Federico Taddei
At the start of 2026, a meme dubbed the 'nihilist penguin' went viral. But populist media pages and extreme-right accounts soon began using edits of the meme to spread nationalist and exclusionary content. Federico Taddei argues that when the alt-right exploits them, even seemingly apolitical social media trends can carry serious political implications Read more
Yida Zhai
The Science of Democracy 2.0 challenges current uses of the term 'democracy'. Yida Zhai argues that these uses are not universal but culturally specific. This, he says, makes them inadequate for describing the political realities of the human species as a whole Read more
Başak Akkan
In response to shifting gender hierarchies and demographic anxieties, authoritarian populists are pushing a 'family in crisis' narrative. Başak Akkan and Tuğçe Erçetin argue that ‘familyism’ ideology underpins pronatalist care politics aimed at restoring the patriarchal sexual contract Read more
Michal Malý
Michal Malý and Asker Bryld Staunæs argue that synthetic dissidents mark a new form of opposition politics. In authoritarian regimes, AI avatars and chatbots can propagate risky speech without exposing a single, identifiable speaker. This can protect journalists and activists, but it also changes how responsibility, authenticity and repression work Read more
Mattia Zulianello
Mattia Zulianello introduces the PopulisTree, a new taxonomy and open-access dataset that maps the full diversity of populist parties across Europe over recent decades. Building upon and expanding the existing PopuList database, The PopulisTree helps scholars, journalists, and policymakers analyse one of the most important political phenomena of our times Read more
Gülşen Doğan
Gülşen Doğan argues that Türkiye’s long crisis reveals a new way of governing that stretches liberal rules without fully abandoning them. Cities like Istanbul can keep democratic options alive even as national politics turns in a more authoritarian direction Read more
Ben Seyd
Declining public trust in political institutions raises concerns that citizens may turn away from democratic forms of decision-making. Recent cases of democratic backsliding seem to confirm this fear. Yet, as Ben Seyd argues, there is little evidence that declining trust impels citizens to embrace autocratic forms of decision-making Read more
Martino Comelli
Across Europe, mainstream conservative parties are edging closer to ultranationalists and far-right populists. Many see this as a sudden turn. But Martino Comelli argues its roots are part of Christian Democratic strategy DNA. Historically, this strategy has balanced market liberalism with the desire to constrain mass politics Read more
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