Democracy Archives

How do power imbalances influence national corruption and welfare?

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A deep-rooted culture of equality provides high living standards for most citizens.

Professor Wolfgang Scholl of Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany, has built a detailed model that shows how and where corruption thrives and the damage it causes to social welfare. The social-psychological, cultural, and economic causes and effects are disentangled, and the ethical imperatives are discussed that support a positive outcome. The model confirms empirically that unequal power relations induce corruption […]

Most popular articles published in 2021

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Close up of the Earth at night as viewed from space.

It’s been a busy year here at Research Outreach. We’ve been lucky enough to collaborate with researchers working on projects that span some of 2021’s most talked-about topics, including the impact of social media on public discourse, the effectiveness of face masks, and innovations in financial technology. Read on to explore our top ten most popular articles of 2021 – […]

Twittering away our deliberative capacity: Social media and the threat to democracy

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graphic representing social media connections

Communication technologies lie at the heart of every society, and their structural biases contribute to many of our social biases. The use of social media, and especially Twitter, by former US president Trump offers a case study in how the rise of social media is driving populism, divisive rhetoric, and harm to our socio-political landscape. Dr Brian Ott at Missouri […]

Political systems and economic growth: The democracy myth

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Democracy is often held to be the ideal political system, conferring growth and prosperity on nations’ citizens; however, this paradigm of thought has come under increasing debate. While many studies show a positive correlation between democracy and growth, others have observed neutral or even negative impacts. Dr Thomas Osang of the Southern Methodist University, Texas, and Dr Jeffry Jacob of […]