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Political Theory

September 20, 2022

🦋 Democracy as a way of living

Sonia Bussu Sonia Bussu argues that the way we understand democracy has been colonised by ‘liberal democracy’ and capitalism. As a result, democracy is far removed from our daily lives. We need to free ourselves from these constraints to see the possible alternatives, which are embodied in democracy as a way of living Read more
September 15, 2022

♟️ The black box of authoritarian legislatures

Felix Wiebrecht Almost every country in the world has a legislature. They are at the centre of democratic politics, but also take on crucial roles in authoritarian regimes. Felix Wiebrecht illustrates how a multidimensional approach both helps us to understand their role in dictatorships, and paves the way for more research Read more
September 7, 2022

Neoliberalism is in crisis, but what is the alternative?

Kees Terlouw Global relations are increasingly regulated by states which strengthen control over their national territory. But delegitimation of neoliberalism does not signal the end of the global order or capitalism, says Kees Terlouw. It simply marks another shift between ‘relational’ and ‘territorial’ perspectives on legitimacy Read more
September 2, 2022

♟️ Political purges and their importance for dictators

Austin Scott Matthews Political purges are dramatic, yet common, events in dictatorships, sometimes bloody and highly consequential. By dissecting the sequence of decisions behind these events, Austin S. Matthews shows that the way a dictator goes about a purge can determine outcomes like regime survival and risk of a coup Read more
August 26, 2022

♟️ Military coups are key to understanding contemporary autocracies

Sebastian Elischer Many autocracies emerge through military coups, but studies of hybrid regimes and electoral autocracies largely disregard the role of militaries in their trajectory. Sebastian Elischer shows how armies consolidate their power when they take control and suggests a further research agenda Read more
August 25, 2022

The political potential of placemaking

Ryan Salzman For Ryan Salzman, placemaking is a viable form of political participation that has the potential to meet or exceed some forms of traditional participation in democratic effectiveness. It is time we recognised these contemporary alternatives to traditional political participation so that we can truly understand twenty-first century democracy Read more
August 18, 2022

🦋 (Re)thinking democracy using Participedia

Paul Emiljanowicz Paul Emiljanowicz manages Participedia, the largest database documenting democratic innovations from around the world. To prevent reproducing coloniality, Paul writes, we must commit to expanding our knowledge about democracy and recognising the experiences and knowledges of all peoples Read more
August 17, 2022

Russia's war and the rhetoric of the 'civilisational state' in global politics

Nitesh Anchan Russia justified its invasion of Ukraine mainly on political grounds, but also claimed a cultural reason: the construction of a Eurasian civilisation. To Nitesh Anchan and Priya Vijaykumar Poojary, the Russia-Ukraine war signifies that global politics in the 21st century will be dominated by the rhetoric of the civilisation state Read more

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Advancing Political Science
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