Democracy and elections worldwide (International IDEA)
The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) is an intergovernmental organization that supports sustainable democracy worldwide.
Hungary and Serbia, “partly free” countries
The democratisation process in South East Europe is stagnating, or even going backwards. Serbia is now considered a “partly free” country, just like Hungary.
The antibiotic resistance crisis deepens
European healthcare systems are increasingly dealing with new bacteria which resist traditional antibiotics. The situation threatens quality standards and budgets across Europe.
Competition: fewer fines for cartels
According to the latest research, the number of fines imposed on cartels that distort competition has fallen worldwide, while more than half of all fines are imposed by the EU.
Negative attitude towards Muslims inversely proportional to actual presence
Attitudes towards Muslims appear to be particularly negative in the Baltic and the Visegrád countries. Crucially, the very same countries have the lowest estimated Muslim population in Europe.
The polarisation of jobs is a question of policy
The evolution of the social structure in 15 European countries reveals the key role that public policies play in deepening the divide between high- and low-skilled jobs, according to sociologist Camille Peugny.
Unpacking the Corruption Perception Index: A focus on the EU
According to the 2018 Corruption Perception Index by Transparency International, Nordic countries are again global leaders in the fight against corruption. But looking at the data since 2012, Baltic countries appear to be the rising stars.
Arms in South-Eastern and Eastern Europe (SEESAC)
The SEESAC organization publishes data on the proliferation of light weapons, on armed violence, as well as on regional arms exports.
Cash still has a future
On 27 January 2019 the European Central Bank stopped printing 500-euro banknotes. One more step towards a cashless economy? Not for now. Proponents of e-payments are annoyed, but there are dangers to an economy without cash.
The Europeans left out of the European elections
Almost 17 million EU citizens live in a member state other than their country of origin. These citizens are entitled to vote for the European Parliament from where they reside, but almost none of them do so. It’s a wasted opportunity for a more transnational politics.
