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Futuristic cityscape with digital and neon elements, people observing the scene.

When Algorithms Undermine Democracy: Europe’s Wake-Up Call

Maja Fjaestad and Simon Vinge

Algorithmic power threatens the foundations of democratic oversight—and Sweden's experience shows why Europe must act now.

Data storage infrastructure with colourful server units and cables.

The Trouble with Abundance

Jeffrey Frankel

"Abundance" sounds appealing, but institutional competence and economic wisdom matter more than uplifting slogans.

Intricate blue and gold mechanical clockwork with gears and cogs.

The European Social Model: Key to Competitive Growth?

Mary McCaughey

As Europe faces mounting global challenges, its distinctive social framework may hold the answer to achieving both economic competitiveness and social cohesion.

Workers at an industrial site with EU flag, European economy focus.

Europe Needs Industrial Policy That Puts Workers First in an Age of Uncertainty

Susanne Wixforth and Michael Soder

Bold industrial strategy must combine green transformation with social justice to secure Europe's economic future.

New York City skyline at sunset with people walking along the riverbank.

Zohran Mamdani’s Win and the Price of Urban Life: Why City Voters Are Seeking Change

Lynn Parramore

The soaring costs of city life appear to be sending urban voters toward progressive leaders who promise relief, both in the U.S. and globally.

Sunset with silhouetted figures and a large yellow sun.

Democracy’s Ratchet Effect: Why the Left and Centre Must Unite Against Rising Authoritarianism

Robert Misik

As emergencies mount and extremism feeds on paralysis, democratic forces need more than lowest-common-denominator coalitions to break the cycle of political decay.

Futuristic cityscape with flying birds and a person using a tablet.

Albania’s AI Minister Cannot Fix What Citizens No Longer Trust

Erjon Tase

Bold reforms and EU progress ring hollow when inequality deepens and Albanians choose to leave the country.

Statue of Liberty and New York City skyline, Social Europe.

When Democracy and Liberalism Collide: America’s Governance Crisis

Marlies Murray

The United States is dismantling the very institutions designed to solve its problems—a paradox that reveals a deeper conflict between democratic will and liberal principles.

European Union flag with people ascending stairs, social mobility concept.

Europe’s Self-Inflicted Wound: The Corporate Responsibility Retreat

Guillaume Duval

By dismantling corporate sustainability rules, European businesses are handing competitive advantages to their foreign rivals.

Family walking at sunset in an African savannah.

Botswana’s Critical Transition: From Parental Provider to Democratic Enabler

Galaletsang Dintsi and Kabo Diamond Moseki

As diamond revenues collapse and public trust erodes, Botswana's new government attempts a fundamental reimagining of the state-citizen relationship.

European Union flag with pedestrians, Social Europe.

Sovereignism: Europe’s Most Dangerous Political Plague

Jan Zielonka

The transnational crises of our era demand European solutions, yet national leaders cling to sovereignty games that leave citizens vulnerable and searching for scapegoats.

Woman reading in a city apartment with a world map background.

Universities Must Stay Global in a Fragmenting World

Manuel Muñiz

As global fragmentation accelerates, higher education faces pressure to abandon its international mission—but history shows that open, engaged universities are essential for human progress.

Man with a suitcase walking towards a starry sky.

Europe’s Defence Dilemma: Why Fiscal Union Is No Longer Optional

Andris Šuvajevs

Without radical institutional reform, Europe cannot mount the defence it desperately needs against an increasingly aggressive Russia.

Aerial view of colourful residential houses in a neighbourhood.

Europe’s Housing Crisis Threatens the Foundations of Democracy

Bartosz Rydlinski

Affordable homes built the post-war social contract—their absence today fuels political extremism.

Refugees walking at sunset, Social Europe.

Climate Refugees Are Already Here—And Democracy Hangs In The Balance

Neva Löw and Maximilian Pichl

As island nations sink beneath rising seas, the world faces a stark choice: build walls or build solidarity in the face of climate-driven displacement.

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Progressive Thinking on the Big Issues of Our Time

Read by policymakers, academics and journalists in 100+ countries.

S&D Group in the European Parliament Advertisement

S&D conference The Middle East at crossroads: A progressive vision, 9 September 2026, European Parliament, Brussels

S&D conference “The Middle East at crossroads: A progressive vision”

The S&D Group is pleased to invite you to our conference “The Middle East at crossroads: A progressive vision” on Wednesday, 9 September, from 14:30 to 18:30, in the European Parliament in Brussels as well as online, where we will discuss the geopolitical changes taking place in the Middle East.

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Cover of the ETUI and OSE book Social policy in the European Union: state of play 2025.

New Edition - Social policy in the European Union: state of play 2025

Can Europe preserve its distinctive social model while simultaneously rearming, reindustrialising, and reorganising its economy in a more conflictual and competitive world? This is the central question raised in this new edition of the Bilan social, a reference publication released every spring for more than 25 years by the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) and the European Social Observatory (OSE).

READ HERE

Eurofound Advertisement

EurofoundTalks podcast with Mary McCaughey and Eszter Sandor: Is financial resilience and trust in Europe faltering?

Is financial resilience and trust in Europe faltering?

In this episode of Eurofound Talks, host Mary McCaughey and senior researcher Eszter Sandor unpack the results of the 2025 Living and Working in the EU e-survey. While headline inflation has stabilised at 2.1%, the data reveals a continent gripped by chronic precariousness, with 57% of respondents now at risk of depression. Mary and Eszter explore how this economic insecurity is impacting institutional trust and democratic engagement.

LISTEN HERE

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Cover of The Progressive Post issue 31, Summer 2026: The Mediterranean, a crowded sea.

The Summer issue of The Progressive Post is out! 

The EU is belatedly awakening to a changing Mediterranean sea, where more assertive regional powers are reclaiming a role.

The new issue of the magazine also reflects on how we struggle to keep pace with AI innovations, examines the uncertainties surrounding the execution of the Pact on Migration and Asylum and the risk to human rights posed by the Return Regulation, and focuses on the EU Commission's newly proposed Industrial Accelerator Act.

READ THE MAGAZINE

Hans Böckler Stiftung Advertisement

WSI blog series “Climate Transition: Socially Just and Fair”: How the climate crisis and global migration are linked, by Neva Löw and Maximilian Pichl

How the climate crisis and global migration are linked

The climate crisis and global migration are closely linked. Emancipatory forces must demand and defend the right to be able to leave, but not to have to leave. This means defending and expanding asylum rights.

READ HERE

FES Advertisement

Cover of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung analysis The Capability State: A Progressive Vision for the 21st Century by Henning Meyer.

“What is the actual purpose of the state?” – this central question is the focus of the analysis. At a time when bureaucratic processes are making life difficult for citizens, the paper proposes a three-part model. It aims at a conception of the state as a platform that helps society build the capabilities it needs to address its problems effectively.

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