Democracy Defense Breakfast | EAG London side event

​A morning conversation for EAs working on (or curious about) protecting Democracy, and conditions for good long-run outcomes.

​Liberal democracy is under real pressure. V-Dem's latest report counts 44 countries autocratizing against only 12 democratizing, and the EU is now squarely affected. At the same time, EAs are increasingly asking a broader question: what does it take to keep humanity's long-run trajectory open, plural, and self-correcting?

​This breakfast brings together people working across that cluster. That includes near-term democracy defense (election integrity, institutional resilience, civil society funding, of the kind Effektiv Spenden supports through their democracy portfolio, with Stephan Schwahlen joining us), and longer-horizon questions about lock-in, value pluralism, and trajectory-shaping (in the spirit of the agenda Will MacAskill and Forethought have been developing). How these connect, or don't, is part of what the morning is for.

​Confirmed attendees include Stephan Schwahlen (Effektiv Spenden, democracy portfolio) and Professor Zhijing Jin (ETH Zürich/UofT, EuroSafeAI, Democracy Defense and AI).

​The format is informal. Come with a coffee, a half-formed thought, or a project you're stuck on. Expect roughly half structured introductions and half open conversation, with plenty of room to find the two or three people you actually want to keep talking to.

​Who should come:

• ​Researchers, funders, and operators already working on democracy, governance, or institutional design

• ​EAs who are curious about this cluster but haven't found their way in yet

• ​Anyone wrestling with how near-term democratic defense and long-run trajectory-shaping fit together

​Newcomers very welcome. No prior reading required.

​Logistics: Breakfast provided. RSVP through Luma so we can plan catering. Capacity is limited, so please only register if you genuinely plan to come. Location potentially subject to change.