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The architecture of sporting justice : mapping the judicial bodies of international sports federations
No full textPublished online: 11 March 2026Sport federations occupy a unique space of quasi-sovereignty, exercising normative and adjudicatory authority through transnational legal systems. This article examines the internal adjudicatory structures of 39 federations through a socio-legal lens, developing a typology of their justice architectures into three distinct models: externalised, centralised, and multi-tiered. Drawing methodological and theoretical inspiration from constitutional frameworks, the study constructs a dataset that facilitates both comparative analysis and theoretical reflection. Yet, this is not a paper solely about institutional form. Rather, its theoretical framework reflects on how the architecture of sporting justice obscures and reveals power. Empirical correlations between model type and publication levels, doping adjudication, or gross income reveal partial truths, but also highlight systemic opacity and the limits of formal structures. The paper argues that internal justice systems are less about neutral dispute resolution and more about the institutionalisation of authority under the guise of procedural justice. These systems, which mimic constitutional orders, operate without the democratic legitimacy or public accountability typically found in public spheres. Thus, the paper makes a dual contribution: it maps the adjudicatory infrastructures of international federations and offers a critical reading of their role in sustaining transnational private power. The findings suggest that adjudicatory form should not be mistaken for function, and that justice in sport requires not only better design but deeper scrutiny.This article was published Open Access with the support from the EUI Library through the CRUI - Springer Transformative Agreement (2025-2029)
The application of the ECHR by the Italian Court of Cassation
No full textThis paper examines the evolving role of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) within the jurisprudence of the Italian Court of Cassation, highlighting how Convention standards and Strasbourg case law have progressively reshaped interpretative practices, judicial reasoning, and procedural mechanisms. The study first situates the ECHR and EU law as once‑perceived “laws from elsewhere” that now constitute integral components of a multilevel system of rights protection. It then analyses the dual process of Europeanisation and fundamentalisation of national law, showing how these dynamics require national judges to balance constitutional norms, supranational obligations, and the principles of subsidiarity, proportionality, and the margin of appreciation. A substantial section addresses the Constitutional Court’s framework for integrating the ECHR into domestic sources of law, particularly through Article 117 of the Italian Constitution, which prevents ordinary judges from directly disapplying national provisions but allows them to trigger constitutional review. The paper illustrates how the Court of Cassation has progressively incorporated Strasbourg jurisprudence across civil, criminal, and procedural matters, refining standards on access to justice, reasonable time, family life, immigration, and fair trial guarantees. It further explores the implications of Protocol No. 16, despite its non‑ratification, and assesses the increasing use of advisory opinions as interpretative tools. Finally, the paper analyses the newly introduced mechanism for revising final judgments following a determined ECHR violation, underscoring its significance for ensuring full compliance with Convention obligations. It concludes with an overview of institutional measures designed to strengthen the Court’s capacity to operate within a European legal space
The vertebrae of the Leviathan : municipal debt and state formation in the eighteenth-century Crown of Aragon
No full textDefence date: 28 September 2022Examining Board: Prof. Pieter Judson (European University Institute); Prof. Tamar Herzog (Harvard University); Prof. Christopher Storrs (University of Dundee); Prof. Regina Grafe (European University Institute)Why and how did modern states emerge in Southwestern Europe? These are the main questions that this thesis answers by examining the debt of six municipalities of the Crown of Aragon during the 18th century through a multiscale, transversal, and comparative approach. The ancient practices which constituted the Aragonese polity appeared in the mid-fourteenth century and survived at least until the mid-eighteenth century partially thanks to the debt of the municipalities. Towns and kingdoms were in many cases ruled by assemblies of creditors by virtue of debt restructuring agreements. Debt accounts for the long survival of the Aragonese polity, but also for its sclerosis. The financial situation of the debtholders, mostly ecclesiastical institutions, prevented rulers from defaulting on municipal debt and adopting drastic measures against the Church, as they feared a financial meltdown. The emergence of the modern state was an intricate process which started by 1750, mainly due to the collapse of the ancient mechanisms. The modern state appeared as a set of practices devised and implemented by a myriad of actors who tried to recompose social and political life. State formation was first and foremost a local process in which municipal debt proved crucial too. The examination of local dynamics reveals that modern states in Southwestern Europe followed similar paths during the early phases of their formation
Consecutive provisional measures requests at the world court : more of the same?
