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Democracy

May 12, 2021

How dictatorships manage their image

Alexander Dukalskis Authoritarian states deliberately use a number of tools to manage their image internationally, writes Alexander Dukalskis. Creating positive news, distracting and silencing critique, and shaping elite opinion help make the world safer for dictatorships Read more
May 11, 2021

The Visegrád Group: an uneasy balance between East and West

Aliaksei Kazharski Following the end of the Cold War, the Visegrád 4 of Hungary, Poland, Czechia and Slovakia embarked on a 'return to the West'. These countries, writes Aliaksei Kazharski, are hardly beacons of democracy. But could they anchor Europeanisation and democratic change in East-Central Europe? Read more
May 5, 2021

Searching for the structural roots of the storming of the Capitol: economic inequality and the role of the ultra-rich

Alberto Parmigiani To understand the storming of the US Capitol, we must consider its possible roots in economic inequality. This, along with economic elites' ability to transform material wealth into political clout, have contributed to record political polarisation in the US today, writes Alberto Parmigiani Read more
May 4, 2021

Why autocrats redistribute income and wealth

Lars Pelke It is a common assumption that autocrats have no incentive to redistribute income and wealth. Not so, says Lars Pelke. Uncertainty about the outcomes of autocratic elections can incentivise dictators to redistribute wealth, especially when the incumbents’ ruling coalition is inclusive Read more
April 15, 2021

Did the BBC get its coverage of the Duke of Edinburgh's death right?

Ruairidh Brown As coverage of Prince Phillip's death becomes the most complained about event in British television history, Ruairidh Brown argues that, despite its role as the UK’s national public broadcaster, the BBC must avoid normative attempts to dictate public sentiment Read more
April 8, 2021

Conspiracy theories are everywhere amid the pandemic. Politicians should face up to their role in helping to peddle them

Annemarie Walter During the coronacrisis, conspiracy theories have proliferated, and politicians who use them for political gain are – at least partly – to blame. Let the January attack on the US Capitol be a warning to Europe, write Annemarie Walter and Hugo Drochon Read more
April 1, 2021

Amid the pandemic Bolsonaro intimidates critics with dictatorship-era law

Eduardo Burkle President Jair Bolsonaro faces criticism from the media and civil society for his disastrous response to the pandemic. Reviving National Security Law to intimidate critics is more than a nod to Brazil's authoritarian past, writes Eduardo Burkle Read more
March 30, 2021

Are legal gender quotas an antidote to the deficit in women’s political representation?

Maciej Górecki Researchers now have tools to assess the influence of gender quotas on electoral systems. But, write Maciej Górecki and Michał Pierzgalski, the impact of such quotas reveals limited improvement in women’s political representation Read more

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Advancing Political Science
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