By Simona Kustec Background After the last parliamentary elections in 2018 the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDP) was a relative winner. Nonetheless, they were not able to form a coalition government. Instead, Marjan Šarec, as the second best by the election results formed a minority left-centered government. Still, he resigned just before the Covid-19 pandemic became widespread.... Continue Reading →
Xi’s Anti-Corruption Campaign Continues, But Its Motives Remain Misunderstood
By Christopher Carothers Xi’s Anti-Corruption Campaign At a Politburo meeting of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in early December, Chinese leader Xi Jinping signaled that his sweeping, now decade-long anti-corruption campaign would continue in his third term. This campaign—Xi’s signature domestic policy after coming to power in 2012—has continued to expand its scope in recent... Continue Reading →
The Peruvian Crisis Proves Why Politicians and Parties Matter
By Laura Gamboa Why Politicians and Parties Matter Politicians and political parties are among the most despised in the Americas. According to LAPOP, Latin American mean trust for political parties is the lowest for any institution (including the military and the police). Meanwhile, “politician” is used as a shorthand for corrupt, spineless, and sold-out. This... Continue Reading →
Lynette Ong Describes How China Outsources Repression
Lynette Ong is a professor of political science at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. She is the author of the recent book Outsourcing Repression: Everyday State Power in Contemporary China. Become a Patron! Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. The state is able to... Continue Reading →
Why We Support Ukraine
By Justin Kempf Why We Support Ukraine Yesterday Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered an address to Congress where he made his case for continued military and economic support for his country. During his time in Washington, he made the case not just for additional weapons, but also more powerful ones as well. Yet while the United States... Continue Reading →
Participatory Democracy Brings us Closer to Climate Action
By Wietse Van Ransbeeck and Vanja Pantic Participatory Democracy Brings us Closer to Climate Action At last year’s COP26 - the United Nations Climate Change Conference - countries agreed to address coal’s role as the most polluting fossil fuel. But not before the wording was watered down from “phasing-out” to “phasing-down” coal power. Since then, the... Continue Reading →
Olga Onuch and Henry Hale Describe the Zelensky Effect
Olga Onuch is a Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Manchester. Henry E. Hale is a Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University. They are the authors of a new book called The Zelensky Effect. Become a Patron! Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. I just want... Continue Reading →
Venezuela: From Democratic Erosion to Failed State?
By María Isabel Puerta Riera This is an updated version of the Spanish article published by Agenda Pública. Venezuela in Crisis Venezuela's crisis has ceased to be a domestic problem, giving way to a regional concern with global implications. The country's deterioration has triggered one of the most severe humanitarian crises of the last decade,... Continue Reading →
Charismatic Leadership in Latin America Today
By Caitlin Andrews-Lee Charismatic Leadership in Latin America In recent years, charisma has enjoyed a resurgence in political science as leaders around the world deemed to be “charismatic” have risen to power amidst deep crises and used their authority to disrupt the political status quo. Latin America is no stranger to charismatic leadership. Historically, José... Continue Reading →
Democracy, Liberalism, and their Opposites
By Takis S. Pappas Describing Political Systems Say you want to construct an all-encompassing typology of political systems in the world. Now, since most knowledge is mediated by words, you had better start with establishing a clear vocabulary. Fine, but you are already stumbling upon the unclear and confusing terms used by such well-respected sources... Continue Reading →