Implications For Democracy Research Articles

Politically Motivated Retroactive Self-Censorship on Social Media: Managing Political Impression in a Politically Polarized Environment

ABSTRACT Social media offers individuals sophisticated communicative tactics to manage politically motivated interpersonal disagreement. This study investigates an underexplored behavior in this context: retroactive self-censorship, which includes actions such as deleting previously published posts or untagging oneself from others’ timelines or photos for political reasons. These behaviors are conceptualized as a form of selective self-presentation within the framework of the spiral of silence, triggered by interpersonal political disagreement. The study also examines the role of discussion network heterogeneity in shaping this process, hypothesizing that higher levels of heterogeneity make disagreement-induced self-censorship more likely. A two-wave online panel survey was implemented in Hong Kong, one of the most politically polarized societies globally. Findings reveal a sequence in which political expression on social media leads to disagreement, which then prompts ad hoc self-censorship. The mediation effect of opinion expression on self-censorship via disagreement becomes stronger as network heterogeneity increases from low to moderate levels, but this pattern does not extend to highly heterogeneous networks. The results suggest that ad hoc content manipulation on social media would aggravate political polarization by making people’s networks more homogeneous. The democratic implications of managing political impressions in a politically polarized digital public sphere are discussed.

Promoting Politics: Political Social Media Influencers, Their Online Engagement, and Implications for Democracy

Social media has become increasingly important in today’s political information environments, especially for younger generations. More and more social media influencers are turning to political topics. Such political social media influencers (PSMIs) emerge as new intermediaries in public opinion formation and political engagement. Aiming to enhance the conceptual understanding of this emerging group of political communicators, I conducted a systematic literature review of N = 110 publications about PSMIs to condense existing knowledge on who they are ( source ), what and how they communicate ( message ), and who consumes their content ( audience ). Results show that research on PSMIs has been increasing substantially since 2022. From a theoretical perspective, PSMIs are often understood as opinion leaders exerting a (para-)social influence on their followers. To specify the previously broad scholarly understanding of PSMIs, this article introduces a content-based classification approach, proposing four PSMI types, which could aid future studies in selectively examining their intentions, contexts, and potential effects on audiences. Finally, I summarize existing evidence of individual-level effects of PSMI content and outline a research agenda. Besides focusing on democratic PSMIs, this work also draws attention to risks associated with extremist, anti-democratic , particularly far-right efforts to position their “own” PSMIs, as well as corresponding implications for democracies.

The Political Role of Social Media Influencers: Strategies, Types, and Implications for Democracy—An Introduction

Social media influencers (SMIs) have become influential communicators of political and socially relevant content, especially among younger audiences increasingly disengaged from traditional news. While originally focused on commercial marketing, many SMIs now address topics such as elections, policy debates, and social justice issues. These messages are often shared strategically—to expand reach, maintain authenticity, or express personal convictions. We argue that SMIs should be seen as strategic providers of political content, raising important questions about their role in shaping public discourse and democratic engagement. In this introduction to the special issue, we present a conceptual framework based on three key dimensions: the Density of Political Content, the Style of Presenting Political Content, and the Proximity of Political Content to political actors, ideologies, or institutions. Based on these dimensions, we outline six influencer prototypes to support a more systematic understanding of their political communication. The articles in this issue explore these types and their democratic implications.

Hate Speech Campaigns in the 2016 Philippine Elections on Facebook

The paper presents a comprehensive analysis of hate speech and trolling campaigns on Facebook during the 2016 national elections in the Philippines. Employing a vast dataset of hundreds of millions of Facebook comments, we uncover the first empirical evidence of coordinated online hate speech campaigns in this political context. Our findings reveal that over 12% of comments on political pages contained hate speech, predominantly originating from supporters of then-candidate Rodrigo Duterte and his affiliates. We further examine the relationship between offline political events and online hate speech, finding a surge in hateful commenting following the launch of Duterte’s campaign, though similar spikes were not observed after some of his later controversial remarks. Alarmingly, we observe a “spillover effect”: regular social media users, after exposure to orchestrated hate speech by highly active “troll” accounts, began emulating these behaviors. This contagion effect highlights a worrying trend in which hate speech normalizes and spreads within online communities. Overall, our results shed light on the dynamics of digital political campaigns and their implications for democracy and public discourse. Given Facebook’s ubiquity in the Philippines, these findings raise significant concerns about social media’s influence on electoral politics and the health of online civic dialogue.

