Giorgos Venizelos
'Populism' and 'power' have an uneasy relationship. Key texts reveal three assumptions about populism's 'fate' in power: first, it becomes mainstream; second, it turns authoritarian; third, it fails/succeeds to implement policies. Giorgos Venizelos argues we must look beyond the myths about populism's content or outcomes, and turn instead to populism's function of constructing collective identities through discursive / affective performativity Read more
Lakshmy Ramakrishnan
Earlier this year, construction workers from India began arriving in Israel to mitigate the country's labour shortage. The number of Indian migrant workers in Israel now looks set to reach 6,000. While this does help reduce India's unemployment rate, Lakshmy Ramakrishnan argues we should also see it as an exercise in soft power by the Modi government Read more
James F. Downes
James F. Downes and Mathew Wong re-evaluate the impact of the Belt and Road Initiative by examining important macroeconomic linkages between China and other economies. Combining statistical analyses of 163 countries, alongside EU case studies , they find that the economic impact of the BRI is limited, and determined largely by pre-BRI economic factors Read more
Marzia Saramad
On 15 August 2021, Marzia Saramad was working for UNICEF in the Afghan capital, Kabul, when the Taliban seized control. Here, she explains Afghanistan's relevance to the global illiberal agenda Read more
Bert Fraussen
How do think tanks establish a unique position in a saturated policy advisory landscape? Bert Fraussen and Valerie Pattyn show that Belgian think tanks set themselves apart from other actors by prioritising long-term, evidence-based policy advice. Aligned with the nation’s administrative tradition, they also adopt consensual strategies Read more
Clara Juarez Miro
Supporters of populist parties endorse rhetoric that antagonises the press, yet they are also avid consumers of news. Clara Juarez Miro explores populist supporters' paradoxical relationship with journalism. Her research shows how central are emotion and social identities to populist supporters’ worldviews – and this shapes their perspectives on journalism Read more
Diana Maria Prisecaru
Since 2010, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has been slowly dismantling the country's independent media until there is only voice left: his own. Diana Maria Prisecaru argues that thirteen years of carefully crafted messages has gifted Orbán the grassroots movement he always wanted Read more
Sofia Henriks
As climate policy costs rise, right-leaning voters experience cognitive dissonance. As a result, Sofia Henriks writes, they lower their worries about climate impact when there is an increase in private costs. But what about the left-leaning voters? Read more
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