Rising Authoritarian Powers and Liberal Democracies: Investment, Technology, Surveillance

The project aims at understanding the new authoritarian forces that exert influence in the democratic world. The research aims at thinking about the challenges associated with the current liberal democracies in several dimensions associated with new technologies, economic policy, disinformation campaigns and foreign interference. The project investigates not only authoritarian challenges in Portugal and the European Union but also how authoritarian forces influence processes of democratisation and economic development in Lusophone Africa. In addition to involving the academic community, the project extends to journalists, NGOs, think-tanks and all interested in understanding the mechanisms that protect and challenge democracy. The major output of this project was the publication of the book "Authoritarian Power and the challenges to Liberal Democracy".