Rory Costello
Party competition sometimes resembles an auction, where parties seek to ‘buy’ elections through spending promises. Rory Costello argues that this is particularly likely to occur when parties are ideologically indistinct. Parties that do not expect to be in government are also more likely to over-promise Read more
Daphne Halikiopoulou
Economic insecurity creates favourable conditions for far-right parties, who turn discontent into political advantage. Welfare state policies, argue Daphne Halikiopoulou and Tim Vlandas, must therefore focus on moderating these risks, and reducing the likelihood of insecure people voting far right Read more
Lars Pelke
It is a common assumption that autocrats have no incentive to redistribute income and wealth. Not so, says Lars Pelke. Uncertainty about the outcomes of autocratic elections can incentivise dictators to redistribute wealth, especially when the incumbents’ ruling coalition is inclusive Read more
Julian Garritzmann
Public opinion affects policy-making when the topic is salient and when most people share the same opinion, write Julian Garritzmann, Marius Busemeyer and Erik Niemanns. Yet when the public disagrees on what they want – or when many people don’t care – the influence of public opinion is significantly reduced Read more
Catherine Moury
While socialist parties in Europe struggle in times of austerity, the Portuguese left has found a winning strategy, write Catherine Moury and Elisabetta de Giorgi. Combining discrete austerity measures with some visible anti-austerity ones, they have managed to please constituency and supporting partners alike Read more
Simon Otjes
On 15 January, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte was forced to resign after thousands of parents in the Netherlands were wrongly accused of benefit fraud. But the outcry has not diminished faith in Rutte as a leader, writes Simon Otjes Read more
The Loop
Cutting-edge analysis showcasing the work of the political science discipline at its best.
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