Eight research projects receive funding in the “Securitization and Democracy” funding call

In the final thematic funding call of the “Is Democracy Eroding?” funding programme, Kone Foundation awarded funding to projects that increase our understanding of how securitization affects the realisation of fundamental and human rights, access to information, and our ideas of the future.

Funding totalling 1.9 million euros was granted to eight research projects. The funded projects address themes such as the securitization of minorities, architecture, youth, street gangs, archives, the future, activism, science, the economy, borders, and childhood. All the funded projects share a concern about the implications of securitization for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.

A total of 274 applications were submitted to the thematic call.

Highlights from the Funded Projects

(In)Security and Democracy, a multidisciplinary research project led by Professor Päivi Leino-Sandberg, sets out to explore a fundamental question: How can democratic societies remain open, deliberative, and pluralist when the politics of fear increasingly dominate public discourse? To understand how this challenge manifests, the project undertakes a multidisciplinary investigation into the ways security is constructed, institutionalised, and operationalised, while also situating these dynamics within broader European and global developments. It aims to map the institutional landscape of security governance in Finland, analyse the redistributive effects of security rhetoric—especially regarding academic freedom—and examine how security discourse is regulated or contested, particularly through mechanisms of transparency and the role of civil society actors.

University Lecturer Kati Nieminen and their team examine a paradox facing contemporary democracies: while political participation and civic activism are widely recognised as important, they are increasingly being restricted. The project focuses in particular on the criminalisation of climate activism as part of broader international developments that undermine democracy and human rights. When civic activism is treated as a security threat, it can lead to restrictions on the right to protest, weakened conditions for political participation, and intensified surveillance. The four-year project will observe demonstrations and related court proceedings, and interview activists, their legal counsel, police officers, and prosecutors. In collaboration with activists, journalists, and legal counsel, the research will generate new knowledge about changes in the operating environment of Finnish civil society.

Docent Timo Miettinen leads a project that explores the securitization of democracy from a temporal perspective, focusing in particular on how the future is understood as part of security-centric governance. The project begins from the premise that the future is no longer seen as a realm of openness and agency, but increasingly as one defined by risks and threats. The central assumption of the project is that the crisis of democracy is not only due to a declining faith in the future, but also to the fact that people no longer feel like they can influence the future.

Professor Anu Lahtinen and her team are looking at how securitization affects how archives are used and accessed, and how this impacts democratic access to information and the potential of archival data to support democracy. The project traces the “long history” of securitization from the early 20th century to the present day. Declarations of emergency and crisis rhetoric are not new: the research will deepen understanding of the long-term impacts of past archival practices, identifying both instructive and cautionary examples from history. Through dialogue between the archival field, historical research, and media, the project explores when securitization is justified, what societal developments it is linked to, and what problems it poses.

Read the call for applications for the thematic call “Securitization and Democracy”

The funding programme “Is Democracy Eroding?” (2021–2025)

The programme aims to increase our collective understanding of democracy and social justice and to bring new perspectives to common notions of democracy. The programme supports research projects that may also combine research with art, journalism and/or activism. Funding is granted through thematic calls that explore selected aspects of the programme’s broader themes. Longer projects lasting up to four years are prioritised. The thematic call “Securitization and Democracy” in 2025 was the last call within the funding programme.