Lobbying regulation is an area where political scientists can help strengthen democracy. We usually analyse the effects of existing regulations, and see why, where, and how they are implemented. But Alberto Bitonti argues we can do much more, helping regulators fix loopholes and understand what they really should aim for
In Kazakhstan’s recent presidential elections, incumbent President Tokayev won an overwhelming majority, further consolidating his rule. Tokayev preaches democratisation. Yet, as Bakhytzhan Kurmanov argues, the elections were hardly democratic, and the reforms he proposes may mask an intent to strengthen his own position rather than empower Kazakh citizens
Poland's presidential election resulted in surprise defeat for centrist Civic Coalition candidate Rafał Trzaskowski. Renata Mieńkowska-Norkiene describes how Donald Tusk's governing coalition misjudged the public mood – and how the right-wing Karol Nawrocki convinced the Polish electorate that he is a 'man of the people'
Does civil society mobilisation reduce socioeconomic bias in EU policy debate? A study by Evelien Willems, Iskander De Bruycker, and Marcel Hanegraaff reveals that active engagement by civil society organisations narrows the representation gap for people of low socioeconomic status. This offers a promising path toward more inclusive EU policy-making
To kickstart another round of essays, Jean-Paul Gagnon recaps four years’ worth of discussions in The Loop's Science of Democracy series. He explains where this ever-growing community of scholars has got to so far – and where it aims to go next
The European Commission has proposed letting member states drop the ‘connection requirement’ from the ‘safe third country’ concept in asylum cases. Gaia Romeo and Frowin Rausis argue this seemingly technical tweak marks a major shift — toward an ‘(un)safe fourth country’ approach that some countries have repeatedly tried, and failed
Far-right parties are doing well – so it’s important that we see them for what they are. Yet, in the UK, the label ‘hard right’ is catching on. Why is debateable. But, argues Tim Bale, it’s a misdescription which sanitises these parties. Scholars of the far right should therefore push back
We often attribute populism’s rise to structural factors — economic insecurity, digital technology, and cultural backlash. But Manoel Gehrke and Feng Yang reveal a more immediate trigger: former leaders' conviction for corruption. In less democratic contexts, these rulings open the door for governments to amplify personalistic appeals — and boost their popularity
Political parties frame the UK’s British National (Overseas) visa scheme as historical humanitarian responsibility towards Hong Kong in the context of UK-China relations. But is that really the case? James F. Downes and Kenneth Lai analysed parliamentary speeches from 2019 to 2023. Their findings suggest the UK government uses BNO visas as a geopolitical tool
Right-wing populism has gone beyond the nation state. Analysing JD Vance’s speech at the Munich Security Conference earlier this year, Yunus Poblome describes how US foreign policy under Trump depicts Europe as being led by a corrupt elite which refuses to listen to its conservative people. This, he argues, further legitimise Europe’s own right-wing populists
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