Simon Bienstman
Income inequality threatens democracy by depressing trust in political institutions. To better understand why, Simon Bienstman, Svenja Hense, and Markus Gangl argue that we should pay attention to inequality’s negative effect on citizens’ evaluations of the democratic process Read more
Michael Bauer
Populists have risen to executive office worldwide. In this context, Michael W. Bauer argues, we must pay more systematic attention to threats to the state and its institutions; the potential long-term impacts of the damage that populist governments can inflict 'from within' are potentially devastating Read more
Andrea Cassani
Following years of uncertainty, Senegal’s President Macky Sall has announced he will not run for a third term in 2024. Andrea Cassani, Tiziana Corda, and Giovanni Carbone consider Sall's decision less unexpected than it would have been some years ago. They discuss how term-limit politics could influence democracy and development across Africa Read more
Janusz Ruszkowski
The most important thing for democracy is to establish a catalogue of its constant, repeatable and inalienable features – the so-called DNA of democracy. Such a DNA code could no longer be manipulated or diluted, because nothing without it could be called democracy, writes Janusz Ruszkowski Read more
Paul D. Kenny
Scholars and pundits – few of whom are populist supporters themselves – like nothing more than to point out the seeming foolishness of populism. However, Paul Kenny argues, there is also frequently a rational explanation behind their choices. Populist voters may be a lot of things, but they are not irrational Read more
Helge K. Nylenna
Democracy as a basic structure in organisational life is a given in most Western NGOs. However, church doctrine challenges the Montesquieuan principle that the body of the people possess the supreme power. Still, with reference to the Norwegian case, Helge Nylenna argues that, like other NGOs, churches can be democratic Read more
Anthoula Malkopoulou
Anthoula Malkopoulou warns against conflating populism with authoritarianism and thus over-reacting and supporting repression. But treating populists as regular political opponents may lead to the opposite: under-reacting to the risks posed by some populist parties and individuals Read more
Patrick Nitzschner
In crisis. Regressing. Dying. Such unsettling assessments of democracy’s current state have sparked renewed interest in militant democracy – the justifiable repression of anti-democrats. Given the idea’s troubled history, Patrick Nitzscner welcomes attempts to place militant interventions on a securely democratic footing, but remains sceptical of their likely success Read more
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