One thousand words, one thousand times: four years ago, ECPR launched this path-breaking website. Managing Editor Kate Hawkins looks back on our achievements, and considers how far we've come
Liberal democracy is backsliding in another EU member state. After more than a decade of GERB-party governance in Bulgaria – and the erosion of democracy and media freedom – the latest elections show how far the country is struggling to guarantee free and fair election process. Dragomir Stoyanov and Milen Lyubenov take a deep dive.
Oliver Gruber and Philipp Schnell examine how populist radical-right parties are extending their influence far beyond traditional populist policy areas, such as immigration. Across Europe, these parties are switching their focus to education policy.
Parliaments often overlook MPs' family needs, and this poses challenges for recruiting and retaining diverse politicians. Yet, argues Jessica Smith, recent research in the UK reveals that voters don’t penalise MPs for taking parental leave; indeed, women MPs even gain more support as mothers.
Stereotypes of race and gender didn’t seem to stick to Kamala Harris. But another kind did. Sanne van Oosten argues that in the run-up to the US election, the Trump campaign stereotyped Harris as an extreme leftist – a policy stereotype exacerbated by her race and gender
The public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower disaster revealed the contempt of multinational corporations, and how the British state neglected the people it was meant to protect. However, argues Sam Glasper, the inquiry’s final report fails to reveal the extent to which 'racial capitalism' affects the lives of Britain's most vulnerable people.
We often link denialism and opposition to environmental issues to far-right parties, yet this is an oversimplification. Camil Ungureanu, Marc Sanjaume-Calvet and Balsa Lubarda argue that some centre-right parties, by downplaying ecological concerns and framing ecology as 'the new communism', paved the way for far-right climate denialism.
Italy’s new cross-border surrogacy ban is typical of the way democratic nations are adopting authoritarian measures to target citizens who travel abroad to circumvent restrictions at home. The new law targets LGBTQ+ families in particular. Janina Heaphy argues that Italy's actions reflect a global trend of transnational restrictions on personal freedoms and human rights.
Online memes have evolved from satirical messages to powerful ideological tools. Recently, the far-right 'Dark MAGA' movement has harnessed memes for political messaging and identity-building. Mimi Mihăilescu describes how Elon Musk has emerged as an anti-establishment symbol: revered, weaponised, and transformed within these radicalised online communities.
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