By Alexandros Ntaflos In a few weeks, EU elections will take place. For many pundits, the main question of this election is how big far-right (Eurosceptic) parties will be. The idea is that an increase of the radical right parties electoral power (coming either from the ECR or ID party families) could lead to fundamental... Continue Reading →
Greece and Spain
Two Unexpectedly Different Political Paths By Alexandros Ntaflos A few days ago, Greece was celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the historic Polytechnic uprising. According to many historians, the radical nature of this uprising played an important role in the subsequent major social change brought about by the Metapolitefsi, gradually consolidating the political hegemony of the... Continue Reading →
Natasha Wheatley Raises Some Really Difficult Questions About Sovereignty
Natasha Wheatley is an assistant professor of history at Princeton University. She is the author of The Life and Death of States: Central Europe and the Transformation of Modern Sovereignty. Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. My book is in some ways trying to help us see not... Continue Reading →
Cyprus 2023 Elections: Politics Turns Rightward Amid Severe Corruption
By Giorgos Venizelos Cyprus 2023 Elections On Sunday February 5th, 2023 Cyprus is heading to elections to choose its 8th president in the 13th electoral contest since the institution of the Republic in 1960. Cyprus is a presidential democracy, meaning that the president is elected directly from the people upon receiving 50% plus one vote.... Continue Reading →
The 2022 Slovenian Parliamentary Elections
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 →
Two New Members Elected to the Swiss Federal Council
By Stephan Kyburz The Swiss Federal Council – Collective Executive Power On Tuesday, December 7th, the Swiss parliament elected two new Federal Councillors. While Albert Rösti (55) of the People’s Party (SVP) was elected as expected, Elisabeth Baume-Schneider (59) of the Social-Democratic Party (SP) was a surprise winner, defeating the favored Eva Herzog (SP). Mrs.... Continue Reading →
Giorgia Meloni’s Victory. What’s Ahead Now for Italy?
Become a Patron! Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. Authored by Valerio Alfonso Bruno Giorgia Meloni’s Victory In an election that witnessed a record level of abstentionism among voters (only about 64% went to vote), Fratelli d'Italia, with 26% of electoral preferences (Chamber of Deputies), undoubtedly cashed in a fine victory (in 2018 it... Continue Reading →
Simon Usherwood on Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and the Nested Games of British Politics
Simon Usherwood is a Professor of Politics & International Studies at the Open University, Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Surrey's Centre for Britain & Europe and a National Teaching Fellow. Simon coauthored (along with John Pindar) The European Union: A Very Short Introduction. He recently coedited (along with Agnès Alexandre-Collier and Pauline Schnapper) The Nested... Continue Reading →
Nested Games
Become a Patron! The Nested Games of Brexit It's typical to talk about a political calculus, but less common to think about politics like calculus. A common misconception about politicians is they care about public opinion. This is a half-truth. They do care about what voters think, but they don't care about the totality of... Continue Reading →
Martin Conway Believes “Democracy Owes its Durability Not to its Principles but to its Flexibility.” Democracy in Western Europe from 1945 to 1968
Martin Conway is the author of the new book Western Europe’s Democratic Age: 1945—1968 and a Professor of Contemporary European History at the University of Oxford. Where you and I and, I think, many others start from an assumption that somehow there is a thing called democracy and we sort of know what it is.... Continue Reading →