No full textPublished online: 06 February 2026Provisional measures at the International Court of Justice have gained prominence, evolving from a peripheral tool to a pivotal feature of litigation. This article delves into the increasingly relevant phenomenon of consecutive provisional measures requests, namely, instances where more than one such request is submitted in a single case. When facing consecutive requests, the Court must ascertain the existence of “some change in the situation” before re-evaluating the preconditions for interim relief. This “situational change test” is not without difficulties. The article traces it back from its origins in 1927 before the Permanent Court of International Justice all the way to the International Court of Justice’s most recent case law, whilst spelling out persisting challenges. The article argues that these challenges are inevitable because the situational change test is premised on a misconception about the way facts enter the courtroom – not as a static picture but as a dynamic narrative
Beyond the water’s edge : realities of European security and defence politics during war
No full textPublished online: 24 January 2026Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Israel’s war in Gaza have demonstrated that partisan politics and polarization dynamics in Europe can, but do not necessarily, stop at the water’s edge. Threat perception and political ties to foreign actors, for example, influence how the EU and its member-states debate whether and how to intervene in international events and engage with external powers. In this conclusion, I build on the contributions of the special issue to assess when heightened polarization and new cleavages are likely to emerge, and when a more unified front can be expected. I also use these contributions to argue for moving beyond the water’s edge not only theoretically but also interdisciplinarily. Conceptual and theoretical translations across Comparative Politics, International Relations, Public Policy and Administration, Political and Social Psychology, and Foreign Policy Analysis helps us tap into the realities of European security and defence politics
Disinformation : a multi-disciplinary analysis
No full textPublished online: 09 January 2026This volume provides a multidisciplinary analysis of disinformation and strategies for tackling it. Authored by a diverse group of scholars and experts, chapters in this volume are divided into three thematic sections. The first section delves into disinformation from various disciplinary perspectives including philosophy, social psychology, economics, international law, data science, anthropology, political science and history. By examining the underlying factors behind disinformation and analyzing its impact on democratic processes, this section sheds light on its complexities, and reminds us that different policy responses are always grounded in different explanatory angles of the phenomenon. The second section focuses on the information ecosystem, investigating the processes, technologies, and actors involved in the spread of disinformation. By examining real-world examples and the roles played by different actors and technologies, this sheds light on the intricate workings of disinformation in different thematic and regional contexts. The book culminates in the third section, which focuses on crafting effective responses to disinformation. Chapters in this section explore policy efforts aimed at ensuring information integrity across the world, and highlight the importance of fundamental rights and evidence-based policy responses, encompassing self and co-regulation, quality journalism, fact-checking organizations and the pivotal role media literacy initiatives.-- UNDERSTANDING DISINFORMATION
-- Disinformation and its Sociopolitical Context
-- A Philosophy of Disinformation
-- Manipulating Minds: The Psychological Underpinnings of Misinformation
-- Disinformation Economics
-- International Human Rights Law and the Legal Regulation of Disinformation
-- Detecting Misinformation and Disinformation in Digital Media
-- Anthropology and Disinformation
-- Journalism and Disinformation
-- From The Protocols to Pizzagate (and Beyond…): Conspiracy Theories and Disinformation in US History
-- Disinformation and Trust in Media and Institutions
-- THE DISINFORMATION ECOSYSTEM
-- Informational Power and Disinformation: Actors, Messages, Incentives, and Techniques of Disinformation Campaigns
-- Disinformation and Elections
-- Foreign Influence Operations and Their Proxies
-- Follow the Money: Understanding Economic Incentives Behind Online ‘Disinformation’
-- Generative Artificial Intelligence and Disinformation
-- How Health Disinformation Hijacks Health Narratives to Make Profit, Erode Trust, and Score Political Points, and What to Do About It
-- Climate Change Disinformation
-- Uncovering Networks of Cross-Platform Information Operations
-- The Russo-Ukrainian Information War
-- Weaponizing the Issue of Ukrainian War Refugees for Political and Geopolitical Gain: The Romanian Case
-- Case Study on Social Media Analysis of Elections in Kenya
-- RESPONDING TO DISINFORMATION
-- Media Literacy as a Policy Response to Disinformation
-- Independent Fact-Checking: Ex Post Response to Disinformation
-- Using AI to Tackle Disinformation: Methods and Tools from the vera.ai Project
-- Multilateral Efforts on Information Integrity: Why a Clear Definition Is Needed
-- Freedom of Expression and Its Limits: Constitutional Dilemmas and Regulatory Conundrum Related to the Fight Against Disinformation
-- Disinformation in Africa: Overview and Responses
-- The EU Policy Framework to Counter Disinformation: Enabler or Inhibitor of Freedom of Expression?
