Our blogs

What remains of ‘Operation Car Wash’, Brazil’s historic anti-corruption probe?

9 September 2024

Manoel Gehrke and Luciano Da Ros write for The Conversation. In March 2014, prosecutors in the Brazilian city of Curitiba transformed a money laundering investigation into a historic anti-corruption probe known as Operação Lava Jato (Operation Car Wash).

Parliaments must modernise to avoid AI-induced executive dominance
30 August 2024
Many governments are enthusiastic about the prospect of adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI), not least for the potential gains in efficiency and capacity this may afford them. Yet the rapid adoption of AI by governments risks even stronger executive dominance over the other branches of government.

Thailand’s conservative elites oust prime minister and ban opposition
15 August 2024
Petra Alderman analyses the recent political developments in Thailand, including the banning of the largest opposition party and the ousting of the 30th Thai prime minister.

Understanding election commissions as interdependent institutions
29 July 2024
Formal independence is seen as a key feature of an effective electoral management body (EMB). Petra Alderman argues for the need to move beyond the concept of independence and think about EMBs as interdependent institutions.

What EasternEurope can teach us about threats to democracy
3rd July 2024
Seán Hanley and Licia Cianetti discuss four lessons from Eastern Europe's democratic parabola and how learning from the region can help us better understand democratic crisis and resilience.

Mixed signals: the European Parliament Elections in Slovakia
14 June 2024
Erik Lastic and Tim Haughton examine the outcome of the EP elections in Slovakia highlighting how the attempted assassination of Prime Minister Robert Fico in May dominated the headlines, the results largely reinforced pre-existing trends.

Controlling the narrative: the shooting of Slovakia’s Robert Fico
24 May 2024
Petra Alderman and Tim Haughton assess the implications of the assassination attempt on Slovakia’s Prime Minister and consider the consequences for domestic politics.

Slovenia: the 2024 European Parliament Elections – a referendum on the government?
30 April 2024
Erik Lastic and Tim Haughton examine the outcome of the EP elections in Slovakia highlighting how the attempted assassination of Prime Minister Robert Fico in May dominated the headlines, the results largely reinforced pre-existing trends.

Why Peter Pellegrini won the Slovak presidential election
9 April 2024
Lastic and Tim Haughton identify four factors that explain Pellegrini’s victory and assess what the result could mean for Slovak democracy.

Argentine democracy at a crossroads. This time feels different
27 March 2024
David Tucker delves into the intriguing challenges posed by Javier Milei’s presidency to the established democratic model in Argentina.

The Return of Robert Fico
24 November 2023
Tim Haughton writes about the implications of the recent elections in Slovakia.

Accountability deficit: Why do citizens vote for corrupt politicians? (U4)
6 November 2023
Manoel Gehrke, Nic Cheeseman and Licia Cianetti write about the complexity of fighting corruption for U4, the Anti-Corruption Resource Centre

Why it matters how we talk about the 'global' autocratisation trend (The Loop)
26 October 2023
Licia Cianetti and Petra Alderman write for The Loop about the need to rethink the geography of autocratisation

Will Slovakia Change Direction (Again)?
13 September 2023
The prospect of Robert Fico returning to power after this month’s election could mean that Slovakia could change direction again.

Professor Cheeseman writes on coups in Africa for the BBC
08 August 2023
Prof Nic Cheeseman, has written for the BBC on the recent spate of coups in West Africa, asking what role France has played in the recent political instability.

Thailand’s Prospects for Democracy Blocked by the Junta-Appointed Senate
28 July 2023
A return to street politics and another mass movement campaign may once again be on the cards for Thailand’s government.

Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century
16 June 2023
Dr Petra Alderman reviews a new book by Sergei Guriev & Daniel Treisman

The rise of authoritarianism is misunderstood – and it matters
13 June 2023
With democracy in trouble, understanding the reason why could hardly be more important.