Sabine Volk
In countries across Europe, Pride events celebrating LGBTQI visibility face threats of violence. This, warns Sabine Volk reveals the transnationalisation of far-right activism and the mainstreaming of trans-hostile discourse. Democratic states, she says, are failing to protect marginalised communities Read more
Annalisa Quaglia
When we think of democratic innovation, we usually picture citizens voting. But Annalisa Quaglia and Federico De Marco argue that a quiet transformation is underway elsewhere. Faced with the decline of remote areas, local public administrations are becoming the new collaborative arenas for democratic legitimacy – though not without significant challenges Read more
Lorenzo De Sio
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 Read more
Omran Shroufi
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 Read more
Rylan Verlooy
Belgium often prides itself on being an LGBTQ-friendly country, yet anti-trans activists hide their transphobia behind superficial pro-trans statements. Rylan Verlooy explores how this paradox affects trans people’s activism. Here, he shows how resistance takes the form of everyday acts of educating others, strengthening community spaces, and caring for trans lives Read more
David Pimenta
David Pimenta argues that the logic behind the 'broken windows' theory – that visible disorder encourages crime – is still with us. Today, however, it has been transformed and absorbed into contemporary illiberal populism, where cultural breakdown plays a central role in mobilising support and reshaping debates about authority and liberal democracy Read more
Regina Queiroz
The collapse of liberal democracy is often misunderstood. Regina Queiroz argues that a libertarian-conservative model has displaced liberal democracy's endorsement of popular sovereignty. Driven by re-regulation, liberalisation, and privatisation, this model prioritises market logic over social cohesion. From Portugal’s housing crisis to national populism, the author explores this ideological shift Read more
Marta Kołczyńska
Political trust can shape the trajectory of democracy writes Marta Kołczyńska, but its effects are conditional, uneven, and increases in trust may sometimes even be conducive to democratic decline rather than renewal Read more
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