Interest in postal voting has increased during the pandemic as a means to avoid in-person contact. But exactly who is choosing to vote by mail? Carolina Plescia, Semra Sevi and André Blais find that the biggest cleavage in US citizen preferences about how to vote is generational, not ideological
Does the creation of nominally democratic institutions help dictators stay in power by reducing the risk of coups d’etat? Jun Koga Sudduth analyses and categorises different types of coup, and their effects. In so doing, she confounds the conventional wisdom that democratic institutions reduce the likelihood of dictators being overthrown
Planning for forthcoming Pride months, LGBTI activists are aware of growing opposition to their cause. Yet, writes Maja Gergorić, anti-LGBTI rhetoric and policy meet with a strong and united LGBTI movement in Eastern European countries
Millions of people no longer live in their countries of birth, and this can distort political representation, argues Ekaterina Rashkova-Gerbrands. If expats had been eligible to vote in recent Dutch parliamentary elections, we would have seen more support for innovative parties such as the D66 and Groen Links
Levelling up has become the centrepiece of the UK government’s vision for a post-Brexit and post-Covid Britain. It promises greater equality without anybody losing out, and it appeals to all parts of the political spectrum. But these big promises create major challenges that could be the government’s undoing, argues Jack Newman
The Kenmure Street protest in Glasgow raises crucial issues concerning political obligation in Scotland, writes Ruairidh Brown. This should serve as a warning to Westminster about the potential dangers of denying a second independence referendum
In representative democracies, many citizens feel disconnected from those who make political decisions on their behalf. In extreme cases, they may even refuse to accept democratic decisions and contemplate alternative forms of government. Lisa van Dijk, James Pow and Sofie Marien test the effectiveness of ‘minipublics’ to offset these problems
Chile’s constitutional reform started after massive social protests in 2019. With gender parity, reserved seats for indigenous people, and a significant number of seats for independent delegates, Julieta Suarez-Cao argues that the country's assembly is on track to rebuild democratic legitimacy in the years to come
Populist radical right parties have been remarkably successful in recent decades, yet strategies to contain them regularly fail. Can non-radical parties do anything to counter them? Fabian Habersack suggests mainstream parties could signal ‘responsiveness’ while remaining committed to their policy goals
Candidate lists in Latvia contain only 38.6% women. Latvia is unlikely to improve women’s representation in its municipal elections unless Latvian voters adopt preference voting, and 'plus' their women candidates, writes Laura Dean
