Courtney Blackington
Not all conspiracy theories that spread on social media remain popular over time. Courtney Blackington and Frances Cayton argue that conspiracy theories which map onto salient cleavages are more likely to persist and spread online. They find that elites who endorse conspiracy theories do not always attract engagement unless an event occurs that makes those conspiracy theories salient Read more
Mehmet Haşim Çevik
Right-wing populist parties have divergent positions on policies that seek to combat climate change. Key to understanding why, writes Mehmet Haşim Çevik, is whether the country relies on domestic fossil fuels Read more
Eva Fodor
Illiberal Hungary has become famous in recent years for paying families to have, or pledge to have, children. This, writes Eva Fodor, has transformed the criteria and practice for social citizenship and democratic participation Read more
Claire Hamilton
Recent protests against the housing of single male asylum seekers in Ireland highlight the crucial role played by security in far-right discourse. Claire Hamilton argues that we need to think more about the ‘dangerous Others’ at the heart of populism’s appeal Read more
Akudo McGee
The results of the Polish parliamentary elections suggest that a coalition of the opposition will lead the next government. This is good news for civil society, which faced constant threats under the current Law and Justice (PiS) party. However, Akudo McGee warns that challenges still lie ahead for civil society Read more
Piotr Marczyński
Neither Poland's government nor its opposition has a straightforward path toward an electoral majority. Meanwhile, personal conflict between Jarosław Kaczyński and Donald Tusk dominates the news cycle. Piotr Marczyński argues this configuration reflects the shallow roots of the Polish party system, with axes of polarisation gradually realigning along ideological lines Read more
Kaja Kaźmierska
Kaja Kaźmierska analyses a new law passed recently in Poland which violates the Constitution multiple times on the pretext of investigating Russian influence over Polish politics. Opposition parties have dubbed this law the 'Lex Tusk', arguing that its purpose is predominantly to prevent a Tusk victory in the forthcoming elections Read more
Tim Bale
Tim Bale, author of a new book on the Tories, argues they’ve been moving away from the mainstream for some time. It’s just that recent events have accelerated the process – and there are few, if any, signs of it stopping Read more