Seema Shah
Around the world, the quality of democracy – and support for it – is in decline. In this context, Seema Shah argues that the future legitimacy of the democratic model depends on the separation of democratic values from democratic procedures Read more
Pedro Fierro
The people of Chile have rejected two constitutional proposals in little more than a year. Why? Pedro Fierro reveals that there are areas in Chile where residents reject politics entirely. This sentiment transcends ideological divides, and may have significantly influenced both constitutional processes Read more
Kristof Jacobs
Kristof Jacobs addresses the ‘myth’ that deliberation will counteract populism, arguing that there seems to be a crucial difference between populist citizens and populist parties. There are indeed reasons to be optimistic when it comes to populist citizens, but far less optimism is warranted when it comes to populist parties Read more
Alberto Bitonti
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 Read more
Anne Nygaard Jedzini
The threat of sanctions or coercive power is key to how governments make public good outcomes. To increase the legitimacy of coercive power and address illegitimate forms of power such as control and corruption, Anne Nygaard Jedzini argues that politicians need to share power with citizens through deliberation Read more
Adrian Bua
Adrian Bua argues that a critical democratic realism, grounding democratisation efforts upon critique of the capitalist social order, is the best way to navigate Jean-Paul Gagnon's ‘data mountain’ – and put it to work for democracy Read more
Jen Roberts
Deliberative approaches like citizen assemblies are gaining traction, particularly to inform climate policy. To ensure the legitimacy of these processes, Jen Roberts and her team argue that the process of selecting experts involved in citizen deliberations should be transparent, and must consider diversity and inclusivity Read more
Friderike Spang
When we compromise on moral questions, it is important that compromises are fair. But how can we ensure the fairness of a compromise? We often see compromise as a result of negotiation and bargaining. However, to achieve a fair compromise, we need to deliberate, rather than negotiate, argues Friderike Spang Read more
