🌍️ 4 years after launching its #IndoPacificStrategy, the #EU still isn't seen as a serious geopolitical player in the region. 💭 Closing this perception gap, not building more capability, argues @nrsmith.bsky.social, is Brussels' real challenge. 👉 buff.ly/09T1PUa

The EU's Indo-Pacific problem is not capability, it is perception

Four years after launching its Indo-Pacific Strategy, the EU still isn't seen as a serious geopolitical player in the 'region'. Closing this perception gap, not building more capability, argues Nichol...

buff.ly

📲 In the debate on the under-16 #SocialMediaBan, both camps risk missing precisely what it is that keeps people returning to these platforms. 💡 Embracing the insights of the philosopher Michel #Foucault, argues Grace Cerenko, sheds valuable light on how social media operates. 👉 buff.ly/SodKq6r

The digital confession box: a Foucauldian analysis of social media bans

In the lively debate on under-16 social media bans, both camps risk missing precisely what it is that keeps people returning to these platforms. Embracing the insights of the twentieth-century French ...

buff.ly

🔁 The EU’s Interoperable Europe Act aims to enable seamless data flows + online public services across borders. 💻️ Evangelos Palaskas of @ecprsgeu.bsky.social examines how the Act's governance, agenda + political challenges will shape the next phase of #DigitalGovernment in the #EU. 👉 buff.ly/ZqMDQe8

The promise of the Interoperable Europe Act

The EU’s Interoperable Europe Act aims to enable seamless data flows and online public services across borders. Drawing on EU digital regulation research, Evangelos Palaskas illustrates how the Act's ...

buff.ly

🚀 Another milestone day for The Loop, as we publish our 1,500th blog piece! 👏 Special thanks to Editors @johannesaltnes.bsky.social & @profmartinjbull.bsky.social + to our community for making The Loop the thriving resource it is today. 👀 theloop.ecpr.eu ⬇️ Check out these stats!

🎉 In the 1,500th blog piece for The Loop, @florabaumgartner.bsky.social looks at how opposition to #SustainableTransport projects is growing 🚗. 🌏️ Distributive and identity grievances familiar from broader #ClimatePolicy act as glue for right-wing parties. 👉 buff.ly/8z0TG0v

My love, my car: inside right-wing transport policy

Opposition to sustainable transport projects is growing, because of distributive and identity grievances familiar from broader climate policy. Flora Baumgartner looks at how transport policies are con...

buff.ly

☢️ #NuclearPoliticsParadox No.38 🔋 #NuclearEnergy is back at the centre of politics, but a revival is not guaranteed. 🌐 Jan Nathrath shows why political enthusiasm alone cannot deliver new reactors + how geopolitical competition is reshaping access to international cooperation. 👉 buff.ly/RVN7kmQ

☢️ Nuclear legitimacy is back, but geopolitical fragmentation limits deployment

Nuclear energy is back at the centre of politics, but that doesn't guarantee a nuclear revival. Jan Nathrath shows why political enthusiasm alone cannot deliver new reactors and how geopolitical compe...

buff.ly

🗳️ Hungary's #2026elections revealed how a politically captured system of minority representation + non-resident voting continue to shape electoral outcomes. 🔀 Alíz Nagy of @ecpr-citizenship.bsky.social + colleagues argue that meaningful reform must address both. 👉 buff.ly/Sud0iYs

Hungary’s electoral system and the 2026 minority vote

Hungary's 2026 parliamentary election revealed how a politically captured system of minority representation and non-resident voting continue to shape electoral outcomes. Péter Kállai, Balázs Majtényi ...

buff.ly

Happy to share the blog about our new article, "The Relationship Between Welfare and Capital Controls," co-authored with Martino Comelli, published in Social Policy & Administration. The paper also received the Best Paper Prize from the PEWS Standing Group at the @ecpr.bsky.social Conference 2025.

