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
Orly Siow
Representation is not just about who gets elected. It is also about who gets access to decision makers. Orly Siow, Ashlee Christoffersen and Ceri Fowler conducted research into the engagement between government ministers and NGOs. Their findings reveal striking inequalities in who gets access to political decision-makers Read more
Markus Patberg
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 Read more
Thomas Evans
Social media platforms allow radical political actors to communicate with, and organise at, the sub-national level, enabling engagement beyond existing activist cohorts. Exploring local strategies of dissident Irish republicans and the far right in the UK and Ireland, Thomas Evans analyses this phenomenon Read more
Robert Nordström
Despite a series of court rulings challenging Japan’s same-sex marriage ban, public opinion remains largely unmoved. Robert Nordström presents evidence from new survey data which reveals the fleeting influence of judicial action in advancing LGBTQ rights in this conservative society Read more
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