessary to sustain it. Only by working across divides, engaging in difficult conversations, and co-creating solutions can we build a democratic future that serves all people, not just a powerful few.
The Path Forward: Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration
The challenges facing democracy are too complex for any one group to solve alone. To restore and preserve democracy, we need coordinated action that brings diverse perspectives together. Governments, civil society, the private sector, and communities all have vital roles to play—and too often, they work in isolation, further entrenching the divide.
The solution lies in collaboration. By coming together—through facilitated dialogues, co-creation, and systems thinking—we can address the root causes of democratic fragility and begin rebuilding trust and resilience. This work requires all of us, and it will take time, patience, and the willingness to listen and learn from one another. Estevan Muñoz-Howard, Senior Director at Ktisis Capital and part of the team that worked with Reos Partners and the Piper Fund on the U.S. Democracy scenarios in 2020, stated,
“We must ensure that we are reinforcing people's ability to have a voice. It is a shift toward longer-term, more inclusive thinking as the means to victory.”
In this context, collaborative efforts such as Alerta Democrática in Latin America offer valuable lessons on how multi-stakeholder dialogue can reshape democratic futures.
Watch the video to learn how Alerta Democrática brought diverse leaders together to explore the future of democracy in Latin America.
Insights from Alerta Democrática: Lessons in Collaborative Action
Alerta Democrática brought together 37 leaders from 13 Latin American countries to explore the possible futures of democracy in the region through a collaborative scenarios process. This initiative, facilitated by Reos Partners alongside regional partners, fostered deep dialogue and collective insights. Through extensive dialogue, participants co-created four scenarios for democracy in Latin America through 2030:
- Democracy in Transformation: Institutional innovation strengthens democracy, overcoming structural inertia.
- Democracy in Tension: Political and economic power remains concentrated, leading to democracy in name only.
- Democracy in Mobilisation: Popular pressure and social movements challenge entrenched power structures, revitalising democracy.
- Democracy in Agony: Organised crime and corruption hijack democracy, leaving citizens disillusioned and fearful.
The process highlighted how collaborative dialogue can foster mutual understanding, deepen insights, and lead to informed, proactive responses to democratic threats. These scenarios were far from conceptual exercises; they provided leaders with practical frameworks to anticipate challenges, build coalitions, and take collective action. Participants could leverage the insights in real-time, shaping advocacy strategies, driving institutional reforms, and strengthening civil society initiatives. Rossana Fuentes-Berain of Alerta Democrática reflected,
"We are navigating a moment of deep uncertainty, where the old democratic models are being questioned, but we also have a unique opportunity to reimagine them with the participation of all sectors."
Guiding Principles for Collective Impact
Drawing from Alerta Democrática and years of experience in facilitating complex societal change, we offer these principles to help guide collective efforts in preserving and reforming democracy:
- Inclusivity and Representation
Democracy thrives when all voices are heard. It is essential to bring marginalised and underrepresented communities into decision-making spaces. Only by ensuring diverse voices have a seat at the table can we create solutions that reflect the needs and aspirations of all. - Bridging Divides Through Dialogue
Polarisation thrives when dialogue is absent. Facilitated conversations are a powerful tool to help people move beyond entrenched positions, listen to one another, and rebuild mutual understanding. These dialogues can identify shared priorities and foster collaboration—key steps in healing divides. - Systems Thinking and Adaptive Strategies
Democracy is embedded in a complex web of social, economic, and political dynamics. To address the systemic challenges facing democracy, we must adopt a systems thinking approach, understanding how these interconnected factors influence one another and adapting our strategies accordingly. - Trust and Relationship-Building
Trust is the foundation of meaningful democratic reform. Long-term collaboration and relationship-building across diverse groups will be essential to overcoming political volatility and societal divisions. - Experimentation and Co-Creation
No single actor has all the answers. By embracing experimentation and co-creation, we open up space for new governance models and participatory mechanisms to emerge, strengthening democratic resilience through collective learning.
Examples of Transformative Collaboration in Practice
The principles above are not theoretical; they have already been applied successfully in various contexts. Here are just a few examples:
- South Africa’s Transition from Apartheid: In 1991, leaders from across political and economic divides came together through the Mont Fleur Scenario Process to co-create a vision for a democratic South Africa, laying the groundwork for inclusive governance.
- Chile’s Citizen Engagement: Following social unrest in 2019, citizens from diverse backgrounds were brought together to co-create scenarios for Chile’s future. This collaborative process sparked meaningful dialogue, influenced public policies, and revitalised civic engagement.
- Cyprus Peace Process: In 2022, Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, and other stakeholders worked together through a transformative scenarios process to envision a shared future, contributing to ongoing peacebuilding and reconciliation efforts.
- Méxicos Posibles Initiative: Since 2014, this multi-sector initiative has united leaders from across sectors to tackle Mexico’s challenges related to insecurity and inequality, promoting legal reform, local peacebuilding, and education.
A photo of Méxicos Posibles, an initiative that brought together a diverse group of Mexican leaders to address the country’s nexus of challenges.
The Urgent Need for Action
The threats to democracy are real, but so are the opportunities to shape its future. Melissa Spatz also shared this about US democracy:
"When the Dobbs ruling came down, it was encouraging that reproductive rights groups and democracy groups came together around that ruling and stood together. I'm seeing a real understanding that women's rights, trans rights, and the rights of communities of color are not just something we pursue once we've figured out democracy. They are part and parcel of a functioning democracy. You cannot have one without the other."
Multi-stakeholder collaboration has proven effective in fostering democratic resilience, even in challenging contexts. However, such processes require sustained commitment. Alerta scenario team member Rossana Fuentes-Berain noted,
"The original dream of democracy has been turned to nightmares many times. We need to keep trying."
The impact of Alerta Democrática extended beyond the scenario-building process itself. Participants took the insights into their work, influencing policy debates, fostering new partnerships, and strengthening democratic advocacy efforts in their respective countries. As Elena Díez Pinto from the Alerta Democrática scenarios team aptly stated,
“Once these processes begin, they are living. They create something that needs to be nurtured and maintained.”
The question is: How can we ensure that these efforts continue to shape democratic futures? The answer lies in fostering long-term collaboration, institutionalising dialogue, and committing to adaptive strategies that strengthen democracy from the ground up.
The Time is Now
Strengthening democracy requires ongoing collaboration across sectors and geographies. Let’s work together to build and sustain these efforts.
This article was developed by Colleen Casimira and benefited from a review by Adam Kahane.
