democracy

July 11, 2017

Populism Index 2017 Summary

The 2017 TIMBRO Authoritarian Populism Index is the only Europe-wide comprehensive study that aims to shed light on whether populism poses a long-term threat to European ‘liberal’ democracies. The Index explores the rise of authoritarian populism in Europe by analysing electoral data from 1980 to summer 2017.
June 21, 2017

Early Elections in Italy? An Issue of Democracy, Corruption, and Banks

With the potential for an early election by the end of the year, Italy must face the realities of its democratic system: cronyism and corruption; weak banks and Eurozone difficulties; and the suspicious, undeniable, link between the two.
March 1, 2013

Euro Puppets: The European Commission’s Remaking of Civil Society

With public confidence in the European project waning, the idea of initiating a ‘civil dialogue’ with the public emerged in the mid-1990s as a way of bolstering the EU’s democratic legitimacy. Citizens have been ventriloquised through ‘sock puppet’ charities, think tanks and other ‘civil society’ groups which have been hand-picked and financed by the European Commission (EC).