Vera Tika
Vera Tika argues that contemporary illiberalism rarely arrives through dramatic democratic rupture. Instead, it advances quietly through routine governance and administrative practices that normalise exclusion. Examining Greece’s regulation of civil society, she shows how democratic erosion can occur incrementally — through law, procedure, and bureaucratic control Read more
Felicia Linsér
In 2023, amid accelerated militarisation, the Swedish government abruptly withdrew its financial support for domestic peace organisations. Felicia Linsér examines the impact on the peace movement of democratic backsliding, marginalisation in public debate, and a diminished relationship with political leadership Read more
Valesca Lima
Valesca Lima argues that Irish local authorities tend to treat public participation as a formal administrative requirement. However, by moving beyond performative box-ticking and toward genuine co-design, we can bridge the trust gap. True engagement doesn't just legitimise decisions; it sparks the local innovation our cities desperately need Read more
Alíz Nagy
Hungary is gearing up for national elections in April 2026. The authoritarian Fidesz party – in power for over fifteen years – is campaigning hard in the online realm. Alíz Nagy puts these developments in the broader context of digital authoritarianism Read more
Émilie Frenkiel
A pioneering new deliberative democracy project invites university students, faculty and administrative staff to develop transformative measures to future-proof their institution against social and environmental challenges. Reintroducing deliberation into education and beyond, argues Émilie Frenkiel, could bridge the representative disconnect between citizens and institutions Read more
Chris Butler
Politicians need to have a good understanding of which issues matters most to voters. Chris Butler reports from a recent survey of politicians that reveals that while they have a reasonable understanding of which issues matter, there are also common reasons why they make mistakes that have consequences for representation Read more
Şule Yaylacı
Elected politicians face rising mistrust, gridlock, and citizen disengagement. In their research, Şule Yaylaci, Edana Beauvais and Mark E. Warren show how democratic innovations can help elites tackle inclusion gaps, agenda-setting dilemmas, and decision-making deadlocks. The authors also highlight the risks of co-optation and 'democracy washing' Read more
Dario Castiglione
In his introductory piece for this series, Luca Verzichelli asked whether we can re-establish a connection between political institutions and citizens. Dario Castiglione suggests we can. But first, we must rethink democratic representation as a process of mutual engagement; then re-imagine its political practices and institutions Read more
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