Sort Articles

political institutions

February 9, 2026

The world order crisis is about authority, not polarity 

Fulvio Attinà The world order is not simply shifting from unipolarity to multipolarity, but undergoing a deeper struggle over political authority. Who has the right to make binding global rules, through which institutions, and with what legitimacy? Fulvio Attinà argues that multipolarity helps explain today’s stalled reforms, institutional paralysis, and fragmented alternatives Read more
June 18, 2025

Is democracy being eroded from within?

Ben Seyd Declining public trust in political institutions raises concerns that citizens may turn away from democratic forms of decision-making. Recent cases of democratic backsliding seem to confirm this fear. Yet, as Ben Seyd argues, there is little evidence that declining trust impels citizens to embrace autocratic forms of decision-making Read more
July 17, 2023

🔮 Populist governments as a threat from within the state

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
June 28, 2023

🔮 Responding to populism with caution

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
October 27, 2022

Complex laws are the price of inclusive democracy

Steffen Hurka Why are laws often so hard to understand? Steffen Hurka argues that the complexity of laws increases when political conflict becomes more intense and when decision-making becomes more inclusive. Democracies aim for compromise and the balancing of interests, and complex laws are the inevitable consequence Read more
October 6, 2022

Military conscription is no antidote to the political apathy of new generations

Marco Giani Studying long-run patterns of public opinion in Europe shows that reintroducing compulsory national service would not counter the worrisome trend of declining trust in institutions among young generations. In fact, warns Marco Giani, the effect could be quite the opposite Read more
July 7, 2022

♟️ A 'cat-dog' called electoral autocracy

Adrián del Río Since the 80s, electoral autocracy has been considered the most common form of dictatorship. Yet, as Adrián del Río shows, little is known about what this regime is and how we can recognise it. There is, in fact, only a 34% probability of datasets agreeing on examples Read more
March 15, 2022

Governments at all levels must work together to solve the climate crisis

André Luiz Campos de Andrade Decarbonisation requires a shift in climate governance focus, from the international to the domestic, writes André Luiz Campos de Andrade. At the domestic level, local, regional, and national governments must join forces to achieve their climate targets The Paris Agreement and its main implementation and transparency instruments continue to progress at a global level (e.g. […] Read more

The Loop

Cutting-edge analysis showcasing the work of the political science discipline at its best.
Read more
THE EUROPEAN CONSORTIUM FOR POLITICAL RESEARCH
Advancing Political Science
© 2026 European Consortium for Political Research. The ECPR is a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) number 1167403 ECPR, Harbour House, 6-8 Hythe Quay, Colchester, CO2 8JF, United Kingdom.
linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram