Extending human and civic rights
Book Review | Go Home? The Politics of Immigration Controversies by Hannah Jones et al
In Go Home? The Politics of Immigration Controversies, Hannah Jones et al investigate the effects of UK immigration policy on local communities, drawing on interviews, focus groups, ethnographic observations and surveys. The book offers a powerful demonstration of the everyday impact of immigration controls and narratives, writes Sarah Burton, and unserscores the necessity of forging solidarities of resistance. Similar PostsBook […]
Book review | The End of Eddy, by Édouard Louis
With The End of Eddy, Édouard Louis gives an autobiographical account of his experience of homophobia and economic inequality growing up in Hallencourt, a village in the north of France where many live below the poverty line. While the book has being widely received for offering insight into current divisions within French society as well as the recent electoral […]
Book review | The Equality Effect: Improving Life for Everyone, by Danny Dorling
In The Equality Effect: Improving Life for Everyone, Danny Dorling delivers evidence that more equal countries enjoy better outcomes, with their populations being happier, healthier and more creative, producing less waste and committing fewer crimes. This optimistic book is a pleasure to read, writes Natasha Codiroli Mcmaster, and encourages us to see greater equality – and its social […]
Macron’s 50:50 gender-balanced cabinet: building on a concrete floor
The first cabinet appointed by new French President Emmanuel Macron has a 50-50 gender balance, with eleven of the 22 cabinet members being women. Karen Beckwith writes that Macron’s decision to appoint a gender-balanced cabinet should not have come as a surprise. Drawing on research in seven separate democracies with her colleagues Susan Franceschet and Claire Annesley, she […]
The Brazilian experience: democracy, at its fullest, saves lives
Brazil is a deeply unequal democracy which enjoyed an economic boom in the 2000s – and is now suffering from a recession and the threat of austerity cuts. Michael Touchton, Natasha Borges Sugiyama and Brian Wampler analysed the factors that led to falls in infant mortality. They found that while competitive local elections were important, they alone […]
Book review | The Enemy Within: A Tale of Muslim Britain, by Sayeeda Warsi
In The Enemy Within: A Tale of Muslim Britain, Sayeeda Warsi offers a book that is part memoir and part political commentary. Drawing on her Yorkshire childhood as the daughter of Pakistani immigrants and her role as the first female Muslim cabinet member, she reflects on the rise of Islamophobia, government responses to terrorism and questions […]
‘Mum-of-two, 40’: but women rise to the top in Northern Irish politics
Women now lead three of the five main parties in Northern Ireland and make up 30% of the Assembly. Danielle Roberts looks at the sea-change in women’s participation in Northern Irish politics since the Good Friday Agreement, which has happened in spite of the lack of Unionist female politicians. While a number of BME and LGBT […]
Book review | The Despot’s Accomplice: How The West is Aiding and Abetting the Decline of Democracy, by Brian Klaas
In The Despot’s Accomplice: How the West is Aiding and Abetting the Decline of Democracy, Brian Klaas provides a frontline account of the contemporary history of democracy, the current state of democracy promotion and the fundamental flaws in the West’s approach. This dynamic book offers convincing insight into the impact of current policy and proposals for […]
No need for basic income: five policies to tackle the loss of jobs to technology
Not all the jobs lost to new technology are likely to be replaced. A universal basic income has been touted as a solution to the problem of under-employment – but, argues Henning Meyer, it would lead to even greater inequality. He suggests five alternative policies that could help tackle the problem of technological unemployment. Similar […]
Book review | Hate Speech and Democratic Citizenship, by Eric Heinze
In Hate Speech and Democratic Citizenship, Eric Heinze argues for the unrestricted right to freedom of speech in contemporary democratic states, positioning it as one of the ‘legitimising expressive conditions’ of democratic citizenship. While some readers may take issue with Heinze’s particular conceptualisation of democracy and his account of the potential risks of hate speech, this […]
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