Vladimir Bortun
Some of the most successful radical left parties of the past decade are not really radical, argues Vladimir Bortun. These parties do not display the anti-capitalism that defines the radical left, but rather a socio-economic agenda akin to post-WWII social democracy. Labelling this neo-reformist left 'radical' is deeply problematic, conceptually and politically Read more
Jennifer Greiman
Herman Melville’s 'ruthless democracy' is a creative performance, argues Jennifer Greiman, which guides Melville’s experimental prose and poetry. This sought to reimagine democratic relations, possibilities, and ways of being as matters for aesthetic thought and work – with strong implications for political theory Read more
Yaoyao Dai
Populist parties and candidates have been gaining electoral support around the world. Yaoyao Dai cautions readers that this electoral success is not necessarily due to populism, and urges scholars to disentangle populism from its host ideologies. Empirically, populism alone has limited effects in attracting votes Read more
Simon Bienstman
Income inequality threatens democracy by depressing trust in political institutions. To better understand why, Simon Bienstman, Svenja Hense, and Markus Gangl argue that we should pay attention to inequality’s negative effect on citizens’ evaluations of the democratic process Read more
Janusz Ruszkowski
The most important thing for democracy is to establish a catalogue of its constant, repeatable and inalienable features – the so-called DNA of democracy. Such a DNA code could no longer be manipulated or diluted, because nothing without it could be called democracy, writes Janusz Ruszkowski Read more
Kate Hawkins
The Loop's thriving series thread on democratic theory has just published its 100th instalment. At this landmark juncture, Managing Editor Kate Hawkins looks back on the series' inception and development — and wonders where it might go in the future Read more
Patrick Nitzschner
In crisis. Regressing. Dying. Such unsettling assessments of democracy’s current state have sparked renewed interest in militant democracy – the justifiable repression of anti-democrats. Given the idea’s troubled history, Patrick Nitzscner welcomes attempts to place militant interventions on a securely democratic footing, but remains sceptical of their likely success Read more
Davide Vittori
Populist parties have gained significant electoral successes in recent years. But Davide Vittori shows that populism is not everywhere, even in public opinion. We are in danger of simplifying what populism is, and assuming that all anti-establishment phenomena are 'populist', when they are not Read more
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