News and views from the Blavatnik School of Government community 
We have hit a new low over these past two weeks. Barely anyone could have foreseen the outcome of the US elections last week that has led to a questioning of democracy. While in Hong Kong, Beijing NPCSC’s interpretation of the Basic Law (the constitution that governs Hong Kong Special […]
The people of the former Eastern Bloc know how a bad union can impact their lives, and consequently they see the immense benefits in their membership of a democratic, free and (relatively) prosperous union. But recent years, possibly decades, have shown that the European Union is in trouble. Not only […]
Since the Nationalists fled the mainland controlled by the communists following the Chinese Civil War in 1949, Taiwan has been governed as an independent country; first, as a military junta overseen by Chiang Kai-Shek, but from 1996 onwards as an electoral democracy. In just over two decades, Taiwan has built the […]
This Sunday Colombians will vote to approve the peace agreement between the National Government and the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (FARC). The day of the signing, probably the country’s most important day in its modern history, followed the announcement of a definitive ceasefire made by President Juan Manuel Santos […]
In 1955, a referendum was held in Sweden on whether the country should continue to drive on the left or if there should be a switch to the right. A government committee investigating this issue had recommended such a change, the main argument being that this was the traffic system […]
In developed democracies today, political leadership is increasingly up for grabs. Voters, clearly tired of the status quo, want change at the top, leaving even major parties’ establishments struggling to install leaders of their choosing. In the United Kingdom, Labour Party MPs have been stymied in their efforts to unseat […]
Britain has voted to leave the EU. The consequences could range from eventual breakdown of the UK to decades spent in economic recovery. It seems hard to believe that British people voted in favour of a position that makes little economic or political sense.
Across the world, populists are attracting votes with their promises to protect ordinary people from the harsh realities of globalization. The democratic establishment, they assert, cannot be trusted to fulfill this purpose, as it is too busy protecting the wealthy – a habit that globalization has only intensified. For decades, […]