📢What is the relationship between democracy, public administration and democratic backsliding?

In this new article, I argue that the answer depends on the concept of democracy that is used....

📖Read free:
tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10…

🌎Special issue page:
tobysjames.com/democratic-bac…

Don’t miss your chance to read the new Cambridge element, What is Electoral Integrity? by Toby S. James @TobySJames and Holly Ann Garnett @HollyAnnGarnett! Free access available until 14 July at
cup.org/4wmb0dO
#cambridgeelements #politics @ElectIntegrity

New Cambridge Element, What is Electoral Integrity? by Toby S. James @TobySJames and Holly Ann Garnett @HollyAnnGarnett, out now! Read for free for the next 2 weeks at
cup.org/4vzleHD
#cambridgeelements #politics @ElectIntegrity

Registration is open for the Annual Virtual Elections Conference- EIP2026! Co-convened with @CarterCenter
July 6-9, 2026 | Online | Free to attend
For more information:
electoralintegrityproject.com/2026-virtual-e…

Call for papers

The Governance of Football: Policy, Politics and Possibilities

Special Issue @PolicyStudiesTF

tobysjames.com/journal-specia… #worldcup2026 #footballgovernance #fifaworldcup #fifa

Registration is open for the Annual Virtual Elections Conference – EIP2026!
🗓️ July 6–9, 2026
Online | Free to attend
Join a global community exploring elections through the lenses of contestation, deliberation, participation, and electoral justice
docs.google.com/forms/d/1V5Xy6…

What was the quality of elections in Venezuela?

The answers are on the Electoral Integrity Project website:

electoralintegrityproject.com/the-world-of-e…

Just as they are for the USA:

Some criteria for assessing political leaders....

In the recently revised books on political leadership, we emphasise how good leadership needs to be conducted within the boundaries of democracy...

tobysjames.com/2025/11/28/the…

youtube.com/watch?v=JdzfmW…
What makes a great British leader? Can Starmer survive? Farage for No.10? Tory comeback? Packed room + brilliant Q&A with @TobySJames , @ProfTimBale , @EmmanuelleAvril , @PatrickDiamond1 & Professor Charles Clarke. Watch it! 👇 #UKPolitics #Leadership

By which benchmarks should we assess political leaders? How are Starmer, Badenoch and Farage performing, and why?

Watch our expert book launch from this week, including: Charles Clarke, Tim Bale, Patrick Diamond and Emmanuel Avril

youtu.be/JdzfmWaWY2U

The State of Political Leadership in Britain

Join us for this tomorrow!

Free and open to all, online and in person.

events.teams.microsoft.com/event/3d662e97…

Policy and practice: exploring the potentials of social practice theory for policy studies

Daniel Polman, Jeroen Candel and Mary Greene, Wageningen University Netherlands

tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10…

Means-Tested welfare policies and the quiet fear of poverty amongst older people: lessons from the UK

by Kingsley Purdam & Jill Ebrey, University of Manchester

tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10…

Crisis of political leadership? What crisis?

Join us on Tuesday!

forms.office.com/e/dnX1qZ4pVR

The Canadian Parliament is considering whether the overseas voting system supports Canadian democracy.

I drew from UK-based studies to give evidence about whether proxy voting may help....

tobysjames.com/2025/11/21/ove…

The State of Political Leadership in Britain

Roundtable with Charles Clarke, Tim Bale, Emmanuelle Avril and Patrick Diamond

Tuesday 25th November 1pm-2.30pm

The registration link is: forms.office.com/e/dnX1qZ4pVR. We will send a join link 24 hours before the event

Out now!

Merit and impartiality in public administration: the effect of democratic backsliding through participation and contestation

by David Ibañez and Ricardo A. Bello-Gómez (Rutgers University, USA)

tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10…

Special issue: tobysjames.com/democratic-bac…

How do different scholars do research on electoral integrity? How should they?

Prior to making a decision about the choice of methods (e.g. surveys, interviews…) there is a decisions about *methodology*

New chapter in the OUP Handbook:
tobysjames.com/2025/10/24/wha…

I profile three rival (but sometimes overlapping) approaches: behaviouralism, historiography and critical sociology.

I argue that:
- approach taken can lead to very different types of study.
- recognition of the different pathways would greatly benefit research and policy

Read 'Electoral Integrity Research Methodology here:

academic.oup.com/edited-volume/…

And look out for more chapters in the Handbook!

The Oxford Handbook of Electoral Integrity | Oxford Academic