The AI turn in journalism: Disruption, adaptation, and democratic futures

In this essay, we argue that, unlike previous changes in digital media technologies over the past few decades, this AI “turn” in journalism forces us to rethink journalism’s identity and its relationship with audiences. While AI complicates and challenges some existing professional, social, political, and economic structures, it also offers new ways to realize desired journalistic objectives that were previously considered to be impractical, if not impossible. Drawing on four orienting ideas—adoption and hype, power and dependency, audiences and democratic implications, and education and empowerment—we unpack the implications of this AI turn in journalism and the consequences for the future of the journalistic field.

A primer on politicization, polarization, radicalization, and activation and their implications for democracy in times of rapid technological change.

Governments around the world fear a loss of social cohesion and a risk of harm to individuals and democratic processes that stem from politicization, polarization and radicalization. We argue that these processes of social influence provide the motivation for-but are not sufficient for-mobilization (the behaviour of engaging in collective action). To be able to collectively act, people require the capability and resources to do so, which can be developed during an activation process. We clarify the common and distinct aspects of each process so the common drivers, but unique effects, can be conceptualized and operationalized by policymakers, practitioners and researchers who wish to understand democratic resilience.

The Intrinsic Relationship between Local Politics and Public Health

Our symposium brings to bear novel theory and rigorous empirics on a key topic: the local politics of public health. As a field, urban and local politics has made critical developments in our understanding of social inequality and its implications for democracy. Many social policy components and structures studied in local politics are known as the social or structural determinants of health—high level systems including the built environment and local policies, that have the greatest influence on individual and public health compared to any other factors ( Marmot et al. 2008 ). Yet, urban and local politics has not thought of its contribution to our knowledge of public health directly, despite studying these very systems that overwhelmingly contribute to the health and wellbeing of populations.

Post-Conflict Regimes and the Survival of Pro-Government Militias

ABSTRACT Post-civil conflict demobilisation research usually focuses on rebel disarmament and overlooks the non-state militias that helped incumbent regimes retain power. Despite being allied to the government, pro-government militias can pose a long-term threat to the state if not eliminated or integrated. We argue that post-war militia management politics are driven by structural factors and elite concerns for regime survival. Quantitative analyses show that post-war pro-government militias survive longer in autocracies compared to when democratic regimes have defeated a rebellion. The findings paint a more complete picture of armed group demobilisation and have implications for post-war repression, democratisation and conflict recurrence.

A latent profile analysis: Late-night repertoires and political participation in the high-choice late-night environment

ABSTRACT This study explores late-night repertoires according to audiences’ late-night use patterns, instead of investigating individual late-night uses, and highlights how late-night viewers navigate the high-choice late-night environment and its democratic implications. We employ a repertoire approach based on latent profile analysis for the first time in the study of late-night talk shows, using 19 items, including most popular late-night talk shows in both their traditional and online formats, run during the 2022 midterm elections. Results from a national online survey reveal four different types of contemporary late-night viewing: rare late-night viewers, occasional online late-night viewers, liberal network TV late-night samplers and avid late-night viewers based on medium and content attributes (e.g. ideology, format). Those who frequently consume late-night shows, including political satire shows, are more likely to participate in the political process. Findings shed light on the importance of considering medium and content attributes in the study of late-night shows to better understand audiences’ late-night use and its effects. This study extends existing research on late-night talk shows.

Ecosystem of coups in West Africa: implications for Democracy and Regional Peace

The Sahel region of Africa, characterized by political and security fragility has been the theatre of coups that significantly challenged democracy and peace consolidation. Most of the coups operated in recent years have been led by military juntas, who often claim their facts as motivated by governance crises, corruption, and social injustice. This phenomenon, recurrent since the post-independence period, constitutes a significant challenge to political stability and governance in the region, raising questions on the real ability of coups to be positioned as real governance alternatives likely to propose sustainable solutions. Departing from a historical analysis of coups and cases studies of the most recent episodes (Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso), this article delves into the main causes and factors of coups namely bad governance, socio-political instability, and the recent uprising security concerns. Taking reference to the democracy theories and that of regional security, the article studies the extent to which coups represent an effective alternative to the governance crisis in Africa and how they affect regional peace and democratic stability. The analysis concludes by arguing that far from being a valid solution to governance challenges, coups only contribute to exacerbating in most cases already existing structural challenges while undermining democracy.

The ‘datafication’ of campaigning in British party politics

Abstract The practice of political campaigning has evolved over time. Whilst once associated with public rallies and stirring political oratory, more recent campaigns are known for digital communication and targeted messaging. This article revisits the idea of campaign change by examining the idea of the datafication of campaigning. Exploring the dynamics of British party politics it asks why parties are using data, what specific types of data they are gathering and how these data are deployed in practice. Considering these questions, this article interrogates the organisational and democratic implications of campaign datafication. It argues that data have the capacity to change relations between citizens and political actors, creating new inequalities that affect the dynamics of British politics and have consequences for our understanding of electoral competition and democratic practice.

