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democratic backsliding

April 8, 2025

Gulf of America: rewriting the rules of public discourse

Christoph Deppe Scientific investigation into how disinformation affects democracy has never been more important. But autocrats and populists discredit such research, along with any journalism that challenges their worldview. Christoph Deppe describes how, under Trump’s second administration, changing the rules of communication is manipulating public discourse Read more
April 3, 2025

Seeing is believing: how protest visuals are rewriting Romania’s future

Mimi Mihăilescu A picture may be worth a thousand words, but protest visuals, especially during political upheaval, read like novels. Mimi Mihăilescu shows how visuals aren't just for documentation – they persuade, polarise, and shape public opinion. In Romania, where two protest factions are currently clashing, visuals are on the frontline of political warfare Read more
March 3, 2025

Hungary and the future of Europe

John Chin On 1 January, Hungary's six-month presidency of the EU Council ended and the EU made the unprecedented decision to withhold aid to Hungary over rule-of-law violations. John Chin and Mirren Hibbert put these developments in the context of continuing democratic backsliding in Hungary – and divisions over the future of Europe Read more
February 19, 2025

Christian Democracy’s pact with the far right

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
February 4, 2025

Promoting Poland’s democratic U-turn

John Chin On 1 January, Poland took over the rotating EU presidency from Hungary. John Chin and Ellie Kim outline the stakes for Europe, and the imperative of promoting a democratic U-turn in central Europe – and Poland itself – after years of democratic backsliding Read more
January 16, 2025

🌊 There are no independent regulators under populist rule

Rafael Labanino Illiberal populists politicise regulatory agencies. Under populist governments, regulatory agencies engage primarily with interest groups which enjoy close connections to the ruling parties. This is bad news for democratic quality and the quality of governance, write Rafael Labanino and Michael Dobbins Read more
August 8, 2024

What do Italians think of the dangers of authoritarianism under Meloni? 

Antonio Campati Antonio Campati, Martino Mazzoleni, and Andrea Scavo find, based on survey evidence, that Italians do not perceive an authoritarian risk in the far-right government led by Giorgia Meloni. However, they also discover a generational difference in attitudes towards democracy that may constitute concern for the future Read more
July 9, 2024

What aspects of political representation matter to citizens?

Liron Lavi Liron Lavi and Clareta Treger argue that citizens hold a multi-dimensional perception of political representation. Using Israel as a case study, they find that citizens feel represented on dimensions that are not important to them, and also on dimensions that reflect their satisfaction with democracy Read more

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Advancing Political Science
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