Azher Hameed Qamar
In the run-up to Sweden's 2026 election, far-right parties treated the hijab as proof that migrants neither belong nor can be assimilated. Azher Hameed Qamar argues that this debate reveals a democratic tension. Does equality demand sameness? Or does it protect participation despite cultural differences Read more
Eytan Ellenberg
Eytan Ellenberg uses Israel’s fragmented party system to ask four questions often collapsed into one: can a new party enter parliament, enlarge its political bloc, improve its chances of governing, and reconfigure the alliances through which a majority becomes possible? Read more
Maike Bernhard-Rump
Maike Bernhard-Rump argues that citizens’ trust in elections is shaped less by actual risks than by how they imagine them. Drawing on evidence from Germany and Austria, she shows why perceptions of voting security — not digital threats — play a decisive role in shaping electoral confidence Read more
Elias Koch
Elias Koch finds that opposition parties become more confrontational towards the government when losing in the polls, and particularly when their support drops below the previous election result. But what does this mean for political systems thriving on an antagonistic relationship between the opposition and the executive? Read more
Madalina Botan
Romania’s recent elections didn’t just happen at the ballot box. They unfolded across TikTok, Facebook, X, and other similar platforms on which nationalism, conspiracy, and algorithmic propaganda turned fringe voices into front-page politics. Madalina Botan argues that this digital battleground expanded beyond borders, as Romanians abroad became powerful co-authors of a polarised political story Read more
Michael Asiedu
Chad's 20-year conviction of opposition leader Succès Masra reveals how African courts have become weaponised against dissent. Across the continent, writes Michael Asiedu, from Benin to Uganda, authoritarian regimes are increasingly using fabricated charges to silence opponents. This, he says, masks repression behind democratic facades, erodes judicial independence, and weakens the prospects for genuine democratic transition Read more
Adrian Favero
The recent Dutch parliamentary elections and the popular vote on electronic ID in Switzerland revealed the considerable influence of the expat diaspora, which adds crucial votes to overall election results. National political parties, argue Adrian Favero and Gilles Pittoors, need to harness the power of transnational organisations to mobilise non-resident voters Read more
Mimi Mihăilescu
The Dead Internet Theory, once dismissed as 'paranoid fantasy', now offers a disturbingly useful framework for understanding digital politics. Mimi Mihăilescu argues that the theory's growing credibility masks deeper questions about whether we're overestimating AI's political power while underestimating our willingness to accept technological determinism Read more
We use necessary cookies to make our site work. We'd also like to set analytics cookies that help us make improvements by measuring how you use the site. These will be set only if you accept.
▼
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions.
▼
Analytics Cookies
Google Analytics
We'd like to set Google Analytics cookies to help us improve our website by collecting and reporting information on how you use it. The cookies collect information in a way that does not directly identify anyone. For more information on how these cookies work please see our Privacy Notice.
