Aleksandra Spalińska
Many leftists have been reluctant to support Ukraine against the Russian invasion. They might take an ‘anti-imperialist’ position against the US; or they may have ties to Russia through political sponsorship. Aleksandra Spalińska believes the Marxist/leftist position has deeper roots. She argues that leftists' perspective on world politics is determined by a phenomenon she calls 'methodological externalism' Read more
Bartek Pytlas
The sometimes inflationary use of ‘populism’ has prompted calls to discard the term altogether. Bartek Pytlas argues that what we need instead is a more differentiated and dynamic approach to populism - one that involves contrasting populism against other ideas, as well as observing how political actors use these ideas in practice Read more
Remi Chukwudi Okeke
Remi Chukwudi Okeke argues that democracy's adherents often jettison it for other forms of governance, like authoritarianism, when it is no longer convenient for them. Embracing an ethic of inconvenient democracy may undo this pernicious dynamic Read more
Petr Špecián
Petr Špecián argues that democracy would benefit from experimenting with alternative institutional designs in simulated digital worlds. By providing a ‘playground’ with well-calibrated stakes, such an approach could accelerate innovation and help navigate democracy through the challenges of the 21st century Read more
Reinhard Heinisch
The more populism has evolved and the more we have learned about this supposedly elusive and contested concept, the more we recognise that the early insights we gained about the phenomenon have stood the test of time. Reinhard Heinisch argues that although these early lessons already pointed to the importance of credible change agency, ambiguity, and territoriality as crucial features for populism's success, their role is still not fully understood Read more
Hannah Chapman
Amid concerns of declining support for democracy worldwide, recent research points to a way forward. Hannah Chapman, Margaret Hanson, Valery Dzutsati, and Paul DeBell show that how people define democracy influences their support for it Read more
Miroslav Nemčok
Postal voting is praised for its ability to lower the costs of electoral participation. However, Miroslav Nemčok and Johanna Peltoniemi argue that postal voting has its limits. If voters doubt their ballots will make it to the ballot box uncompromised, they are unlikely to exercise their democratic right Read more
Avery Reyna
The technologies of generative artificial intelligence and large language models, and their associated algorithms, are increasingly shaping our everyday lives. Avery Reyna argues that the constant need to develop groundbreaking technologies will turn these seemingly abstract algorithmic harms into real-life consequences felt by everyone across the globe Read more
