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populism

November 3, 2026

🔮 How US conservatives are adopting Orbán’s classroom war

Prokop Válek American conservatives revere the illiberal playbook of former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Perhaps nowhere is this inspiration more visible than in education. Yet, says Prokop Válek, this battleground against 'the woke agenda' also reveals clear limits to transnational populist learning Read more
October 20, 2026

🎈Why attacking the courts can sound democratic

Filippo Palmieri Voters say they value democracy, yet governments that weaken courts and watchdogs rarely pay a price. Filippo Palmieri argues that the reason is not indifference but a majoritarian idea of democracy, in which stripping an elected government of its constraints counts as a mandate fulfilled Read more
August 21, 2026

How political science learned to stop worrying and love liberal democracy

Hugo Bonin Drawing on a systematic review of 2,401 scientific articles, Hugo Bonin shows how 'liberal democracy' has shifted from a contested analytical concept to a defensive catchphrase. The more the term circulates, the less scholars are examining it. But examining the term is crucial for how we think about democracy's future Read more
June 2, 2026

🎈 How three transformations blocked democratic responsiveness

Lorenzo De Sio Western democracies' responsiveness machinery has been quietly dismantled. To repair the representative disconnect, says Lorenzo De Sio, we must first understand precisely what is broken Read more
May 14, 2026

🌊 From broken windows to cultural disorder

David Pimenta David Pimenta argues that the logic behind the 'broken windows' theory – that visible disorder encourages crime – is still with us. Today, however, it has been transformed and absorbed into contemporary illiberal populism, where cultural breakdown plays a central role in mobilising support and reshaping debates about authority and liberal democracy Read more
May 14, 2026

Libertarian-conservative displacement of liberal democracy 

Regina Queiroz The collapse of liberal democracy is often misunderstood. Regina Queiroz argues that a libertarian-conservative model has displaced liberal democracy's endorsement of popular sovereignty. Driven by re-regulation, liberalisation, and privatisation, this model prioritises market logic over social cohesion. From Portugal’s housing crisis to national populism, the author explores this ideological shift Read more
March 30, 2026

🔮 Italy’s Five-Star Movement: a cautionary tale for valence populists in power

Matthew E Bergman Matthew E Bergman reveals how so-called valence populism (populism focused on competence and good governance rather than ideology) has a potential electoral disadvantage. While non-ideological messages that focus on good governance may broaden electoral appeal, lacking an ideological core can also cost votes. The fortunes of Italy’s Five-Star Movement offer a cautionary tale Read more
February 23, 2026

Centrism as a structure for political action

Karl Pike A distinct centrism which goes ‘beyond’ left and right remains elusive, argues Karl Pike. Centrists act as a managers of an ideological context shaped by existing ideologies of left and right, moderate and extreme Read more

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Advancing Political Science
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