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June 2, 2026

🎈 How three transformations blocked democratic responsiveness

Lorenzo De Sio Western democracies' responsiveness machinery has been quietly dismantled. To repair the representative disconnect, says Lorenzo De Sio, we must first understand precisely what is broken Read more
May 26, 2026

🎈 The European Democracy Shield: defending what?

Omran Shroufi We commonly hear EU leaders talk about the need to ‘defend democracy’. Yet, as Omran Shroufi shows, their discourse is often more about identifying and naming geopolitical threats than it is about tackling pervasive, home-grown structural problems of democratic disconnect and disillusionment Read more
May 12, 2026

Does political trust strengthen democracy?

Marta Kołczyńska Political trust can shape the trajectory of democracy writes Marta Kołczyńska, but its effects are conditional, uneven, and increases in trust may sometimes even be conducive to democratic decline rather than renewal Read more
February 27, 2026

EU complicity in the slow death of Indian democracy

Amit Singh The EU’s expanding engagement with India, notably the proposed 'mother of all deals' free trade agreement, signals a strategic partnership. Yet without clear human-rights benchmarks, this cooperation risks legitimising India’s democratic backsliding and weakening the EU’s own normative credibility, argues Amit Singh Read more
August 4, 2025

How populist messaging becomes contagious 

Vlad Surdea-Hernea Political parties are increasingly adopting populist appeals, not necessarily because of ideological realignments, but out of a desire to mimic the successful strategies of their competitors. Vlad Surdea-Hernea reveals how anti-elite messaging is spreading like a virus across European democracies, reshaping political discourse as parties emulate populist tactics  Read more
June 18, 2025

Is democracy being eroded from within?

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
June 6, 2025

💊 The power of social models for teaching democratic politics

Titus Alexander Our models of higher education have polarising effects. Titus Alexander argues that we need to learn from Nordic models of adult education and recognise teaching as a form of scholarship to help citizens renew democracy Read more
May 29, 2025

🎭 Why Africa needs non-adversarial democracy 

Mebratu Kelecha Democracy in Africa is at a crossroads. While regimes do hold elections, many still fail to deliver on their democratic promises. Mebratu Kelecha argues for a non-adversarial form of democracy inspired by Africa's rich Indigenous Gada system, which emphasises inclusivity, consensus-building, and cooperation Read more

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Advancing Political Science
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