Populism, Citizens, and Leadership in EU Decision-Making

2026-07-22

POPULIST-GAMEMODE is a three-year Jean Monnet Module that explores how populist discourse, citizen engagement, and leadership affect EU decision-making. It delivers two courses – “The Role of Leadership in the European Union: State and Citizens” (in Romanian: “Rolul leadershipului în Uniunea Europeană: Stat și cetățeni”) and “Leadership and Decision in Organisations” (in Romanian: “Leadership și Decizie în Organizații”)—using innovative methods such as AI-assisted debates, gamification, and fact-checking labs. Around 120 students will benefit over three years, gaining deeper knowledge of EU institutions, critical thinking skills, and hands-on leadership experience. The module’s expected results include a heightened understanding of populism’s impact on democratic processes, stronger media literacy, and increased student engagement with EU policy. Main outputs are an online platform tracking populist narratives, annual policy briefs summarizing key findings, and three public workshops connecting students, policymakers, and the broader community. These resources and events will strengthen dialogue between academia and society, promote informed debate on European issues, and ensure the module’s content remains accessible and sustainable beyond the project’s duration.

Romania

2026-01-01