Jack Wippell
Increased cooperation between a subset of far-right street-gangs – Active Clubs – has largely passed under the radar. Jack Wippell argues this constitutes a ‘new’ threat, and draws from research on extremist organisations to explore what might follow. He highlights several limitations in what we know, and calls for immediate collaboration between researchers and practitioners Read more
Gijs Lambrechts
As the intersection between the crisis of representative democracy and the climate crisis grows bigger, Gijs Lambrechts argues that climate action will soon take centre stage in the discourse of the populist radical right Read more
Philipp Bien
When we consider national parliaments, we think of the domestic arena. However, there are rarely observed foreign dimensions to the work of national legislators. Philipp Bien, Meray Maddah and Thomas Malang argue that, through fora like the Inter-Parliamentary Union, national legislators have become an important group in international politics Read more
Nonna Mayer
Academic freedom is not only at risk in authoritarian regimes. The recent governmental crusade against 'islamo-leftism' in French universities shows it can happen in democracies, too. Nonna Mayer goes back to the origins of the campaign. Here, she analyses the political instrumentalisation of a term intended to intimidate social scientists Read more
Luke Martell
Socialist democracy includes but can go beyond the state, class, and socialism. Luke Martell argues it should overcome dichotomous thinking in favour of a pluralist socialism of diverse values, approaches, democratic forms, and levels of organisation Communism, social democracy, cooperative, and democratic socialism This blog contributes to The Loop's Science of Democracy series by delving […] Read more
Leonardo Puleo
Labelling populist far right parties as fascist is misleading, write Leonardo Puleo and Gianluca Piccolino. Vague accusations of fascism gloss over the genuine threats the radical right poses to democracy Read more
Tamila Shvyryda
Decentralised governance can help withstand crises in times when rapid action and resource mobilisation are essential. The ongoing war in Ukraine shows how decentralisation can bolster national resilience under crisis conditions. Tamila Shvyryda says the EU can learn from this – and it should reconfigure its public administration policy accordingly Read more
Felia Allum
Felia Allum argues that to fully understand organised crime groups, we should listen to women's voices. To recognise women's active agency, we must move beyond the master narrative that sees them as victims, or as an irrelevance Read more
