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July 15, 2025

🦋 Science of Democracy 2.0

Jean-Paul Gagnon To kickstart another round of essays, Jean-Paul Gagnon recaps four years’ worth of discussions in The Loop's Science of Democracy series. He explains where this ever-growing community of scholars has got to so far – and where it aims to go next Read more
July 15, 2025

🧭 Enlargement reimagined: the shifting logics behind the EU’s expansion

Marius Ghincea What motivates EU enlargement? Marius Ghincea and Laurențiu Pleșca argue that the Union’s approach has evolved through three overlapping logics — transformation, stabilisation, and demarcation. By unpacking how these priorities have shifted over time, they offer a more nuanced understanding of enlargement in a changing geopolitical context Read more
July 14, 2025

☢️ Nuclear future – deterrence or disarmament?

Cecilia Gustavsson The core principles of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) are to prevent a the development and acquisition of nuclear weapons, and to reach complete disarmament. But, argues Cecilia Gustavsson, without improved transparency and independent verification mechanisms, the NPT could, paradoxically, accelerate a new nuclear arms race Read more
July 11, 2025

When education policy meets the classroom

Irene Landini Whether intercultural education fails or thrives depends not just on policies, but on the teachers implementing them. Drawing on fieldwork in Italy, Irene Landini shows how inclusive practices emerge — or falter — depending on school leadership, discretion, and innovation Read more
July 11, 2025

Thirty years after Srebrenica, is Bosnia and Herzegovina a viable state?

Albrecht Rothacher On the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre in eastern Bosnia, Albrecht Rothacher looks back at the significance of that event, and the confederal State it produced. Three decades on, can the EU realistically consider Bosnia and Herzegovina as a potential member state? Read more
July 10, 2025

The EU’s quiet shift toward an ‘(un)safe fourth country’ asylum policy

Gaia Romeo The European Commission has proposed letting member states drop the ‘connection requirement’ from the ‘safe third country’ concept in asylum cases. Gaia Romeo and Frowin Rausis argue this seemingly technical tweak marks a major shift — toward an ‘(un)safe fourth country’ approach that some countries have repeatedly tried, and failed Read more
July 10, 2025

Why we need to halt ‘hard right’ in its tracks

Tim Bale Far-right parties are doing well – so it’s important that we see them for what they are. Yet, in the UK, the label ‘hard right’ is catching on. Why is debateable. But, argues Tim Bale, it’s a misdescription which sanitises these parties. Scholars of the far right should therefore push back Read more
July 9, 2025

🔮 How corruption convictions help leaders gain support

Manoel Gehrke We often attribute populism’s rise to structural factors — economic insecurity, digital technology, and cultural backlash. But Manoel Gehrke and Feng Yang reveal a more immediate trigger: former leaders' conviction for corruption. In less democratic contexts, these rulings open the door for governments to amplify personalistic appeals — and boost their popularity Read more

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Advancing Political Science
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