Markus Patberg
The Conference on the Future of Europe aims to produce proposals for EU ureform in a participatory manner. Yet, writes Markus Patberg, its setup suggests top-down steering, and lacks a clear conception of democratic authorisation. The envisaged forms of broad but unsystematic inclusion might even be counterproductive to the declared goal of empowering citizens Read more
Benjamin Leruth
A new European party, Volt, debuted in the Tweede Kamer following last week's Dutch elections. The party faces challenges, but it could play a role in domestic political landscapes throughout Europe, writes Benjamin Leruth Read more
Stefanie Reher
Disabled people are underrepresented in elected office, so it's unlikely that public policy will reflect the interests of the 15% of the population living with disability. Stefanie Reher argues that we need to better understand the causes, and consequences, of such low representation Read more
Elisa Volpi
Political distrust and reduced party identification suggest that political parties are in crisis. Elisa Volpi argues that parties are not in terminal decline, but undergoing a process of adaptation Read more
Luca Bernardi
Luca Bernardi and Robert Johns explore whether clinical depression may have contributed to Brexit. The striking evidence of depression influencing political attitudes suggests that connections between the two should be more thoroughly explored, especially as they show the potential to breed political alienation Read more
Ruairidh Brown
The pandemic has revealed the importance of civic solidarity and public trust, writes Ruairidh Brown. But they function best in a context of ‘friendship', a concept which needs to be recognised as central to political thinking in a post-Covid world Read more
Omogbolahan Bello
In Nigeria, nationwide protests have erupted from the Twitter hashtag #EndSARS, created to oppose the abuse of police power. Omogbolahan Bello argues that the implications of this movement show how social media may be a tool for democratic reform Read more
Stuart A Brown
Scottish independence voters in the 2014 referendum refused to accept the UK government’s position that this was a ‘once in a generation’ opportunity. Six years on and a second referendum is back on the agenda, writes Stuart Brown Read more
The Loop
Cutting-edge analysis showcasing the work of the political science discipline at its best.
