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UK Conservative Party

April 14, 2023

🔮 The British Conservative Party’s journey towards the populist radical right

Tim Bale Tim Bale, author of a new book on the Tories, argues they’ve been moving away from the mainstream for some time. It’s just that recent events have accelerated the process – and there are few, if any, signs of it stopping Read more
October 6, 2022

Rules of thumb can lead to politicians misjudging voters' reactions

Chris Butler Decision-makers need to be able to judge how voters will react to a policy. It is important for their continued electoral success, and for the success of the policy. Yet, write Chris Butler and Barbara Vis, systematic biases often lead policymakers to misjudge voters’ reactions to their policy decisions Read more
July 27, 2022

Conservative leadership hopefuls should listen to Hobbes regarding Scotland

Ruairidh Brown Despite often being regarded as a blueprint for authoritarianism, Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan gives prudent advice on the limitations of sovereign power. Ruairidh Brown argues this serves as a timely warning for the next Conservative leader on their approach to Scottish politics Read more
March 25, 2022

Don’t sweep it under the carpet! How parties react to defections

Andrea Ceron Andrea Ceron and Elisa Volpi argue that rather than sweeping the damage under the carpet, parties can best restore their image by emphasising competence, clarity and their ability to handle the core issues Read more
November 23, 2021

How second jobs change MPs’ behaviour in parliament

Simon Weschle The UK government is embroiled in a sleaze scandal after a Conservative Member of Parliament was found to have lobbied for a company in which he held a second job. Simon Weschle argues that these jobs have systematic consequences for how legislators behave in parliament — some problematic, some not Read more
November 3, 2021

Boris Johnson wants net zero by 2050. Are his voters behind him?

Tim Bale The UK may be in the limelight at COP26, with the government having set highly ambitious targets for net zero by 2050. But, Tim Bale argues, evidence suggests that parts of the British electorate – largely Tory supporters – may be sceptical about the merits of the policy Read more
October 7, 2021

Religion still counts at the ballot box – and that won’t change any time soon

Raul Gomez Decades of secularisation have not done away with the influence of religion on party choice in Western Europe. To understand this, argues Raul Gomez, we need to look at how parties mobilised religion in the past, and how that still lingers among voters today Read more
August 27, 2021

🌊 Harnessing illiberalism’s analytical leverage

Julian G. Waller Some contemporary political developments take inspiration from fascism. But analogies between modern anti-liberal reaction and earlier totalitarian ideologies tend to obscure more than they enlighten. The concept of illiberalism allows us to make cross-national, ideational comparisons – especially transhistorical ones, writes Julian G. Waller Read more

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Advancing Political Science
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