Governing Diversity and Differences

How can societies govern social diversity and, more so, persistent divisions without slipping into violence? Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili and Oleksandra Keudel will explore how polycentric systems—multiple overlapping centers of decision-making—can deliver conditions required for social order, mutual accommodation and foster social cohesion in practice. They will draw on real-world examples from fieldwork in communities with ethnic, status and religious diversity across various contexts to highlight factors that contribute to resilient institutions in some of the most complex environments. From this perspective, they will also reflect on the role of Ukraine’s decentralization reforms for social cohesion and societal resilience