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Political Parties

July 24, 2023

The 2023 elections mark the end of the financial crisis era in Greece

Alexandros Kyriakidis Alexandros Kyriakidis argues that the era of political and financial crisis in Greece that spanned a decade seems to be coming to a close with the recent elections. This is demonstrated most vividly by the decline of SYRIZA, the party most closely associated with the anti-financial programme agenda Read more

July 17, 2023

🔮 Populist governments as a threat from within the state

Michael Bauer Populists have risen to executive office worldwide. In this context, Michael W. Bauer argues, we must pay more systematic attention to threats to the state and its institutions; the potential long-term impacts of the damage that populist governments can inflict 'from within' are potentially devastating Read more

July 13, 2023

🔮 Myth: All populist leaders are 'charismatic'

Adrian Favero Adrian Favero explores the claim that populist leaders are generally charismatic and invaluable for the functioning of 'their' parties. 'Charismatic leadership', he says, is not well conceptualised, nor are leaders unreservedly seen as charismatic by their followers despite being helpful for populist parties’ success Read more

July 4, 2023

🔮 How populist parties survive ‘mainstreaming’ once in power

Anca Turcu Populists thrive on being perceived as outsiders. This creates an incentive for mainstream governing populist parties to portray themselves as challengers to the establishment. Anca Turcu examines the tactics Hungary’s and Turkey’s governing populists employ to survive mainstreaming Read more

June 21, 2023

Do referendum voters vote according to their beliefs?

Matthew E Bergman What motivates people in referendum voting? Advocates argue that they allow voters to express their sincere preferences on issues. Matthew Bergman and Gianluca Passarelli look at the Italian case. They argue that voting in referenda can be just as party-focused as other forms of elections Read more

June 13, 2023

🔮 The myth of the typical far-right populist voter

Daphne Halikiopoulou Daphne Halikiopoulou and Sofia Vasilopoulou highlight the multifaceted nature of the far-right populist appeal to voters with different preferences and incentives. The far right struggles to expand its appeal to those who evaluate the democratic process positively, but its rhetoric intensifies support among some segments of its core electorate Read more

May 30, 2023

🔮 Populism is not just something that populists ‘are’ – it can also be performed and communicated

Michael Hameleers When facts are disputed and experts delegitimised, the term 'populism' may apply to truths and to untruths. Michael Hameleers argues that populist ideas are often strategically communicated to emphasise a divide between congruent truths and incongruent lies. This only serves to emphasise the idea of a divide between ordinary people and corrupt political elites Read more

February 10, 2023

The EU could be on the verge of a step towards real Europarty democracy

Diogo Vieira Ferreira European (transnational) political parties have suffered from a lack of political influence in the European Union. Diogo Vieira Ferreira argues that dealing with the EU’s democratic deficit requires higher political (party) competition at the EU level. The direct suffrage of MEPs via transnational lists is an embryonic but required step Read more

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