Between trust and skepticism: unpacking the impact of social media skepticism on online political participation

ABSTRACT Despite the increasing social media skepticism in an era of online misinformation, its sociopolitical consequences remain under-explored. This study is among a few that examine the effect of skepticism on online political engagement. With an online sample collected from the U.S., we find a negative impact of social media skepticism on online political participation, mediated by social media news use and expressive use. Furthermore, cognitive ability moderates this relationship, with the negative indirect effect being more pronounced among individuals with lower cognitive ability. This research highlights the potential democratic implications of social media skepticism and enriches the knowledge of its underlying psychological mechanisms. Moreover, it offers a nuanced understanding of the contingent effect of cognitive ability, suggesting its crucial role in mitigating social media skepticism’s adverse effects. This research provides valuable insights for navigating the evolving media landscape.

Vote buying, turnout and trust: democratic consequences of electoral clientelism in the Polish 2023 election

ABSTRACT What are the democratic implications of electoral clientelism? While studies point to the negative effects of electoral clientelism on the functioning of democratic institutions, few studies seek to investigate how personal experiences of electoral clientelism affect both electoral turnout and trust. This study suggests that while electoral clientelism can induce democratically desirable behaviour such as electoral turnout, it also undermines citizens trust in core democratic, electoral institutions. Leveraging the fact that the most recent European Quality of Government Index (EQI) survey was fielded in the midst of the Polish election, an election described as one of the most fiercely competitive election in post-communist Europe with implications for democratic backsliding, we use coarsened exact matching to show that citizens that experienced vote buying offers were more likely to turn out to vote, yet also expressed a lower level of trust in the integrity of elections. However, decreased trust in specific electoral institutions did not translate into a more generalized distrust in national level institutions. Our study provides unique evidence on individual level experiences of electoral clientelism in Europe and indicate that experiencing clientelistic offers may lead to some level of indignation and demand for accountability rather than resignation or acceptance of clientelist practices.

Polarization in the Canadian Public: A Myth?

Polarization has important democratic implications. In this study, the author challenges the claim that Canadians have not become more ideologically polarized. The author recognizes polarization as both a static condition and a dynamic process. A critical analysis of Canadian Election Study data from 2004 to 2021 reveals key patterns indicating that while the Canadian public may have not yet reached the polarized condition, they have been on a path toward increasing ideological polarization.

Welfare technology in health- and social care: perceptions and positions of board members in Swedish pensioners’ organizations

ABSTRACT Swedish national policy emphasizes welfare technology as an integral part of future health and social care provision for older people. This study examines how representatives of the two largest pensioners’ organizations in Sweden perceived and adopted stances regarding the implementation and use of welfare technology in health and social care. It also seeks to understand the democratic implications of welfare technology, expressed in terms of participation and agency and impacts on the health of older people and informal carers. Four focus groups were organized to determine how representatives of the two largest pensioners’ organizations in Sweden perceive the implementation of welfare technology in the health and social care sectors for their members and articulate related positions. The participants perceived welfare technology with concern, anticipating a harsher society for those lacking support from informal carers, and regarded the opportunity for participation and agency as limited. They expressed commitment to and solidarity with excluded groups, emphasizing the importance of leaving no one behind when care services are delivered via welfare technology. The participants adapted to the prescribed norm within the discourse, correcting their way of speaking and expressing critique rather subtly. Our findings have implications for policy, highlighting the importance of older people’s participation and the central role of informal carers in the social welfare system. Carers’ contributions were deemed critical in providing not only emotional support and companionship but also in facilitating daily living activities and healthcare management, essential for maintaining the dignity and quality of life of the older person.

Putting ‘filter bubble’ effects to the test: evidence on the polarizing impact of ideology-based news recommendation from two experiments in Germany and the U.S.

ABSTRACT Algorithmic news recommender systems (NRS) are present in many digital platforms. A decade after Eli Pariser introduced the infamous ‘filter bubble’ hypothesis, empirical evidence challenges the assumption that recommendation algorithms predominantly create homogeneous opinion environments. Studies indicate that algorithmic platform use may amplify users’ political polarization. Whether the link between platform use and polarization can be causally explained by ideological news filtering, however, is still an unanswered question as rigid causal designs to test the notion of ‘filter bubble’ effects are still largely lacking. To fill this gap, we conducted two experimental studies in Germany (n = 1,786) and the U.S. (n = 1,306) with running NRS selecting news items based on the political orientation and political interest of its users. For both national contexts, results indicate that an NRS with a bias towards users’ political preferences increases ideological polarization among politically moderate individuals, supporting the notion of ‘filter bubble’ effects for this group. No such pattern could be found for affective polarization. Yet, in the German data, affective polarization among moderate users was reduced by a politically balanced NRS (as compared to a randomized news diet), while the same NRS increased affective polarization of politically extreme participants. We discuss the democratic implications of these findings against the backdrop of increasing digital news consumption.

