#LETSAGREE is a new international discussion series inspired by the book. Bringing together the authors, members of the Social Contract Incubator, and diverse voices from politics, academia, and civil society, it explores contractarian approaches to redesigning the democratic rules that shape our common future. The international discussion series, generously supported by ERSTE Stiftung, is hosted by dr. Magdalena M. Baran

Can Left and Right Agree?Civic Agency and Constitutional Agreement in Poland and Beyond

Lunch talk

Notre Dame University, South Bend, IN, USA
19/03/2026
Guest Prof. SYLWIA SYSKO-ROMAŃCZUK  
Guest Prof. John Sikorski

What holds a society together when citizens disagree not only on policies but on the deepest moral and cultural values? Many coutries today faces this very dilemma, as polarization and distrust increasingly strain the fabric of its democracy. Let’s Agree on Poland: A Case Study of Constitutional Design (Oxford University Press, 2025) — a Polish constitutional bestseller, now available in English — addresses this challenge by reviving the classical idea of civic friendship as a guiding principle of constitutional design. Rather than striving for unattainable consensus on values, the book proposes institutions that enable cooperation across divides: robust decentralization, checks and balances that prevent domination, and fair procedures that guarantee mutual recognition. The volume itself is the outcome of a remarkable collaboration between progressives and conservatives, working together within the Social Contract Incubator, a network of 130 leading Polish intellectuals known by its Polish acronym IUS. In Notre Dame, a pair of conservative and liberal intellectuals will talk how Poland’s contractarian vision seeks to replace hostility with civic friendship, and will invite local scholars and practitioners to consider whether similar institutional strategies could help stabilize pluralism in other coutries.

“Let’s Agree on Poland” presents the results of the pro-bono work of the Social Contract Incubator. The #LetsAgree series and related discussions are generously supported by donors, including


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contact@ius.org.pl