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Coordinated by IÉSEG, the Horizon Europe project JUSTPLACE brings together 15 prestigious European universities and organisations to study the links between inequalities, places, trust and democratic participation, and to develop new solutions with citizens and local stakeholders.

How can territories facing comparable levels of inequality follow very different democratic trajectories? Why do some experience growing distrust, voter abstention or protest voting, while others develop new forms of mobilisation and civic engagement? These are the questions addressed by JUSTPLACE – Justice and Participation through Localised and Citizen-Centred Engagement, a new research and innovation project funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme.

JUSTPLACE was officially launched on 22 September 2026. Over the course of three years, the project will bring together a consortium of 15 organisations from 11 European countries, including universities, centres of research excellence, networks of local and regional authorities, and civil society organisations.

Why do inequalities not produce the same political effects everywhere?

JUSTPLACE starts from the observation that conventional economic indicators are not sufficient to explain the geography of democratic discontent in Europe.

Citizens do not respond solely to their income, employment or standard of living. Their relationship with democracy also depends on the place where they live: access to public services, distance from decision-making centres, opportunities for mobility, the political visibility of their territory, the quality of institutional presence, as well as the feeling that their city or region is recognised, listened to and treated fairly.

JUSTPLACE will therefore develop a so-called “people-in-places” approach, which simultaneously examines the characteristics of individuals and those of the territories in which they live.

The project will examine in particular how individual disadvantages related to age, education, employment or socio-economic status can combine with territorial disadvantages such as peripheral location, limited access to services or weak institutional presence. The aim is to understand how these combinations influence trust in institutions, voter abstention, civic participation, protest, perceptions of injustice and, more broadly, the democratic resilience of European territories.

“We want to move beyond the idea that there is an automatic relationship between poverty, disadvantaged territories and democratic discontent. Prosperous territories may feel forgotten, while territories facing significant difficulties can develop a remarkable capacity for collective mobilisation. JUSTPLACE will seek to understand what explains these different trajectories and how public policies can better take into account the relationship between people and the places in which they live,” explains Sébastien BOURDIN, Professor at IÉSEG and Scientific Coordinator of JUSTPLACE.

Seven “Democracy Studios” to conduct research with citizens

Research will not be conducted solely on the basis of databases or statistical indicators. JUSTPLACE will establish seven Democracy Studios in European territories with contrasting economic, social and political profiles. These territorial laboratories will bring together citizens, associations, elected representatives, public administrations and researchers. Participants will help identify locally perceived forms of injustice, interpret scientific findings and test the solutions developed throughout the project.

This approach will make it possible in particular to integrate into the research the experiences of populations whose voices may sometimes be underrepresented in traditional participatory mechanisms. The Democracy Studios will thus serve as a link between the production of scientific knowledge and the experimentation of new democratic responses tailored to local realities.

Turning scientific findings into solutions for territories

JUSTPLACE’s ambition goes beyond diagnosis. The findings generated through the Democracy Studios will be used to co-create responses that can be adapted to different territorial contexts across Europe. The project will notably produce a “European Charter for Territorial Justice”, as well as recommendations and practical tools for local and regional authorities, national and European institutions, and civil society organisations.

Ultimately, JUSTPLACE aims to help reshape the way public policies address inequalities. Rather than opposing policies focused on individuals and policies focused on territories, the project advocates an approach that considers people and places simultaneously.