TUD Lectures+ in Görlitz: “How Important Is Liberal Democracy for the Economy and Research in the Region?”

The election results from Saxony-Anhalt show that liberal democracy is crumbling. What remains when liberal democracies begin to falter? How can—or should—a company or research institution position itself and get involved in order to uphold liberal democracy? What course of action is possible—or even required—under the Constitution? What does political stability mean for investment, innovation, skilled workers, and research?

The interactive TUD Lectures+ will seek answers to these and other questions and discuss them with the audience. The panelists are Prof. Markus Scholz, Chair of Business Administration, with a special focus on Responsible Management, at TU Dresden; Sylvia Pfefferkorn, Managing Director of “ ” at Welcome to Saxony; and Prof. Thomas D. Kühne, Director of CASUS in Görlitz. Following brief opening remarks, the panel will discuss—both among themselves and with the event’s attendees—how companies and research institutions can take responsibility, where commitment is needed, and what options for action are available to each individual. The event will be moderated by Franziska Stölzel, an expert on Lusatia and a researcher.

• When: October 14, 2026
• 6:00 p.m.
• Gallery on Brüdergasse, Görlitz

The TUD Lectures series “Democracy Under Pressure, ” which begins in October 2026, aims to spark an interdisciplinary dialogue to shed light on these developments. TUD Lectures+, organized jointly by the“Together for Democracy” working group of the Faculty of Psychology, the Center for Demography and Diversity (CDD), and the Directorate University Culture, brings together experts from a wide range of disciplines, including psychology, political science, sociology, communication studies, and other fields.

The TUD Lectures+ are recorded as podcasts and can be listened to here. Recordings take place during in-person events, which are held in the format of panel discussions. Questions from the audience are brought to the stage during the events. The events take place at locations in Dresden and the surrounding area selected based on the theme, such as the Kulturpalast Dresden, market squares, churches, or beer gardens. More information about the TUD Lectures+ is available on this page