Democracy and Institutions
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Modernizing Greece: Turning Digital Reform into Democratic Renewal
The far-reaching corruption scandal engulfing Greece’s agricultural subsidy system (OPEKEPE) has once again exposed deep institutional failures, but it also opens a crucial question: what can recent digital reforms tell us about the possibility of democratic renewal?Explore all Articles
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Informal Control of the Turkish State: Lived Experiences from Kurdish Borderlands
04.13.21
Dilan Okcuoglu’s “Informal Control of the Turkish State: Lived Experiences from Kurdish Borderlands” is part of JMEPP’s upcoming Spring 2021 edition, Beyond Borders: Middle East in Empire, Diaspora, and Global Transitions. The full edition is expected to come out on April 30, 2021. “In 2009, we planted our wheat in front of Turkish soldiers; they […]

Civil Unrest and Popular Discontent: What to know about the recent rift among the Jordanian Hashemites
04.9.21
The morning of Saturday, April 3rd, reports of an alleged national security threat targeted at the reigning Jordanian monarch, King Abdullah II, by his younger half-brother, Prince Hamzah, were headlining news sources across the world. Recently, Prince Hamzah has been publicly critical of King Abdullah II’s rule during the COVID-19 public health crisis. In a […]

The Receipts: Pete Buttigieg’s Policies Fail LGBTQ+ Communities
04.8.21
Though Pete Buttigieg is often cast as an LGBTQ+ icon, his tenure in South Bend and a close look at his platform say otherwise.

In TraceTogether We Trust: Singapore’s Challenge with Data Governance and Ethics
04.2.21
Sarah Anderson and Lionel Oh highlight existing gaps in Singapore’s current legislative and bureaucratic structures for managing data and digital technology. They argue that these concerns extend past any single product or incident; because of the importance of building public trust in the government’s use of digital technology, transparency, privacy, and other ethical considerations should be a fixture of technology policy. The authors also provide recommendations on how these data ethics concerns might be addressed through augmented workstreams which introduce procedures and safeguards for government technology.

Seeking Health Equity in the Post-Covid Era
03.18.21
The pandemic has forced us to confront uncomfortable and longstanding realities about the health disparities facing racialized and otherwise marginalized communities throughout the country. Here’s what we do about it.

[Sustainability Series] An Interview with Melissa Low: Part One
03.12.21
In SPJ’s very first interview series, we speak with Melissa Low, a research fellow at the Energy Studies Institute (NUS). As momentum builds up for a more comprehensive climate policy in Singapore, Melissa shares with us her views on sustainability in Singapore. This article is the first of a two-part series and focuses on domestic issues including existing challenges and the rebranded Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE).

You Can’t Fix What You Don’t Understand: The First Step in Democratic Reform
03.10.21
Democratic reform requires robust civic education first.

The Fallacy of Diversity Reforms for Police Departments
03.4.21
Focusing on increasing diversity within police departments pushes the burden of reform on the same people most impacted by police brutality.

Why We Don’t Support Traffic Enforcement
02.25.21
Emily Wade and Elissa Schufman of Our Streets Minneapolis explain why traffic enforcement is not a good strategy to make streets better places to bike, walk, and roll, and urge governments at all levels to take bold alternative approaches to traffic safety.

HKS Must Become Anti-Racist: Bystander Politics Reflect Complicity in Racial Injustice
02.23.21
While administrators and faculty make grand statements about anti-racist beliefs, the school itself continues to uphold institutional racism by refusing to solve the problems the Equity Coalition and identity-based student groups have been challenging for years.

A Call for Vaccine Equity
02.4.21
The rhetoric surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine has been optimistic, suggesting that it will end the pandemic and bring the US back to “normal.” Yet… we are already seeing a process that will systematically favor those with access and resources.

While China’s CT Policy in Xinjiang Lacks Humanity, It Also Lacks Long-term Effectiveness
02.3.21
China’s policy of interning more than one million Uyghurs in Xinjiang is both inhumane and unlikely to yield the results that Xi Jinping and the CCP claim they want.