The Loop@ecprtheloop.bsky.social · 2w ago

💵 Advanced economies did not simply abandon capital controls after the 1944 #BrettonWoods Agreement. 🏆️ Based on their prize winning research, Martino Comelli & @dasilvapp.bsky.social show that #Welfare states quietly took over. 👉 buff.ly/NiPjspD

⌛️ After settling into self-imposed exile in Belgium, #Catalan separatist leader Carles #Puigdemont appeared to defy political gravity. That fortuitous era is ending... 🗳️ Explaining his decline, Michal Rahimi predicts the 2027 Spanish general election will deliver the final verdict. 👉 buff.ly/z6xtNst

2027: the year Puigdemont’s political clock strikes 12

After settling into self-imposed exile in Belgium, Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont had appeared to defy political gravity. That fortuitous era is ending. Explaining his decline, Michal Rah...

buff.ly

🔀 Hira Yousaf finds that #PoliticalParticipation + good governance move together across countries, but that link mostly disappears within countries over time. 📊 The gap matters for those hoping that #CivicEngagement reforms will, on their own, improve how governments perform. 👉 buff.ly/WENdMGm

The participation-governance link may be weaker than it looks

Hira Yousaf finds that political participation and good governance move together across countries, but that link mostly disappears within countries over time. The gap matters for anyone hoping that ci...

buff.ly

🧭 #EUEnlargementDilemmas No.42 📝 EU institutions + policymakers often frame enlargement as a test for candidate countries. Adam Kola argues that it equally tests the #EU. 🌍️ The accession of #Ukraine, Moldova + the W Balkans will also reshape the EU by forcing it to redefine itself. 👉 buff.ly/DnwWinR

🧭 Why Europe should reform through enlargement

EU institutions, policymakers and many expert debates often frame enlargement as a test for candidate countries. Adam Kola argues that it is equally a test for the European Union. The accession of Ukr...

buff.ly

🎈 #RepresentativeDisconnect No.14 🗳️ As #Nigeria approaches its 2027 general #elections, @aliyuubangida.bsky.social argues Nigeria's deeper democratic problem appears after voting ends. 📉 Trust falls when citizens cannot reach representatives or see institutions respond. 👉 buff.ly/G8OuOEK

🎈 Nigeria's trust crisis begins between elections

As Nigeria approaches its 2027 general elections, Aliyu Muhammadsunusi Ubangida argues Nigeria's deeper democratic problem appears after voting ends. Trust falls when citizens cannot reach representat...

buff.ly

⚖️ Amir Alecperov argues that militant democracy (lawfully limiting certain rights to protect the democratic constitutional order) is not only compatible with #EULaw but necessary. 🔃 #Romania’s post-1989 legal framework offers a tested model. #Moldova is applying it in real time. 👉 buff.ly/ELXBW1U

When democracy defends itself: Romania, Moldova and the limits of tolerance

Amir Alecperov argues that militant democracy – the principle that a democracy may lawfully limit certain democratic rights to protect democratic constitutional order – is not only compatible with EU ...

buff.ly

🚨Deadline day: Call for editors of The Loop @ecprtheloop.bsky.social seeks Academic Editors or an editorial team for its blog site from 1 Oct Shape the platform's editorial direction, overseeing analysis & strengthening the visibility and impact on understanding contemporary political developments

Apply by midnight UK time, tonight! Friday 24 July

Call for new editors of The Loop

buff.ly

🌍️ Long celebrated as a global humanitarian donor, #Norway is now being pulled towards prioritising Europe’s front line, writes Gusta Harris. ↩️ Russia’s war on #Ukraine has not simply redirected Oslo’s aid + defence priorities – it has started to change Norway’s international role. 👉 buff.ly/42nVwEw

Good Samaritan or Good European? Norway’s Ukraine dilemma

Long celebrated as a global humanitarian donor, Norway is now being pulled towards prioritising Europe’s front line, writes Gusta Harris. Russia’s war on Ukraine has not simply redirected Oslo’s aid, ...

buff.ly

💵 Advanced economies did not simply abandon capital controls after the 1944 #BrettonWoods Agreement. 🏆️ Based on their prize winning research, Martino Comelli & @dasilvapp.bsky.social show that #Welfare states quietly took over. 👉 buff.ly/NiPjspD

