Articles by James F. Downes

November 22, 2022

The disunity of the Italian centre-left opposition on Ukraine

James F. Downes

Russia’s war on Ukraine has split the Italian centre-left opposition between pacifists and those arguing in favour of arming Ukraine. Disunity on how to respond to the crisis, write Valerio Alfonso Bruno, James F. Downes and Alessio Scopelliti, will likely weaken these parties and strengthen Meloni's right-wing coalition

Why centre-right parties adopt hardline positions on immigration at their peril

James F. Downes

To guard against vote loss, parties of the centre right are taking a tough stance on immigration. James F. Downes, Matthew Loveless and Andrew Lam argue that such parties risk bringing far-right ideology into the political mainstream, and undermining the very tenets of liberal democracy they profess to uphold

James F. Downes

Assistant Professor (Senior) & Head (Programme Leader) Politics & Public Administration Programme, Hong Kong Metropolitan University

James researches the rise of populist radical-right parties in Western and Central-Eastern Europe, alongside the key issue of immigration (right-wing party competition).

His current research investigates the macro-economic effects of China's BRI, alongside EU-China Relations and EU-Governance within the fields of comparative politics and international relations.

James is also a Research Fellow at the Global Europe Centre (University of Kent/Brussels School of International Studies) alongside the Far-Right Analysis Network (FRAN) and for the Center for Research & Social Progress (Italy).

His recent research publications have appeared in the Journal of Common Market Studies and Electoral Studies, among others.

With Valerio Alfonso Bruno and Alessio Scopelliti, James is currently writing a book entitled The Rise of the Radical Right in Italy (ibidem Press/Columbia University Press).

His recent media interviews relating to European politics and Brexit have appeared in international media outlets including CNBC and CNN.

He tweets @DrJamesFDownes

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