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March 22, 2022

Can political trust be rebuilt?

Viktor Orri Valgarðsson Citizens across the world appear to be losing faith in politics and governments’ ability to solve society’s problems, but can their faith be reclaimed? Viktor Orri Valgarðsson suggests that what may be needed is a new trust settlement – one of critical trust, which must be earned Read more

March 21, 2022

🌊 Change is possible in Hungary

Andrew Richard Ryder Since 2010, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has carried through measures that have undermined the rule of law, with no prospect for changing this trajectory. However, argues Andrew Richard Ryder, current events present opportunities for a return to democratic values in Hungary Read more

March 21, 2022

🦋 Mountains of data need a (democratic) horizon

Rafael Khachaturian According to Rafael Khachaturian, Jean-Paul Gagnon’s 'lexical approach' misses the interpretive dimension of democracy. Instead, we need a self-reflexive theory of concept creation that treats democracy as an unfulfilled political project Read more

March 18, 2022

How Israel manages its democratic deficit

Niva Golan-Nadir Niva Golan-Nadir examines the diverse strategies state institutions use to manage unpopular policies while keeping the core of those policies intact. In Israel, citizens are only partially content with government measures to meet their demands. Crucially, however, Israelis are satisfied enough to prevent civil pressure on state institutions Citizens in modern democratic states enjoy civil […] Read more

March 17, 2022

🦋 Democracy is under threat, and we must use theory to save it

Simone Chambers This is not the time for collecting butterflies, writes Simone Chambers in response to Jean-Paul Gagnon. The threats to democracy we face today call for innovation and engagement, not typologies and definitions Read more

March 16, 2022

How opposition parties can challenge government dominance in parliamentary democracies

Thomas König Thomas König, Nick Lin, and Thiago N. Silva argue that opposition can challenge government agenda dominance in parliaments through the control of committee chairs. This also impacts how coalition partners manage governance. Read more

March 15, 2022

Governments at all levels must work together to solve the climate crisis

André Luiz Campos de Andrade Decarbonisation requires a shift in climate governance focus, from the international to the domestic, writes André Luiz Campos de Andrade. At the domestic level, local, regional, and national governments must join forces to achieve their climate targets The Paris Agreement and its main implementation and transparency instruments continue to progress at a global level (e.g. […] Read more

March 14, 2022

Explaining Swedish exceptionalism in its pandemic response

Orlaith Rice The Swedish government’s strategy for addressing the Covid-19 pandemic sparked international debate about its hands off approach. Orlaith Rice points to Sweden’s institutional framework and high trust levels as two key components in understanding this country's unique pandemic response Read more

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