Who the welfare state protects shapes a country’s financial openness

Advanced economies did not simply abandon capital controls after the 1944 Bretton Woods Agreement. Martino Comelli and Pedro Perfeito Da Silva show that welfare states quietly took over their job. Cou...

buff.ly

🧭 #EUEnlargementDilemmas No.41 🌍️ The #EU is missing an opportunity to expand its northern borders, says Tomas Caprara. 🎣 Before the August referendum in #Iceland, Brussels should show openness towards exceptions on #Fisheries, the thorniest issue for the EU’s northern neighbours. 👉 buff.ly/Sphxdzz

🧭 Why EU enlargement should look north

The European Union is missing a strategic opportunity to expand its Northern borders, says Tomas Caprara. Before the August referendum in Iceland, Brussels should show openness towards exceptions on f...

buff.ly

Can UN humanitarian funds encourage governments to give more? In our @ecprtheloop.bsky.social piece, Nicolas Rost and I draw on our recent publications to argue that UN funds can catalyse aid even after donors have committed their regular humanitarian budgets #poliscisky #polisky👇 buff.ly/7Pg9qEY

How United Nations humanitarian funds can unlock more aid

Lisa Dellmuth and Nicolas Rost examine the impact of United Nations humanitarian funds in an era of public contestation of the UN. Their findings show that UN humanitarian aid can act as a catalyst fo...

buff.ly

The Loop@ecprtheloop.bsky.social · 3w ago

💰️ @lisadellmuth.bsky.social + Nicolas Rost examine the impact of #UnitedNations humanitarian funds in an era of public contestation of the UN. 🧨 Using @gsqjournal.bsky.social research, they find that UN #HumanitarianAid can act as a catalyst for bilateral humanitarian aid. 👉 buff.ly/7Pg9qEY

🌍️ Is the #GlobalEconomy being weaponised at an unprecedented scale? 🔎 Analysing decades of #GlobalTrade + globalisation data, @thiesnie.bsky.social argues no. ↔️ #Sanctions have certainly grown more frequent + complex, but only to keep pace with a huge expansion in global integration. buff.ly/coZJgGT

Today's sanctions aren’t special. They’re just keeping up

Is the global economy being weaponised at an unprecedented scale? Analysing decades of global trade and globalisation data, Thies Niemeier argues no. Sanctions have certainly grown more frequent and c...

buff.ly

Both @ejprjournal.bsky.social and @bjpols.bsky.social are referenced in this blog post from @ecprtheloop.bsky.social - How unelected representatives are reshaping democracy - https://cup.org/3QWotKi #OpenAccess

🎈 How unelected representatives are reshaping democracy

New research shows activists like Greta Thunberg and Patrisse Cullors can make citizens feel politically represented. Among marginalised groups in particular, this boosts people's democratic satisfact...

theloop.ecpr.eu

💰️ @lisadellmuth.bsky.social + Nicolas Rost examine the impact of #UnitedNations humanitarian funds in an era of public contestation of the UN. 🧨 Using @gsqjournal.bsky.social research, they find that UN #HumanitarianAid can act as a catalyst for bilateral humanitarian aid. 👉 buff.ly/7Pg9qEY

How United Nations humanitarian funds can unlock more aid

Lisa Dellmuth and Nicolas Rost examine the impact of United Nations humanitarian funds in an era of public contestation of the UN. Their findings show that UN humanitarian aid can act as a catalyst fo...

buff.ly

📣 Call for new editors of The Loop @ecprtheloop.bsky.social is seeking Academic Editors or an editorial team for its blog site from 1 Oct 💡 Build on the work of founding Loop editors @johannesaltnes.bsky.social & Martin Bull, who developed it into a thriving outlet for innovative #polsci writing

Apply by Friday 24 July

Call for new editors of The Loop

buff.ly

👩‍🏫 A British exam board has removed Orwell's books from its examinations in the name of inclusivity + diversity. 📚 But Sisa San Sebastián Hurtig argues that preventing children from reading #Orwell hinders their understanding of political dynamics. 👉 buff.ly/NHmOkPQ

