Alice Sanarico
Italy’s new electoral reform, the Stabilicum, promises voters greater choice by bringing back preference voting. But allowing voters to choose individual candidates does not automatically make politics more representative. Alice Sanarico and Federico Taddei argue that the reform could make it harder for younger candidates to compete, reinforcing the very political exclusion that democracies need to overcome Read more
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
Marjan Marjanović
Co-creation has become a familiar response to Europe’s democratic malaise. Marjan Marjanović argues that inviting citizens into policymaking is not enough. As Europe navigates its green and digital transitions, the democratic value of co-creation depends on whether institutions share influence, allow disagreement to emerge, and remain accountable for the decisions that follow Read more
Evelyn De Simone
Evelyn De Simone, Sergio Martini, Federico Russo and Elif Şeyma Şişman find little evidence that Europeans are abandoning democracy. But democratic support often coexists with openness to authoritarian alternatives. This ambivalence is socially structured, with education emerging as the most consistent dividing line Read more
Aliyu Muhammadsunusi Ubangida
As Nigeria approaches its 2027 general elections, Aliyu Muhammadsunusi Ubangida argues Nigeria's deeper democratic problem appears after voting ends. Trust falls when citizens cannot reach representatives, track complaints, or see institutions respond. Closing this gap requires a clear response chain between citizens and the people elected to serve them Read more
Pierce Leslie
Drawing on developments in candidate selection across British political parties, Pierce Leslie argues that Britain’s representative disconnect begins long before election day. While it is local constituencies who elect MPs, party rules, vetting procedures and emergency panels increasingly decide who becomes a realistic parliamentary choice Read more
Omran Shroufi
We commonly hear EU leaders talk about the need to ‘defend democracy’. Yet, as Omran Shroufi shows, their discourse is often more about identifying and naming geopolitical threats than it is about tackling pervasive, home-grown structural problems of democratic disconnect and disillusionment Read more
Kevin Meyvaert
Young people in Europe and, by extension, the West, are increasingly disengaging from electoral politics. Academic studies are still trying to understand the phenomenon. But Kevin Meyvaert argues that without a moral narrative of justice and fairness, we will never succeed in reconnecting all citizens to democratic life Read more
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