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April 25, 2025

The democratic purpose of social media: empowering civil society

Many are calling for for reforms to social media platforms that will strengthen their democratic function. But to meaningfully reshape online platforms, we first need to determine their democratic purpose. Our goal, argues Markus Patberg, should be to empower civil society
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April 25, 2025

Rising waters, fading lessons: how Spain bungled another crisis

Many regarded the coronacrisis as a shock that would reshape the management of public life, improving Spain's preparedness for future crises. But Francisco Javier Romero Caro explains how, in their disastrous handling of recent floods in Valencia, Spanish politicians seemed to have forgotten the lessons learned during the pandemic
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April 24, 2025

What do the Polish and Hungarian EU presidencies reveal about the competencies of this office?

The Lisbon Treaty appeared to restrict the powers of the presidency in external affairs. But it might also have made presidential powers more flexible. Kaja Kaźmierska describes how a reshuffling of leadership positions in the EU affected the role of the presidency
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April 23, 2025

☢️ The Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty in a fracturing global landscape

Tensions around nuclear weapons and the risk of their use are at a peak. Yet, European leaders are in nuclear proliferation hysteria. Melissa Parke argues that the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) offers an alternative path to nuclear deterrence in a fracturing global landscape
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April 22, 2025

Slovakia and the future of Europe

Since 2024, Slovakia has witnessed democratic backsliding and major political unrest. The future of populist nationalism in Slovakia – and Slovakia’s position in Europe – are at stake. John Chin and Daniel Hayase contextualise this unrest, reviewing the challenges posed by Prime Minister Robert Fico’s efforts to consolidate power and to build a bridge between […]
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April 22, 2025

🧭 Differentiated membership, strategic necessity, and the risk to ever-closer union  

Differentiated membership may offer a pragmatic path to EU enlargement, but it risks undermining unity in a multipolar world. Stefan Telle argues that without investment in centre-formation and shared political identity, the EU could drift into transactionalism, weakening its global voice and eroding the ideal of an ever-closer union Differentiated membership is gaining traction as […]
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April 17, 2025

Rising inequality undermines policy-makers’ support for redistribution in Latin America

Increasing inequality does not always result in governments increasing redistribution, even when the public is in favour of it. To understand this puzzle, Cristian Márquez and Hugo Marcos-Marne examine the preferences of the governmental elites implementing public policy
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April 17, 2025

The Freedom Party of Austria and the legacy of 'völkisch' nationalism

In its 2024 election manifesto, the far-right Austrian Freedom Party sets out its plan to curb migration and naturalisations. Ivo Kesler argues that the party is also advocating for a two-tiered völkisch – ethnic – nationalist conception of citizenship
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April 16, 2025

☢️ The paradox of nuclear politics: peace, progress, peril

Mahmoud Javadi examines the paradox of nuclear politics as peacekeepers and existential threats. Exploring disarmament efforts, technological disruptions and global rivalries, he reimagines pathways beyond this precarious balance, towards lasting stability
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April 15, 2025

How welfare policy affects immigration attitudes

Social policies shape public opinions on immigration. A study by Alina Vrânceanu and Bilyana Petrova shows that in Western Europe, generous welfare systems – perhaps counterintuitively – make natives more favourably inclined toward immigrants. Cutting benefits risks exacerbating anti-immigrant sentiment. These research findings have important implications for social conflict in modern capitalist democracies
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Advancing Political Science
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