Massimo D'Angelo
In the Turkish presidential elections of 14 May, no candidate secured 50% of the vote to secure outright victory. The election now goes to a runoff later this month. Massimo D’Angelo assesses whether a united opposition can, in the second round, defeat the incumbent President Erdoğan, who is seeking his third re-election Read more
Joanie Willett
Local elections have just taken place in the UK. Yet despite decades of devolution deals, and various iterations of 'Levelling Up', UK local government remains economically unequal and centralised. The US, by contrast is highly decentralised. Joanie Willett says we can learn from the US about the importance of capacity building, a vibrant civil society, and encouraging people to feel invested in their towns’ future Read more
Maurits Meijers
Maurits Meijers and Andrej Zaslove address the ‘myth’ that populist beliefs among citizens are harmful for liberal democracy. Using insights from recent research, they argue that highly populist citizens are not more likely than other citizens to reject the principles of liberal democracy Read more
Senem Aydın-Düzgit
As Turkey goes to the polls on Sunday 14 May, Senem Aydın-Düzgit considers the implications for Turkish foreign policy. If the opposition wins, it will focus on rebuilding trust with Western partners. If Erdoğan prevails, he will focus on regime survival Read more
Flávia Biroli
Under Bolsonaro, Brazilians experienced flagrant setbacks in gender rights and policies. Flávia Biroli and Luciana Tatagiba assess the roots of these changes, which targeted participatory institutions and practices. The effects have been profound, highlighting the difficulties for Brazil's new government of turning the tide on anti-feminism Read more
Scott Williamson
When citizens develop grievances, autocrats try to deflect blame to retain popular support. Scott Williamson argues that regime type influences strategies and success rates of autocrats shifting blame when confronted by popular discontent. The more personalist an autocracy, the more damaging blame attribution can be for autocratic survival in office Read more
Eliška Drápalová
The study of populism has typically focused on national-level politics, leaving subnational politics lost in the shuffle. Eliška Drápalová argues that underestimating the importance of the sub-national level limits our understanding of the impact that populist movements have – and misses the fascinating developments happening below the national surface Read more
Gift Mwonzora
Are electoral reforms the answer to a country's democratic deficit? Gift Mwonzora writes that elections should not be reduced to a mere ritualistic exercise. In Zimbabwe, only genuine political, legal, governance and administrative reforms will bring democratic success. Yet while electoral reforms are essential for credible elections, they are not the sole remedy for a competitive authoritarian regime's democratic deficits Read more
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