Email: emma.delfrate@unimi.it

Emma Delfrate is pursuing her PhD in Political Philosophy at the University of Milan, at NASP (Network for the Advancement of Social and Political Studies). She earned her B.A. in Social Science for Globalisation and her M.A. in Political Science at the University of Milan.
Her research project examines citizens’ role in the context of the contemporary democratic crisis by focusing on the concept of political competence, whose broader conceptualisation in normative and political theory is lacking. In particular, it asks whether and in what sense citizens should be considered politically competent. It does so by questioning the model of competence, which understands it solely as knowledge, often used to call into question the legitimacy of the democratic system and citizens’ capacity to make political decisions. The main aim is to reconstruct a broader conception of political competence and to build a normative account of the kind of competence citizens should display, along with the conditions under which such competence could be fostered.

• Research focus: Democratic theory, political epistemology, civic education and civic virtues.
• Time period: September 2026-December 2026