Publications

During the period under review, Greece’s political and economic landscape showed notable improvement. As the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic diminished, the economy experienced growth, largely driven by increased domestic consumption and a resurgence in tourism.

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...

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,...

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...

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...

Despite problems such as the malapportionment of constituencies, hereditary parliamentarism and clientelist practices, Japan remains one of the most advanced and stable democracies in both East Asia and the industrialized world.

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.

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.

The two-year review period, 2022 – 2023, largely aligned with the Rutte IV cabinet’s tenure, formed after the longest post-World War II formation period (299 days). Nine months after the 17 March 2021 elections, and almost a year after Rutte III’s resignation, a “new”...

Like other OECD countries, New Zealand has been experiencing high inflation rates due in part to increased government spending during the COVID-19 pandemic, global supply chain disruptions, near-full employment and geopolitical conflicts. Although inflation levels in New...