Hong Do
The Science of Democracy 2.0 offers a bold, innovative rethinking of democracy by embracing diversity and challenging Western-centric models. Hong Do acknowledges its ambition, but argues it risks romantic pluralism by celebrating traditions without fully addressing embedded inequalities and power hierarchies within them Read more
Ilker Kalin
Gender and sexual minorities are not just increasingly targeted by the state in Turkey – they are isolated by opposition groups that purport to champion democratic values. Ilker Kalin argues that the isolation of LGBTQ+ activists weakens democracy, and plays into the hands of repression Read more
Evelien Willems
Does civil society mobilisation reduce socioeconomic bias in EU policy debate? A study by Evelien Willems, Iskander De Bruycker, and Marcel Hanegraaff reveals that active engagement by civil society organisations narrows the representation gap for people of low socioeconomic status. This offers a promising path toward more inclusive EU policy-making Read more
Jean-Paul Gagnon
To kickstart another round of essays, Jean-Paul Gagnon recaps four years’ worth of discussions in The Loop's Science of Democracy series. He explains where this ever-growing community of scholars has got to so far – and where it aims to go next Read more
Ben Seyd
Declining public trust in political institutions raises concerns that citizens may turn away from democratic forms of decision-making. Recent cases of democratic backsliding seem to confirm this fear. Yet, as Ben Seyd argues, there is little evidence that declining trust impels citizens to embrace autocratic forms of decision-making Read more
Stuart J. Turnbull-Dugarte
Stuart Turnbull-Dugarte and Alberto López Ortega explore what our dating choices reveal about democracy. While liberal circles assume radical-right supporters are socially shunned, experimental evidence shows the opposite. Normalisation, not exclusion, reigns — and that’s a warning sign for anyone concerned about the erosion of democratic norms Read more
Titus Alexander
Our models of higher education have polarising effects. Titus Alexander argues that we need to learn from Nordic models of adult education and recognise teaching as a form of scholarship to help citizens renew democracy Read more
Mebratu Kelecha
Democracy in Africa is at a crossroads. While regimes do hold elections, many still fail to deliver on their democratic promises. Mebratu Kelecha argues for a non-adversarial form of democracy inspired by Africa's rich Indigenous Gada system, which emphasises inclusivity, consensus-building, and cooperation Read more
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