Evelyn De Simone, Sergio Martini, Federico Russo and Elif Şeyma Şişman find little evidence that Europeans are abandoning democracy. But democratic support often coexists with openness to authoritarian alternatives. This ambivalence is socially structured, with education emerging as the most consistent dividing line
As Nigeria approaches its 2027 general elections, Aliyu Muhammadsunusi Ubangida argues Nigeria's deeper democratic problem appears after voting ends. Trust falls when citizens cannot reach representatives, track complaints, or see institutions respond. Closing this gap requires a clear response chain between citizens and the people elected to serve them
New research shows activists like Greta Thunberg and Patrisse Cullors can make citizens feel politically represented. Among marginalised groups in particular, this boosts people's democratic satisfaction. Pieter de Wilde, Andrea Vik, Lene Aarøe and Oliver Treib explain activists' influence
Drawing on developments in candidate selection across British political parties, Pierce Leslie argues that Britain’s representative disconnect begins long before election day. While it is local constituencies who elect MPs, party rules, vetting procedures and emergency panels increasingly decide who becomes a realistic parliamentary choice
Western democracies' responsiveness machinery has been quietly dismantled. To repair the representative disconnect, says Lorenzo De Sio, we must first understand precisely what is broken
We commonly hear EU leaders talk about the need to ‘defend democracy’. Yet, as Omran Shroufi shows, their discourse is often more about identifying and naming geopolitical threats than it is about tackling pervasive, home-grown structural problems of democratic disconnect and disillusionment
Young people in Europe and, by extension, the West, are increasingly disengaging from electoral politics. Academic studies are still trying to understand the phenomenon. But Kevin Meyvaert argues that without a moral narrative of justice and fairness, we will never succeed in reconnecting all citizens to democratic life
In countries experiencing democratic backsliding, opposition MPs must confront not only the crisis of political representation but also structural constraints that limit their influence. Drawing on research in Hungary, Annamária Sebestyén argues that in such circumstances opposition MPs develop innovative strategies to remain politically relevant, but these have clear limits
We use necessary cookies to make our site work. We'd also like to set analytics cookies that help us make improvements by measuring how you use the site. These will be set only if you accept.
▼
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions.
▼
Analytics Cookies
Google Analytics
We'd like to set Google Analytics cookies to help us improve our website by collecting and reporting information on how you use it. The cookies collect information in a way that does not directly identify anyone. For more information on how these cookies work please see our Privacy Notice.
