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The QoG Podcast

Making sense of politics and governments all over the world.


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  • 12. Akshay Mangla: Making bureaucracy work in rural India

    48:07||Season 1, Ep. 12
    Welcome to the QoG podcast – a podcast brought to you by the Quality of Government Institute at the University of Gothenburg. In this series, we have conversations with well-known experts to try to make sense of politics and governments around the world.Hosting this show is Professor Victor Lapuente, and in this episode, he is joined by Akshay Mangla Associate Professor in International Business at the University of Oxford, UK. They are discussing Mangala’s first book, Making Bureaucracy Work: Norms, Education and Public Service Delivery in Rural India (Cambridge University Press), where he investigates why and how state agencies implement universal primary education programs (more or less) effectively in India. The book advances a theoretical framework centered on informal bureaucratic norms, the unwritten rules of the game that guide the behavior of state officials and their relations with citizens and non-state agencies.We hope you will enjoy the episode – don't forget to like, share, and subscribe if you do!

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  • 11. Matthias vom Hau: Ethnic diversity in politics

    41:17||Season 1, Ep. 11
    Welcome to the QoG podcast – a podcast brought to you by the Quality of Government Institute at the University of Gothenburg. In this series, we have conversations with well-known experts to try to make sense of politics and governments around the world. Hosting this show is Professor Victor Lapuente, and in this episode he is joined by Mattias vom Hau, a sociologist by training currently working at IBEI in Barcelona. Matthias’ research is centrally concerned with the relationship between identity politics, institutions, and development, with a comparative-historical focus on Latin America. He has published widely on how states construct a sense of national belonging, how civil society actors negotiate and contest official nationalisms, and the extent to which ordinary citizens subscribe to official and counter-state identity projects. The episode was recorded during the Science Festival in Gothenburg in May 2023.
  • 10. Jennifer L. Selin: The US public policy debate

    42:03||Season 1, Ep. 10
    Welcome to the QoG podcast – a podcast brought to you by the Quality of Government Institute at the University of Gothenburg.In this series, we have conversations with well-known experts to try to make sense of politics and governments around the world.Hosting this show is Professor Victor Lapuente, and in this episode he is joined by Jenifer L. Selin, Attorney Advisor at the Administrative Conference of the United States. Prior to joining ACUS, Dr. Selin was a professor at the Universities of Illinois and Missouri and most recently served as Co-Director of Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy’s Washington, DC Office. Her published research illustrates that the legal structure of the administrative state has important implications for the functioning of the American separation of powers system.The views expressed in this podcast are those of the scholars and do not represent the position of ACUS or the federal government of the United States. We hope you will enjoy the episode – don't forget to like, share and subscribe if you do! 
  • 9. Simon Hix: The political system of the European Union

    44:34||Season 1, Ep. 9
    Welcome to the QoG podcast – a podcast brought to you by the Quality of Government Institute at the University of Gothenburg. In this series, we have conversations with well-known experts to try to make sense of politics and governments around the world.Hosting this show is Professor Victor Lapuente, and in this episode, he is joined by Simon Hix who currently holds the Stein Rokkan Chair in Comparative Politics at the European University Institute in Florence.Simon's research interests include comparative political behaviour and institutions – in particular political parties and party systems, public opinion and voting behaviour, electoral system design, and legislative behaviour – as well as the study of political behaviour and institutions in the European Union. He is one of the authors of the core textbook The political system of the European Union.We hope you will enjoy the episode – don't forget to like, share and subscribe if you do! 
  • 8. Matia Vannoni: Regulations in Contemporary Democracy and its Consequences

    40:30||Season 1, Ep. 8
    Welcome to the QoG podcast - a podcast brought to you by the Quality of Government Institute at the University of Gothenburg. In this series, we have conversations with well-known experts to try to make sense of politics and governments around the world. Hosting this show is professor Victor Lapuente, and in this episode, he is joined by Matia Vannoni, Senior Lecturer in Public Policy in the Department of Political Economy, King's College London. Matia's research has included several topics, including the business and government in the European Union, public policy and public opinion in tobacco control and the representation and transparency in local democracies. In this episode, we'll focus on Matia's research on what explains the increase in regulation seen in contemporary democracy and its consequences. We hope you enjoy the episode, don't forget to like, share and subscribe if you do! 
  • 7. Cathrine de Vries: Key Challenges Facing today's Europe

    50:31||Season 1, Ep. 7
    Hosting this show is professor Victor Lapuente, and in this episode, he will talk to Cathrine de Vries. Cathrine is the Dean of International Affairs and Professor of Political Science at Bocconi University. In her work, Cathrine examines some of the key challenges facing the European continent today, such as Euroscepticism, political fragmentation, migration and corruption. And in this episode, we'll hear about exactly those topics as Victor and Cathrine dive into thinking about today's Europe in relation to the war in Ukraine, generational and national differences when it comes to supporting the EU, Brexit, Covid-19, and far-right parties. Cathrine will also tell us about her study on the two-speed Europe, which she categorizes as those wanting enhanced cooperation within the European Union and those who want to Opt-out if the cooperation were to be intensified. Finally, we'll hear a discussion on Cathrine's book "Political Entrepreneurs: The Rise of Challenger Parties in Europe." Which will help us answer the question: What do Giorgia Meloni and Elon Musk have in common? We hope you enjoy the episode, don't forget to like, share and subscribe if you do! 
  • 6. Giovanni Capoccia: Democracies Response to Extremism in European and US Politics

    44:24||Season 1, Ep. 6
    Hosting this show is professor Victor Lapuente, and in this episode, he is joined by Giovanni Capoccia, Professor of Comparative Politics in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Oxford. Victor and Giovanni will discuss how democracies respond to extremism in European and US politics. For example, how we should understand the relationship between Putin and Berlusconi, why radical right parties have taken up the space left by communist parties in European countries, if we are in a critical juncture of democracy right now, and whether democracy in the US runs a risk of extinction or not.