Disinformation, which refers to false or misleading content that is spread with the intention to deceive or secure economic or political gain and which may cause public harm [1], has long been a weapon in political campaigns. However, the advent of AI has dramatically increased both the efficiency and scale of these operations, opening up […]
Reflecting on the rise of far-right and hard-right politics and on their electoral success over the summer in the EU, France, Thuringia, and Austria, this paper observes that human beings considered solely in their humanity are invisible for democracy. As noted by Rosanvallon, ‘invisibility’ of the national citizens is a root problem of today’s democracy […]
“Representative government, vulgo democracy” Norberto Bobbio From a descriptive point of view, the only one I consider in the following remarks, the expression “representative democracy” mostly refers to the political regimes currently predominant in Western societies – a collective expression including also Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. The term democracy, originating from the […]
This blog explores the role of genetic testing in adults as a form of preventative medicine and examines whether it borders on modern-day eugenics. Eugenics is a theory and practice for improving the human species using selective mating to eliminate unwanted genes and maintain desirable traits. Genetic testing focusses on improving health and is a […]
Convened by Dario Castiglione (University of Exeter, Politics) and Catherine Dupre (University of Exeter, Law) this two-day online workshop is meant as an introduction to the work of the Observatory of Representation. International Centre for the study of State, Citizenship and Democracy. Formally established in January 2024, this Inter-University and multidisciplinary Centre focusses on political representation and […]
The Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies Network grew out of a startling realisation. In 1996, Evelin Lindner, a medical doctor and a psychologist born in Germany, went to all university libraries she came across, expecting to find a great amount of research on the emotion of humiliation. After all, history lessons had taught her that […]
CPT website: https://www.coe.int/en/web/cpt/-/council-of-europe-anti-torture-committee-cpt-carries-out-a-visit-to-azerbaijan On 3 July 2024, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) issued a Public Statement on Azerbaijan in which it highlighted the ‘outright refusal of the Azerbaijan authorities to cooperate’ with it. This is not simply a point of bureaucracy, failing to communicate […]
The development of a new statutory human rights framework in Scotland provides a contemporary window on a process of national incorporation of international human rights law and, within this, on the potential contribution of ‘dignity’ as an underpinning value. Since 2018 I have been closely involved in research and discussions in this area, including as […]
On 13th May 2024, a new internet resource was launched to support global monitoring of police lethal force. The Monitoring Lethal Force website is intended to bolster global mechanisms of accountability for deaths connected with uses of force in policing and law enforcement activities. The product of an extensive research project with numerous academic contributors […]
On March 4th, France became the first country in the world to protect a woman’s right to abortion explicitly in the text of the Constitution. By an extraordinarily lopsided margin of 780 votes to 72, the French Parliament convened in Versailles approved constitutional language that guarantees the liberty of women to choose to interrupt a […]