Purging George Orwell's books misses what drives the political right

The British exam board has removed Orwell's books from its examinations in the name of inclusivity and diversity. But Sisa San Sebastián Hurtig argues such political correctness has the opposite effec...

buff.ly

🎈 #RepresentativeDisconnect No.13 🪧 @pieterdewilde.bsky.social @andreavik.bsky.social @leneaaroe.bsky.social + @olivertreib.bsky.social show how activists like #GretaThunberg + Patrisse Cullors can make citizens feel politically represented, boosting people's democratic satisfaction. buff.ly/fVnrCCL

🎈 How unelected representatives are reshaping democracy

New research shows activists like Greta Thunberg and Patrisse Cullors can make citizens feel politically represented. Among marginalised groups in particular, this boosts people's democratic satisfact...

buff.ly

📺️ Last month, on Italian TV, Trump recounted an exchange with #GiorgiaMeloni at the G7 conference, claiming that Meloni 'begged me to take a picture with her'. 🤳 Iohanne Holt argues that Trump’s insult struck directly at the international image #Meloni has so painstakingly built. 👉 buff.ly/DViiIjn

Why Trump's insult hit Italy where it hurts

Last month, on Italian TV, Donald Trump recounted an exchange with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the G7 conference. Trump's claim that Meloni 'begged me to take a picture with her' earned h...

buff.ly

🌍 The #Taliban’s first EU-hosted visit to Brussels, says @kawehkerami.bsky.social, was not recognition, as the EU insists, but it was politically consequential: proof that repeated contact can hand an unrecognised regime real standing, one technical meeting at a time #Afghanistan 👉 bit.ly/4wDXVg3

How the EU normalises the Taliban without recognising it

Kaweh Kerami argues that the Taliban’s first visit to Brussels was not recognition, as the EU insists, but something politically consequential all the same: proof that repeated contact can hand an unr...

bit.ly

⚽ Football’s global spectacle the #FIFAWorldCup does not suspend politics, says @ilankapoor.bsky.social. Rather, it reveals how national identity remains emotionally powerful, commercially valuable, and geopolitically charged ⚽ #WorldCup2026 🏴 #Nationalism 🏳️ #NationalIdentity 👉 bit.ly/4vnMN5I

World Cup 2026: the last acceptable nationalism

Football’s global spectacle does not suspend politics, says Ilan Kapoor. Rather, it reveals how national identity remains emotionally powerful, commercially valuable, and geopolitically charged

bit.ly

🍁 Do political identities dominate policy preferences in Canadians' political decision-making process? 🗳️ Clareta Treger finds that even amid partisan and ideological competition, Canadian voters evaluate electoral candidates on what they propose to do, not just the labels they wear ↪️ bit.ly/4fau6MY

Canada: a place where policy still drives voting

Clareta Treger examines whether political identities dominate policy preferences in Canadians' political decision-making process. Her recent work finds that even in an era of prominent partisan and id...

bit.ly

📝 One of the reasons people join political parties is the benefits #PartyMembership offers. 🚫 Yet Stephanie Luke’s analysis reveals that parties represented in Parliament are significantly more likely than unrepresented parties to make membership rights available prior to joining ↪️ bit.ly/3QJsUIj

UK political parties and the availability of membership rights

One of the reasons people become members of political parties is because of the benefits that membership offers. Yet, Stephanie Luke’s analysis of 376 registered political parties in the UK reveals th...

bit.ly

📝 One of the reasons people join political parties is the benefits #PartyMembership offers. 🚫 Yet Stephanie Luke’s analysis reveals that parties represented in Parliament are significantly more likely than unrepresented parties to make membership rights available prior to joining ↪️ bit.ly/3QJsUIj

UK political parties and the availability of membership rights

One of the reasons people become members of political parties is because of the benefits that membership offers. Yet, Stephanie Luke’s analysis of 376 registered political parties in the UK reveals th...

bit.ly