Sort Articles
October 3, 2025

🦋 The ‘Fourth Theorist’ and the future of democracy  

A new book by this series’ founder introduced the radical idea of a yet-to-exist theoretician who can access and condense immense amounts of information. Rishiraj Sen looks at the advantages and pitfalls of this concept, arguing that the ‘Fourth Theorist’ risks becoming an authoritarian figure, undemocratic in their theorisation of democracy 
Read more
October 2, 2025

🌈 El Salvador’s crackdown on gang violence has failed to make life safer for women

Under President Bukele’s perpetual 'State of Exception', El Salvador has made international news for its historic decline in homicides. Despite this, women report that problems of violence are far from over in the country, write Julia Zulver and Anne Ruelle
Read more
October 2, 2025

☢️ Young people in the nuclear age

Young people are an important part of nuclear weapons’ history. But despite their significant presence, historical records and scholarly research have paid scant attention to youth participation in nuclear politics. In this ‘third nuclear age,’ Franco Castro Escobar argues there is a growing need to record and understand the voices of young antinuclear organisers in the twenty-first century
Read more
October 1, 2025

Why citizen groups outpace business in EU agenda-setting

We often consider business groups to be the dominant lobbying force in Brussels. But, based on his latest research, Frederik Stevens shows the opposite: citizen groups are more likely to influence what gets on, or stays off, the EU’s agenda. And when they attract media attention, their influence clearly outweighs that of business interests
Read more
October 1, 2025

Why disillusioned citizens may back referendums in theory but not in practice

Ruben Van Severen shows why politically cynical citizens often praise the idea of referendums, but are not necessarily enthusiastic when they take place. Drawing on research in Flanders, he shows how poor topic choice can turn a tool meant to reconnect disillusioned citizens into one that risks widening the gap
Read more
September 30, 2025

How Hungary reframed LGBTQ Pride as a national security issue

Hungary’s government recast Budapest Pride as a danger to children and national security, then banned the 2025 march. Varvara Prodai’s data show that the 'security threat' framing spiked in Hungarian, while English-language messaging remained legalistic, revealing a two-track playbook that weakens minority rights and narrows civic space
Read more
September 30, 2025

Public administration reform in Brazil: still seeking the wrong suspects

Nayara Albrecht argues that although the proposal claims to target privileges, it risks undermining the integrity of public administration. She suggests that the agenda should also address disparities within the public sector
Read more
September 26, 2025

The Sustainable Development Goals at 10: how global governance is undermining progress

This month marks ten years since the adoption of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Yet there is little cause for celebration: progress has been dismal. Benjamin Faude and Jack Taggart argue that the governance of the goals has undermined progress. They warn that rather than achieving transformative change, such governance risks entrenching the beleaguered status quo
Read more
September 26, 2025

🧭 Why securing welfare benefits is key to EU enlargement

Ann-Kathrin Reinl argues that welfare security is the quiet hinge of public support for EU enlargement. Credible guarantees on national benefits blunt fears about costs and migration. If we reassure citizens on welfare, support for a larger EU holds
Read more
September 25, 2025

Towards feminist climate justice in Ireland and the EU 

The climate crisis is having an alarming impact on Europe – and women and marginalised communities are disproportionately affected. Despite these challenges, Irish and EU climate policy remains largely gender blind. Catherine Forde and Fiona Dukelow consider what impact this has on the development of effective climate change policy 
Read more
More Articles

The Loop

Cutting-edge analysis showcasing the work of the political science discipline at its best.
Read more
THE EUROPEAN CONSORTIUM FOR POLITICAL RESEARCH
Advancing Political Science
© 2025 European Consortium for Political Research. The ECPR is a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) number 1167403 ECPR, Harbour House, 6-8 Hythe Quay, Colchester, CO2 8JF, United Kingdom.
linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram