Democracy Research Articles

THE POLITICS OF FIDESZ-KDNP OF HUNGARY UNDER V. ORBÁN IN WESTERN MEDIA, 2010-2024

This article offers a comprehensive analysis of Western media coverage of the Hungarian government's political course under Viktor Orban and the FIDESZ-KDNP coalition from 2010 to 2024. The study encompasses a wide range of aspects of Hungary's domestic and foreign policy, tracing the evolution of "Orbanism" perception in international media discourse. The author examines in detail the key themes that dominated Western media regarding Hungary, namely: The transformation of the country's democratic system and discussions around the concept of "illiberal democracy". Systematic conflicts between Hungary and the European Union, especially on issues of rule of law and democratic values. Hungary's strict migration policy and its impact on European policy in this area. Economic reforms known as "Orbanomics" and their controversial perception in the international arena. Changes in Hungary's media landscape and discussions about press freedom. Hungary's foreign policy course, including its relations with Russia, China, the USA, and neighboring countries. Special attention is paid to the impact of the Hungarian governance model on regional politics in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as its perception by right-wing and conservative movements in Europe and the USA. The article also examines the dynamics of Hungary's relations with the EU and NATO, particularly in the context of Russian aggression against Ukraine and Hungary's position on this conflict. The research is based on a wide range of Western media sources, including leading newspapers, magazines, television channels, and online publications. The author traces changes in the tone and focus of coverage of Hungarian politics during the specified period, identifying key trends and turning points in the international perception of Hungary. The article also examines Western media's reaction to Hungary's presidency of the Council of the European Union. The author summarizes the main trends in Western media coverage of Hungarian politics and assesses their impact on Hungary's international reputation and its relations with key partners.

Central Government Political Intervention in the Implementation of Educational Autonomy in Indonesia

This article presents a critical analysis of the central government's political intervention in the administration of educational autonomy in Indonesia. In reference to developed countries, education is a fundamental commodity and a top priority for developing national potential in global competition. In democratic countries, it is imperative to manage the government and its related elements using a democratic system. In the context of education in Indonesia, as a democratic country, educational institutions should ideally have ample space to determine their direction in accordance with the needs and demands of the times within the framework of national educational goals. Therefore, the expectation is that the education system should be developed in a decentralized (autonomous) manner rather than centralized. However, in reality, the national education system law has become a political tool for the government to set centralized policies without considering regional situations and conditions. In this issue, the central government seems to enforce the implementation of all educational policy products, particularly in the curriculum sector. The findings of this study indicate that the national education curriculum has undergone 11 changes from 1947, 1952, 1964, 1968, 1975, 1984, 1994, 2004, 2006, 2013, and 2022 based on the central government's political policies. These curriculum changes have both positive and negative impacts on the improvement of education quality. The positive impact is that students acquire current knowledge in line with contemporary demands, while the negative impact is that teachers are confused in responding to these changes, which in turn lowers student achievement.

Multinational and Multimodal Character Framing of Political Candidates in Online News: Do Political and Media System Classifications Matter?

An evolving body of research generally referred to as visual politics has brought the heavy research focus on linguistic modalities of political communication closer to parity with visual emphasis. The study reported here transcends this schism by joining momentum toward multimodality as an ontological departure point for research. We expanded an existing visual instrument into a multimodal one and provided evidence that it reliably captures character framing of political candidates (stateliness, compassion, mass appeal, ordinariness, and sure loser) in German, Polish, and United States commercial online news. We focused on election coverage in these countries because they represent three distinct political and media systems (democratic-corporatist, polarized-pluralist, and hybrid) of the Global North. The quantitative content analysis sample we used spans 2,688 online news stories with seven political candidates identified in 6,560 cases across six modalities (still images, moving images, frozen video images, text, audio, and superimposed text). We found support for the hypothesis that political and media system latencies affect how news media frame the character traits of political candidates in both visual and linguistic modalities. Specifically, the competitive tendencies of majoritarian democracies manifested more clearly as candidate-centered, simplistic, and polarizing character framing in US media content than in journalistic output of multiparty consensus democracies. For example, US news media were more consistent in their portrayal of election winners and losers than German and Polish news media, emphasizing stateliness, compassion, and ordinariness in the winner while unambiguously assigning the negative sure loser frame to the election loser.

Educational aspects in the constitutional and legal provision of democratic governance under martial law: A comparative study

Within the framework of this scientific article, an analysis of various approaches to the constitutional and legal regulation of governance in conditions of martial law in different countries is carried out. The integration of democratic governance under martial law includes an educational perspective, emphasizing the need for citizens and leaders to understand the constitutional and legal frameworks that support democratic principles during crises. Thus, the purpose of this study is to analyze various approaches to the constitutional and legal regulation of governance under conditions of martial law in different countries taking into account the educational aspect. The study integrates an educational perspective, emphasizing the need for both citizens and leaders to understand the constitutional and legal frameworks that support democratic principles during crises. Research methodology includes historical method, method of legal hermeneutics, method of systemic approach, synthesis, method of modeling, comparative method and statistical method. The conclusions emphasize the importance of understanding and using constitutional and legal provisions to ensure openness, transparency, and participation in public processes, even under martial law. This section outlines educational strategies that can support these goals, such as incorporating constitutional education into formal curricula and providing continuous learning opportunities for citizens and officials.

The Interplay Between Constitutionalism and Institutional Thinking in Modern Democratic Governance

The Interplay Between Constitutionalism and Institutional Thinking in Modern Democratic Governance

Building Resilience, Agility, and Trust: The Neo-Weberian State as a Referential Model for Brazilian Public Administration

The paper explores the challenges and potential solutions for enhancing Brazilian public administration through the lens of the Neo-Weberian State (NWS) model. It discusses the historical context of Brazil’s public administration, highlighting the coexistence of different administrative mechanisms and the need for a stable, resilient, and agile bureaucracy to address contemporary societal challenges effectively. The article advocates for a paradigmatic shift toward a more coordinated, inclusive, and socially driven public sector, emphasizing the importance of hierarchical mechanisms and public service ethos in safeguarding democracy and resisting illiberal political agendas. By analyzing the trajectory of public administration reforms in Brazil and comparing them to global challenges, the essay underscores the NWS’s potential to bring legitimacy and effectiveness to state actions, ultimately aiming to restore trust in public administration and strengthen democratic governance in Brazil.

DATA PRIVACY AND CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS IN INDONESIA

This article explores the connection between data privacy and constitutional rights in Indonesia, particularly within the framework of a democratic rule of law. The 1945 Constitution of Indonesia guarantees citizens' fundamental rights, including security and privacy. However, the rapid advancement of information technology has introduced new challenges for personal data protection. Currently, Indonesia's regulations, such as the Electronic Information and Transaction Law (ITE Law), lack comprehensive measures to safeguard data privacy rights, as they are sectoral and fragmented. This article highlights the necessity of enacting the Personal Data Protection Bill (RUU PDP) as a crucial step in strengthening the legal framework for data privacy protection in Indonesia. Additionally, it compares international regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union, as well as data protection laws in neighboring countries like Singapore and Malaysia. The article underscores that prioritizing the protection of personal data privacy rights is essential for safeguarding constitutional rights and individual dignity, as well as for fostering a secure and trustworthy digital ecosystem in Indonesia.

Do discurso à ação política: análise de acontecimentos extremistas que violam uma ética discursiva

In this article, we reflect on aspects of the relationships between discourse, action, and ethics in the Brazilian political arena. These relationships were examined from theoretical perspectives based on the integration of discursive, phenomenological, and cognitive studies. We highlight the approaches of Ricoeur (1988) and Paveau (2015), particularly the notions of the discourse of action, ethically qualified action, and discursive ethics/virtue. These notions provided a conceptual and analytical framework for the analysis of two extremist events from protests against the outcome of the 2022 presidential elections, illustrating our political context characterized by the rise of the far-right and attacks against the Democratic Rule of Law. Methodologically, we selected a corpus of texts (such as memes, cartoons, photographs, statements, communications and a petition), which address and problematize these two events, shaping forms of metadiscourses with moral axiological nature. These metadiscursive statements were qualitatively analyzed based on their description and interpretation in light of the aforementioned notions.

External factors in democratic transition in Pakistan in 2008: an analysis of the US supporting role

The political history of Pakistan has seen ephemeral intervals of democratic rule while protracted periods of military rule. A landmark development happened when a peaceful democratic transition from the authoritarian rule of General Musharraf was held in 2008. The internal factors for this transition were an independent judiciary, vibrant media, civil society, and political consensus between major political parties. This article meticulously investigates the significant role of the US as an external factor in supporting the democratic transition in Pakistan in 2008. Data is collected from secondary sources like newspapers, journal articles, books, and websites. The US supported General Musharraf's regime as part of its war on terror strategy but also urged him publicly to restore democracy. The Bush administration encouraged negotiation between Benazir Bhutto and General Musharraf and supported a political reconciliation between them, which shaped the politics of Pakistan in a new direction. When General Musharraf adopted authoritarian means, the US pressured him to democratise by different means to reinforce its interest in counterterrorism. Under heavy pressure, General Musharraf resigned as army chief and lifted the state of emergency. Later, he resigned from the presidency to escape the humiliation of impeachment, and democracy was restored in Pakistan.

Student protests at Boğaziçi University against Turkey’s authoritarian regime

Amidst the proliferation of authoritarian regimes globally, youth has been on the front lines against top-down politics, antidemocratic norms and values, exclusion from decision-making processes, the privatisation of higher education, the erosion of academic freedom, the stigmatisation of different lifestyles, precarity and environmental degradations. As part of the global authoritarian wave, Turkey has witnessed a comprehensive economic, social and political transformation under Justice and Development Party (AKP) governments. The governing party has deepened neoliberal transformation, plundered environmental commons, imposed a conservative lifestyle, eroded democratic values, attacked academic freedom and intensified polarisation, precarity and corruption in the country. One of the biggest challenges to the AKP government has come from student resistance against the appointed rector at Boğaziçi University (BU). In this research, I focus on how BU has become a space of contestation by students against authoritarianism in Turkey. Against the top-down appointment of the rector, Boğaziçi resistance started in demand of the democratic election of the rector, institutional autonomy and the defence of academic freedom. However, through naming the appointed rector as ‘trustee’, students at BU have unequivocally made a resounding declaration for democracy, not only echoing within the confines of their campus but reverberating throughout the country.

Political and Intercultural Communication in Determining Presidential Candidates in the Indonesian Elections 2024

This study explores the dynamics of political communication in Indonesia, focusing on the 2024 presidential elections. As the country prepares for the presidential election in February 2024, since the general election is a form of post-reformation democratic process implementation that began in 1998, the process of forming political coalitions has become a significant aspect of the political landscape. Utilizing a phenomenological approach, the research examines the interplay between three distinct political cultures—parochial, subject, and participant—and their influence on voter engagement and candidate selection. Through in-depth interviews and participatory observation, the study reveals how political parties can tailor their communication strategies to resonate with diverse voter segments, thereby enhancing electoral participation and fostering a more inclusive democratic process. The findings highlight significant implications for political actors and scholars alike. By recognizing the unique characteristics and needs of each political culture, parties can develop effective coalition-building strategies that bridge cultural divides and mobilize support across Indonesia's heterogeneous electorate. This research not only fills existing gaps in the literature regarding the role of intercultural communication in Indonesian politics but also provides practical recommendations for political parties aiming to improve their engagement with voters. Ultimately, the study underscores the critical importance of adaptive communication strategies in promoting a more informed, engaged, and representative democratic system in Indonesia. Keywords: Elections, intercultural communication, political communication, political parties, presidential candidate.

Partisan conflict and stock volatility predictability

ABSTRACT This study investigates the impact of the Partisan Conflict Index (PCI) on stock market volatility within the United States. Results indicate that the PCI is a robust predictor of both in-sample and out-of-sample stock volatility across the aggregate market and most sector-specific markets. Interestingly, the predictive strength of the PCI is pronounced for the aggregate market index and the sectors of utilities, materials, industrials, information technology, energy, telecom services, and consumer discretionary during periods of Republican governance. In contrast, under Democratic governance, the PCI demonstrates significant predictive power in the health care, consumer staples, information technology, and telecom services sectors. These findings contribute novel insights into the stock volatility predictability.

The Oromo's Contribution to Civilization in Maintaining Societal Peace Focuses on the Guji Oromo in Southeast Oromia

Gada is the brainchild and democratic system of the Oromo people that stand for all life without any prejudice. Gada regulated political stability, peace, economic growth, social doings, cultural duties, ritual and moral responsibility by its structure, principle and function. The quality of Gada system is that it has division of power, Inclusiveness, principle of check, keep majority rules and minority right, and balance and role of peace building among the society. The general objective of this paper is to present the significance of Gada in keeping peace of society and country event focus on Guji Oromo, south eastern Oromia for all readers. Different paper were written by lots of scholars on the concept of Gada system, but it is scanty on blood feud activities for the resolution chaos and restoration of peace. Thus this paper is done in order to fill the gap. The data in this study consisted of the primary and secondary sources. The primary source largely focus on interview either physically or mobile calling based on snow ball sampling method, discussion and observation different reconciliation. Secondary sources were collected by assessing, analyzing, evaluating, crosschecking and codifying different published and unpublished materials. Finally, these data were described, expressed and articulated through qualitatively research method and based on historical and ethnographic approach.

Polarization and Partitioning Representation: How an Overlooked Aspect of Contemporary Democracy Leads to Polarizing Societies

ABSTRACTPolarization within Western societies escalates, as citizens increasingly distrust their governments and disagree with one another in an increasingly emotional way. Departing from a literature devoid of ideas to break this destructive trend, this paper presents a novel approach: While societies have evolved—becoming more diverse, individualized, and interconnected—democratic systems have remained unchanged, hence rooted in outdated structures. This misalignment drives the rise of political polarization. Through a comprehensive review of literature and data across OECD countries, this paper states the generality of the polarization problem, with the U.S. only as severest example. It introduces the concept of ‘partitioning representation’ of representing individuals as parts of non‐overlapping subsets of society, a form that fitted a bygone era of geographically and socially partitioned communities. The paper identifies three mechanisms through which the disjunction between this traditional form of representation and contemporary individualization leads to polarization: disconnection of voters from the political process, intra‐party dynamics that favor radicalization, and perverse incentives for political and media actors. Ultimately, breaking this destructive cycle requires rethinking how representation can work in a world that no longer conforms to the partitioned societies of the Western past. This calls for new forms of doing politics, empowering citizens to engage meaningfully with the political process and restoring the capacity for collective problem‐solving that is essential for democratic resilience in a new approach usefully called a ‘civil democracy’.

The Significance of Intercultural Education in Fostering Peacebuilding

Schools must ensure that students acquire the essential skills and knowledge necessary for effectiveparticipation in democratic and pluralistic communities characterised by cultural diversity. This includes the ability to understand, respect, and embrace differences based on race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, skin colour, language, economic status, gender, and skills. Using a narrative review, this paper seeks to investigate the importance of intercultural education in fostering social harmony and peace-building. The research suggests that in order to achieve the goals of intercultural and peace education, democratic societies must ensure that individuals from all backgrounds can fully exercise their rights and freedoms and have equal opportunities to actively and successfully participate in all activities. The ideas outlined in this study may enhance teachers' consciousness of the necessity and their ability to promote intercultural and peace education in their classrooms.

Surveillance, Disinformation, and Legislative Measures in the 21st Century: AI, Social Media, and the Future of Democracies

In contemporary society, the internet, particularly social media, has become a significant area where individuals spend considerable amounts of time engaging in various activities. Concurrently, the growing utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a critical component of the propaganda that is disseminated online within economic, social, and political spheres. AI encompasses a broad range of applications, including data collection for microtargeting and the dissemination of diverse forms of disinformation. Additionally, AI can be effectively employed to detect and remove content from social media platforms that contradicts democratic principles, such as disinformation or hate speech. This study reviews the existing literature on the use of AI in political propaganda, examining not only how AI has become an integral part of propaganda strategies, but also how it is utilized to counter propaganda that violates democratic values. It explores the legislation in various countries that enables (and mandates) the removal of propaganda content contrary to democratic principles from social media platforms with the assistance of AI, and it discusses perspectives that highlight the potential conflict between these practices and the principle of freedom of expression.

United We Stand? External Obstacles, Internal Tensions and Degenerative Trends in a Greek Media Cooperative

ABSTRACT Drawing on qualitative analysis through semi-structured interviews this study focuses on Greece’s most longstanding media cooperative documenting the challenges it has encountered during the past decade while operating in a highly disrupted and competitive media environment. Building on the degeneration and regeneration theses, which distinguish between cooperatives that either degenerate into capitalist businesses or rejuvenate their democratic values through hard work, this study explores the way this outlet navigated the obstacles it faced. The findings provide empirical evidence that upholding and revitalizing workplace democracy within a fiercely contested media ecosystem compounded by a decade-long economic crisis, is a constant struggle. What keeps journalists of this specific outlet investing in the cooperative model is a unique sense of professional freedom and personal growth that they experience as members of a worker owned outlet. These gains, intangible in nature yet extremely valuable, are instrumental in helping journalists overcome external challenges, reconcile internal tensions and keep the endeavor going. These insights highlight the dynamics of this specific cooperative and may not be universally applicable to all journalistic cooperatives. However, they provide valuable lessons for other worker-owned media operating in similar contexts. They also highlight emerging trends and suggest avenues for future research.

Gendered disinformation in Spanish-language fact-checking: origin, methodology, and perspectives

The recent surge in disinformation targeting gender themes poses a substantial threat to women’s equality in democratic systems. This study investigates the efforts of three fact-checking platforms prominent in Ibero-America (Maldita.es and Newtral in Spain and Chequeado in Argentina) in countering antifeminist fake news. Employing a dual methodology, we conducted a content analysis of pieces published on gender issues over one year and semi-structured interviews with representatives from these platforms. The findings unveil a consistent production of texts addressing contemporary feminist affairs. Disinformers target both the feminist movement and its historical grievances, including gender-based violence. Fact checks emerge as the primary format for combating these hoaxes, with explainers gaining against increasingly complex disinformation narratives. The verification methodology emphasizes consulting official sources and expert testimony. Interviewees acknowledge that there is still much progress to be made in gender-related fact-checking.

Climate policy uncertainty and environmental degradation: Does democracy moderate this relationship?

This study investigates the impact of climate policy uncertainty on environmental degradation and examines the moderating role of democracy in this relationship. Utilizing annual data from 126 economies spanning the years 1996–2021, and employing dynamic least squares and fully modified ordinary least squares models, the analysis reveals a significant negative relationship between climate policy uncertainty and environmental degradation. The findings indicate that higher uncertainty in climate policies is associated with reduced environmental degradation, suggesting that uncertainty in climate policies can drive cautious and ecologically conscious behaviors. Additionally, the study finds that democracy amplifies this negative relationship, implying that democratic environments enhance the effectiveness of climate policies in reducing environmental degradation which is attributed to greater transparency, accountability, public participation, and policy stability inherent in democratic systems. The study offers valuable practical implications for policymakers by highlighting how political and economic systems can influence environmental outcomes amid climate change.

The impact of democracy on peace in Africa: Empirical evidence

AbstractThe nexus between democracy and peace in Africa is examined by applying data to 42 sub‐Saharan African (SSA) countries between 2008 and 2020. The study used panel regression techniques that include Ordinary Least Squares, the Tobit regression to account for the limited range of the dependent variable, and the System Generalized Method of Moments to account for endogeneity bias. Using seven indicators of democracy, which include electoral democracy, liberal democracy, participatory democracy, deliberative democracy, egalitarian democracy, a total democracy index derived from principal component analysis, and the Polity2 score, and using the global peace index as a proxy for peace, our findings show that all the indicators of democracy, irrespective of the model, have a positive and significant influence on peace in SSA. The result has underscored the importance of advancing democratic practices and values to promote sustainable peace and stability in the region.Related ArticlesAntwi‐Boateng, Osman. 2015. “No Spring in Africa: How Sub‐Saharan Africa Has Avoided the Arab Spring Phenomenon.” Politics & Policy 43(5): 754–84. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12129.Asongu, Simplice A., Cheikh T. Ndour, and Judith C. M. Ngoungou. 2024. “The Effects of Gender Political Inclusion and Democracy on Environmental Performance: Evidence from the Method of Moments by Quantile Regression.” Politics & Policy, 52(1), 118–39. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12576.Ryan, Susannah. 2015. “White Gold and Troubled Waters in Southern Africa: Hydropolitical Policy's Effect on Peace in Lesotho and South Africa.” Politics & Policy 4(2): 239–55. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12114.