Joanie Willett
Local elections have just taken place in the UK. Yet despite decades of devolution deals, and various iterations of 'Levelling Up', UK local government remains economically unequal and centralised. The US, by contrast is highly decentralised. Joanie Willett says we can learn from the US about the importance of capacity building, a vibrant civil society, and encouraging people to feel invested in their towns’ future Read more
Bernhard Reinsberg
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is not only a ‘lender of last resort’ but also a security actor. New data and analysis from Bernhard Reinsberg and Daniel Shaw at the University of Glasgow shows that IMF interventions often have a negative effect on human security Read more
Ivaylo Dinev
More than one-third of all protest events in Bulgaria and Slovenia since the Great Recession were class-based. Workers’ mobilisations show durability, contends Ivaylo Dinev, though differences between sectors continue to exist Read more
Damian Raess
Surprisingly, left governments adopted more conservative fiscal policies than right governments in recent economic crises. Governments did not choose these policies freely; rather, the financial markets imposed them. Nonetheless, argues Damian Raess, they appear to have dire electoral consequences: left-leaning voters are increasingly voting with their feet Read more
Anna Guildea
The Biden administration’s plans to introduce a global minimum corporate tax rate, while bringing benefits to the world economy, will have a crushing effect on economies such as Ireland, which has used low corporate tax rates as an engine of economic growth, writes Anna Guildea Read more
Lucas Schramm
In 2020 Germany promoted a bold European response to the corona crisis, involving common EU debt. This contrasts starkly with its position a decade before, when it favoured austerity over fiscal stimulus and debt pooling. Lucas Schramm and Amandine Crespy argue that the specific nature of the corona crisis reconfigured Germany’s national interests in Europe Read more
Catherine Moury
While socialist parties in Europe struggle in times of austerity, the Portuguese left has found a winning strategy, write Catherine Moury and Elisabetta de Giorgi. Combining discrete austerity measures with some visible anti-austerity ones, they have managed to please constituency and supporting partners alike Read more
The Loop
Cutting-edge analysis showcasing the work of the political science discipline at its best.
