Felix Wiebrecht
Almost every country in the world has a legislature. They are at the centre of democratic politics, but also take on crucial roles in authoritarian regimes. Felix Wiebrecht illustrates how a multidimensional approach both helps us to understand their role in dictatorships, and paves the way for more research Read more
Giovanni Capoccia
The outcome of the Italian parliamentary elections, now less than two weeks away, seems a foregone conclusion. The centre-right coalition, led by Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing Brothers of Italy, will likely have a majority. What might happen after the centre-right takes power is more uncertain, says Giovanni Capoccia Read more
Daniel Buarque
President Jair Bolsonaro has changed the priorities and alignments of Brazil's international positions, picked fights with historic allies, and threatened important economic relations, writes Daniel Buarque. These developments have changed the international status of Brazil and risk making the country a pariah Read more
Zarina Burkadze
Promoting democracy without challenging external autocratisers and checking local democratic elites may be counterproductive, argues Zarina Burkadze. Great power competition has always had an impact on the domestic politics of small nations, and this is apparent in the conflicts and international politics of today Read more
Daniel Auer
Back in 2018, Daniel Auer and Didier Ruedin were conducting a research experiment on prejudice in the Swiss housing market. That same summer, a footballer at the FIFA World Cup made a controversial gesture that got the nation talking. After he did so, our researchers observed a significant drop in ethnic discrimination. Were the two phenomena connected? Read more
Kees Terlouw
Global relations are increasingly regulated by states which strengthen control over their national territory. But delegitimation of neoliberalism does not signal the end of the global order or capitalism, says Kees Terlouw. It simply marks another shift between ‘relational’ and ‘territorial’ perspectives on legitimacy Read more
Anna Khakee
As long as the EU continues to silence European colonial crimes when promoting democracy and human rights in the Global South, it cannot live up to its moral promise. Instead, warns Anna Khakee, it risks perpetuating – inadvertently or otherwise – colonial-era hierarchies between civilisations and a sense of European moral superiority Read more
Daniel Casey
Writing to our political leaders is a core part of our democratic rights and traditions, but we know almost nothing about the contents of a leader’s mailbag. Daniel Casey opens the mailbag for one Australian Prime Minister to discover a very different measure of public opinion Read more
