Sanne van Oosten
We know that voters stereotype Muslim politicians as homophobic. However, they also project their own ideas about LGBTQ+ rights onto politicians. Sanne van Oosten examines which of these voter tendencies are likely to prevail with which voters, and argues that both strength and type of opinion matter Read more
Nonna Mayer
Academic freedom is not only at risk in authoritarian regimes. The recent governmental crusade against 'islamo-leftism' in French universities shows it can happen in democracies, too. Nonna Mayer goes back to the origins of the campaign. Here, she analyses the political instrumentalisation of a term intended to intimidate social scientists Read more
Giovanni Capoccia
The French President has pushed through his signature reform of the French pensions system against widespread opposition. Yet, argues Giovanni Capoccia, the fight is not over, and the stakes are high – and not just for France Read more
Daniel Buarque
President Jair Bolsonaro has changed the priorities and alignments of Brazil's international positions, picked fights with historic allies, and threatened important economic relations, writes Daniel Buarque. These developments have changed the international status of Brazil and risk making the country a pariah Read more
Anna Khakee
As long as the EU continues to silence European colonial crimes when promoting democracy and human rights in the Global South, it cannot live up to its moral promise. Instead, warns Anna Khakee, it risks perpetuating – inadvertently or otherwise – colonial-era hierarchies between civilisations and a sense of European moral superiority Read more
Giovanni Capoccia
The Italian right, led by the Brothers of Italy, is likely to be in government after the September 2022 elections. Despite its public statements expressing ‘full support’ for the European integration process, Giovanni Capoccia says that there are good reasons to question the exact nature of this commitment and what it means Read more
Timothy Hellwig
Timothy Hellwig explores the political crises in three European democracies (France, Italy and the UK) to argue that failures in constitutional design are at the root of their problems. These failures, moreover, are not dissimilar to those experienced in the United States, suggesting this is a current affliction of western democracies Read more
Alistair Cole
Incumbent French President Macron has been re-elected for a second five-year term. This is not a simple success story, Alistair Cole argues. The election revealed disturbing trends in French democracy. Read more
