Publikationen

Under the recent Orbán governments (2010 – 2024), Hungary shifted from a fully-fledged democracy to an electoral autocracy. Democratic institutions have been undermined by the ruling party, and state capture has turned them into instruments of the political will of those in...

Based on a careful international comparison, eminent Austrian-German political scientist Herbert Obinger (2023: 795) has argued that “Switzerland, more than almost any other country in the world, has realized the ideal of government by the people and for the people.

Ireland represents a complex and hybrid policy and political culture, depending on the area it can be described as a “laggard” or “leader.” The power of government is effectively limited by robust democratic accountability mechanisms at both societal and state levels,...

Over the past two years, a widespread sentiment has emerged that “Britain is not working.” This perception is partly due to crisis fatigue and a sense that after thirteen years of Conservative Party rule (the first five as a coalition government), it is “time for a change.”

The past year has been troubling, and posed many challenges to democracy and the sustainability of governance in Israel. Since January 2023, the government has been promoting a judicial overhaul, and democratic backsliding is evident in all aspects of politics and...

The United States remains the most powerful country in the world. Yet power within the United States is famously fragmented, disjointed, and elusive. The president of the United States holds tremendous symbolic influence, but on closer inspection, actual presidential...

In early 2022, Italy was led by a national unity government under Mario Draghi, a former president of the European Central Bank. This coalition, comprising parties from across the political spectrum, aimed to tackle the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and implement...

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Latvia has experienced significant developments across various sectors, positioning itself as a competitive player on the global stage while addressing substantial internal challenges.

After a period of unprecedented turbulence in Austrian politics – including several major scandals and the creation of an all-technocrat government – Austria has more recently found its way back to the calmer waters of stable democratic party governance. However, the...

Lithuania’s coalition government faced a challenging environment in 2022 –2024. After coming into power in late 2020, it had to deal immediately with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic crisis.