Elections and electoral systems
Money is key for democratic politics but its abuse is often clearly perceived as a problem by citizens
The maintenance of democracy requires the balancing of various demands, among them economic liberty and democracy. Here, Ferran Martinez i Coma shares research which looks at the way these two demands interplay in campaign finance, with the Electoral Integrity Project producing research which shows the extent to which this and related issues affect citizen confidence in […]
To speak of populist radical right parties as a ‘corrective to democracy’ is—in terms of turnout—a misunderstanding
In America a right-wing populist has sparked debate about the state of American democracy, while European countries have increasing experience of populist radical right parties. The presence and popularity of these parties raises significant questions about their consequences for democracy, democratic legitimacy, and political participation. In a recent study, Tim Immerzeel and Mark Pickup examined […]
Who speaks for Europe? The UK referendum as a pan-European affair
The Brexit debate greatly affects Europe yet commentary from EU figures and European heads of state has been surprisingly muted. Andrew Glencross writes that this is is a significant part due to the fact the British in/out vote is understood as a manifestation of political exceptionalism. The Brexit vote will therefore ultimately be won or lost on British […]
‘Too close to call’? Accounting for satisfaction with party leadership would have helped better predict the General Election
A good predictor of electoral outcomes over the past nine UK general elections has been survey questions asking about satisfaction with the leaders of the two main parties. That measure, however, combines responses from people who support the party and those who don’t. Here, Ruth Dixon explores leader satisfaction among party supporters as a way of measuring the level of ‘enthusiastic […]
Electoral democracy has its weaknesses, but elections are not ruining democracy
David Van Reybrouck recently published an essay declaring that electoral democracy is killing democracy and calling for the whole syste, of using elections to select leaders needs to be overhauled. In this post, John Keane acknowledges that Van Reybrouck makes some important points, but argues that his proposals in favour of sortition democracy suffer significant shortcomings. Furthermore, Keane […]
How future UK European referendums might happen
Further referendums on Britain’s European question could happen whatever the result of June’s vote. In a recent report for the Federal Trust Tim Oliver sets out how the forthcoming referendum will not settle the European question and mapped out the different ways in which future referendums might come to pass. Similar PostsCan we really not […]
There are effective ways of getting the ‘Missing Millions’ back on to the UK’s electoral register
Reforms to the electoral registration process under this and the previous coalition government have led to changes which experts and campaigners alike have described as negative for democracy. Here, Toby James and Oliver Sidorczuk describe the findings of a new report which proposes solutions to the electoral registration crisis. Similar Posts
The 2016 election is seeing the return of the ‘Paranoid Style’ in American politics
The 2016 primary season has seen Donald Trump gain traction with Republican voters through nativist rhetoric. While many see Trump’s extremist campaigning as a new low in American political discourse, Ron Pruessen, using the work of Richard Hofstadter, reminds us that such apocalyptic visions from politicians are really nothing new. He argues that crises over […]
The political potential of migrants is often overlooked in discussions around integration
In a recent study, Hanna Wass, Päivi Pirkkalainen and Marjukka Weide drew on the Somali community in Finland as a case study to consider immigrants as a political resource. They found that turnout among Somali-born voters was only slightly lower than native citizens, and that their engagement in civic associations is highly dynamic and diverse. […]
Death of a citizen: Britain’s referendum and EU nationals living in the UK
With the exception of individuals from Ireland, Malta and Cyprus, non-British EU nationals living in the UK will not be permitted to vote in the country’s referendum on EU membership. These eligibility rules are similar to the rules applying to the 2015 UK general election.Veerle Heyvaert writes that although it would have been counter-productive for […]
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