 This blog looks at the obscure term ‘punctuated equilibrium’ and its possible relevance to politics and policymaking today.
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 This blog looks at the term ‘identity politics’, what it refers to and its implications for democratic politics.
 A new centre-left government in the UK will provide a long-delayed opportunity for constitutional reform consistent with social and political renewal in the UK
 Democratic norms are said to be eroding, trust in democratic governments weakening and people are disengaging from democratic politics. Many reasons can be given for these tendencies. Politicians focus on the short term and seem to lack credibility when they claim to know what they are doing. People have many things to take care of in their lives and political involvement does not seem to merit our time and attention. It is easier to vote the way we always have, or listen to our networks of friends, and anchor our views and votes along with them - that is if we want to vote at all.
 As the twentieth century came to a close liberalism seemed triumphant. Communism, that had offered a comprehensive alternative vision of economic, social, and political relationships had collapsed. A market order seemed on its way to worldwide acceptance. There was hope that this would be accompanied also by the adoption of liberal democratic orders in the world.
 All so-called ‘market economies’ around the world are regulated by their governments to a greater or lesser extent. This blog looks at the changing shape of economic regulation from sector regulation to the ‘ecosystem’.
 We now live in an increasingly dangerous world. This blog looks at why International and national declarations of rights are not living up to their original promise of providing a principled basis for peace. Is it simply that governments don’t walk the walk. And/or is there something lacking in the talk itself?
 This blog looks at tolerance as a virtue in political discourse. It considers why it is often overlooked and why it does not seem to gain traction in contemporary discussion of the troublingly fragile state of democratic societies or in the EU.
 Ordinary everyday democratic politics fails when people withdraw their consent to the way they are governed or no longer acquiesce to the system of law making. Consent involves active approval, acquiescence passive approval. This blog looks at the role of acquiescence and consent, why they might be being withdrawn and what to do about it.
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