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Political Theory

July 25, 2025

Relational design for democracy and governance

Erica Dorn Erica Dorn and Sofía Bosch Gómez argue that citizen disillusionment with democratic systems presents designers with an important opportunity. Moving beyond digital interfaces, relational design reimagines governance by prioritising equity, legitimacy, and collective care. Designers help shape who belongs, who decides, and the potential in participatory, inclusive, and systemic interventions  Read more
July 24, 2025

🦋 What counts as democracy? A critical reflection on The Science of Democracy 2.0

Hong Do The Science of Democracy 2.0 offers a bold, innovative rethinking of democracy by embracing diversity and challenging Western-centric models. Hong Do acknowledges its ambition, but argues it risks romantic pluralism by celebrating traditions without fully addressing embedded inequalities and power hierarchies within them Read more
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
April 25, 2025

The democratic purpose of social media: empowering civil society

Markus Patberg Many are calling for for reforms to social media platforms that will strengthen their democratic function. But to meaningfully reshape online platforms, we first need to determine their democratic purpose. Our goal, argues Markus Patberg, should be to empower civil society Read more
July 30, 2024

🦋 A case for technical democracy

Kalervo N. Gulson Democracy is a set of processes that create spaces for dissensus and radical equality. Greg Thompson and Kalervo N. Gulson argue that nowhere is the lack of democratic spaces more evident than in the field of technology and its impact on institutions and life Read more
April 5, 2024

🦋 Critical Theory after Houellebecq

Shivdeep Grewal Feelings are relevant to the study of democracy. Yet they prove difficult to encapsulate. Delving into the worlds of Michel Houellebecq, Jürgen Habermas and Emmanuel Macron, Shivdeep Grewal suggests an ‘experiential’ approach Read more
March 21, 2024

🦋 What identity does democracy need? The necessity and danger of political polarisation

Simon Bein Simon Bein postulates a new perspective on the multiplicity of understandings of democracy and political identities in democratic societies. He argues that democracies which recognise and balance competing political identities are less polarised Read more
February 23, 2024

Understanding democracy’s contentious outcomes as a legitimising force

Seema Shah Around the world, the quality of democracy – and support for it – is in decline. In this context, Seema Shah argues that the future legitimacy of the democratic model depends on the separation of democratic values from democratic procedures Read more

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Advancing Political Science
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