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Political Theory

April 19, 2023

🦋 Inclusive democracy: a second-generation design

Karen Celis Fixing numbers is not enough. In their second-generation design for inclusive democracy, Karen Celis and Sarah Childs refashion representation processes to incentivise elected representatives to care more for diverse citizens. The designed-for effects? Experiencing better representation ‘in the round’, the most marginalised feeling recognised by and connected with democratic politics Read more
April 17, 2023

🦋 Language, diversity, and Ralph Ellison’s 'democratic vernacular'

Nathan Pippenger Do democracies have to choose between diversity and social cohesion? The African-American writer Ralph Ellison spent his career resisting this false choice, arguing that the idea of a 'common culture' did not have to amount to assimilation. Nathan Pippenger argues that Ellison’s distinctive perspective on these issues holds important lessons for democracies today Read more
April 4, 2023

🦋 Making the case for inconvenient democracy

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
March 30, 2023

🦋 What do people mean when they say they support democracy – and why should we care?

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
March 24, 2023

🦋 How to create meaningful democracy in our social lives

Peter Donkor Peter Donkor argues that the democratisation of our social lives is contingent upon a democratic political sphere. Doubling down on 'spillover theory', he urges governments to lead bolder democratisation efforts to show how ever-more democratic procedures are, indeed, preferable to authoritarian regimes and authoritarianism at home, school, work and beyond Read more
March 21, 2023

🦋 'Rationalising democracy': explaining a common logic

Suthan Krishnarajan Why do people committed to democracy explicitly support undemocratic behaviour by their politicians? Suthan Krishnarajan argues that it all comes down to perception. Sometimes, politicians establish policies that attract widespread support, but they do so in an undemocratic fashion. Citizens then 'rationalise democracy' to reassure themselves that politicians are indeed acting in their best interests Read more
March 17, 2023

💊 What student government can teach us about democracy

Justin Patrick As student governments experience decline and collapse in the twenty-first century, their importance in contemporary political life should not be underestimated. They serve as valuable resources for political scientists looking to understand democracy at fundamental levels. Justin Patrick argues that we should take them seriously in research and practice Read more
March 16, 2023

🦋 Let’s tell a more contextual story about Minben

Li-Chia Lo Li-Chia Lo revisits Rongxin Li’s essay on the Confucian concept of Minben (people-core/root) to offer more context to the concept and to differentiate it from the Chinese concept of Minzhu (people-master). Lo argues that both concepts are different, and we should not elide them Read more

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Advancing Political Science
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