An Overview d’état: Are Coups Democracy in Action?
Coups in autocracies are frequently followed by elections, which are then followed by new coup attempts. Why do elections increase coup risk?
Why Do We Vote by Secret Ballot?
Election days used to be raucous affairs, with individual votes sometimes cast orally for all to hear.
How Accurate Are Prediction Markets?
Will I get COVID-19? Will I have a job in three months’ time? Will the shops have what I need? Research indicates that markets might not know best.
Just How Unrepresentative Are the Iowa Caucuses?
There's no denying the whiteness of the state. But scholars cite other qualities that make Iowa more like the rest of the country.
How to Get People to Vote
In United States midterm elections, it is common for as few as 40% of eligible adults to vote. Why it matters, and some possible solutions.
The Case for Lowering the Voting Age
If the standard we hold for who can vote is the consent of the governed, why shouldn’t children be included?
Sociophysics and Econophysics, the Future of Social Science?
Can empirical data about human behavior make the “soft” sciences more like the “hard” ones? New interdisciplinary fields are voting yes.
The Midterms That Changed America
In 1994, Republicans swept the midterms and Newt Gingrich became Speaker of the House. His “Contract with America” was both polarizing and transformative.
What’s in a Popularity Rating?
A leader's popularity usually has more to do with the market, the economy, and other external factors than with the leader's personality.
The Return of Socialism
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has catapulted the term "Democratic socialist" back into the spotlight. What does it actually mean to be a socialist?