Facing Democratic Challenges: The Role of Civil Society Organizations in the Governance of Genomic Technologies

The discovery of CRISPR has fuelled the debate surrounding new genomic techniques (NGTs). This is of paramount importance given their potential impact on societies and ecosystems. Despite early enthusiasm about the potential of NGTs to “democratize” genome editing, it is increasingly evident that their introduction poses substantial challenges from a democratic point of view. Although greater engagement with the public sphere is urgently needed, it is something that is currently not widely studied from a political science standpoint. In this paper we offer an overview of the actors who have mobilized in relation to NGTs, with a particular focus on unduly neglected actors, such as civil society organizations. We also consider the views of those who have made proposals regarding the governance of NGTs more generally. The perspectives of these actors are not easy to reconcile with those of stakeholders, and we reflect on the democratic implications of this aspect.

‘Risky visibility’: the online harassment of queer politicians

Politicians face high levels of public scrutiny and abuse online, with minoritised candidates experiencing qualitatively different treatment. Queer politicians, in particular, face ‘risky visibility’, where their sexuality, combined with other intersecting factors, leads to more personal harassment. Using queer and feminist theory, this article examines online harassment through two case studies focusing on (1) openly out Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, queer+ (LGBTIQ+) politicians from Australia’s 2022 federal election (N = 8) and (2) survey data from politically engaged young gender and sexually minoritised groups (N = 98). The analysis reveals that, unlike straight politicians, queer politicians receive more personal harassment (focused on appearance, sexual identity and gender performance) than political harassment (focused on party or policy issues). This harassment negatively impacts the political pipeline, creating a double bind for queer politicians and distracting from genuine political issues, with implications for democracy.

Exclusionary Governance in Burundi: Implications for Democracy and Consolidating Peace

This article aims to demonstrate the effects of exclusionary forms of governance on democracy and peace with reference to Burundi’s post-Arusha electoral rivalries. The Arusha agreement was the first in a series of peace agreements that terminated over a decade of civil strife, which was based on interethnic conflict. The Arusha pacification model resolved Burundi’s past interethnic conflicts and rivalries, and the main cleavage is currently between and within political parties rather than ethnic groups. In explaining the causes of the crisis of democracy and peace, the article gives considerable weight to Burundi’s post- Arusha elections. The first post-Arusha elections held in 2005, won by the former Hutu-dominated rebel movement, the National Council for the Defence of Democracy–Forces for the Defence of Democracy (CNDD–FDD) were regarded as free and fair, but other endogenous and exogenous factors also played a role. The second and third post-Arusha elections held in 2010 and 2015 respectively, largely paved the way for the current crisis of democracy and peace. The CNDD–FDD’s dominant position allowed it to gradually reduce the democratic space in Burundi, leading to an authoritarian, one-party system through elections and violence. Burundi’s current crisis is caused by the failure of democracy.

The Italian Public Administration Governance under Vincolo Esterno: Implications for Democracy, Sovereignty, Public Management, Economic Growth and Immigration

The article explores the concept of Vincolo Esterno and its profound influence on Italy’s governance, focusing on its impacts on democracy, public management, economic growth, and immigration. Vincolo Esterno, defined as the reliance on external constraints to enforce domestic reforms, has been pivotal in Italy’s alignment with European Union (EU) standards and global practices. The research highlights the dual-edged nature of this governance approach. While it has driven modernization and economic integration, it has also imposed rigid frameworks that challenge sovereignty, democratic accountability, and social equity.The analysis of democracy reveals tensions between EU mandates and Italy’s parliamentary sovereignty, exacerbated by a perceived “democratic deficit” in supranational governance. Influenced by EU directives, public management reforms have modernized administrative systems but exposed regional disparities and bureaucratic inertia. The study also examines the mixed economic outcomes of Vincolo Esterno, emphasizing the constraints of fiscal austerity on infrastructure investment and regional development. Furthermore, immigration policies shaped by external frameworks, such as the Dublin Regulation, illustrate the challenges of managing migration flows and ensuring equitable burden-sharing within the EU.This research underscores the need for a more balanced and inclusive governance model that aligns external compliance with domestic priorities. It calls for future studies to explore mechanisms for enhancing democratic accountability, addressing regional inequalities, and adapting Vincolo Esterno to dynamic global challenges. The findings contribute to broader debates on multilateral governance and the evolving relationship between sovereignty and globalization, providing insights for policymakers and scholars.