-- Disinformation in the US: Overview and Responses
-- Disinformation in Japan: Overview and Response
-- Disinformation in Brazil: Overview and Responses
-- Blurring the Bright Lines: Australia’s Failed Attempt to Regulate Misinformatio
What governance model and oversight regime for the EU budget after the recovery and resilience facility? : performance assessment and accountability in the Commission's proposed national and regional plans regulation
No full textPublished online: January 2026The Commission’s proposals for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), which integrate a multiplicity of funding programmes into National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs) and link payments to the fulfilment of pre-agreed performance objectives under shared management, represent the most far-reaching change to EU budgetary governance since the introduction of the structural funds in the 1980s. Yet most of the public debate thus far has centred on the size of the proposed budget and its adequacy in responding to the challenges facing the Union, as well as on whether to preserve the separate identity of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the regional Cohesion Policy Funds (CPF) in their current form. Little attention, by contrast, has been devoted to analyzing the governance model of the proposed NRPPs and its implications for oversight and accountability, which form the subject of this briefing paper
Migration movies database
No full text1 data file, 1 documentation file (zipped)The Migration Movies Database provides a systematic overview of documentaries, films, and television series depicting various aspects of migration and human mobility
Separation of powers and deliberative democracy
No full textThis chapter maps the state of play in the area of deliberative democratic innovations and the separation of powers concerns they attempt to address and at times give rise to themselves. It focuses primarily on deliberative mini-publics such as citizens’ assemblies, deliberative polls, and constitutional conventions in an effort to narrow down the scope of analysis, as well as in recognition of the interest in these mechanisms in the comparative constitutional literature. The chapter investigates the interplay between mini-publics and the separation of powers under three scenarios: (1) deliberative innovations as ad hoc supplements to representative institutions, performing an advisory role; (2) deliberative innovations as permanent supplements to traditional institutions in constitutional democracies; and (3) deliberative innovations empowered with decision-making functions. The chapter examines the promise of mini-publics to contribute to both the negative function of the separation of powers, by performing a democratic accountability role in the system, and to its positive function, via their epistemic and representative legitimacy. The chapter calls for a more sobering assessment of mini-publics’ ability to deliver on these promises, in particular where their role is sidelined by political elites but also, paradoxically, where their empowerment may produce unintended systemic effects
Right-wing authoritarian attitudes, fast-paced decision-making, and the spread of misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines
No full textPublished online: 20 December 2023Social media played a prominent role in the spread of vaccine-related fake news during the global COVID-19 crisis. Previous work has shown that both trait-related and situational factors influence the spread of fake news on social media. However, we have limited insight into how the specific contextual conditions that shape information processing on social media contribute to the proliferation of misinformation. In this article, we posit that people are more susceptible to spreading misinformation because they engage selectively, briefly, and heuristically with political news on social media. To test our argument, we rely on a pre-registered online experiment conducted in two Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, Hungary and Romania. We designed this experiment to reflect the fast and impulsive decision-making that is characteristic of online behavior on social media platforms. The results support the idea that individuals’ tendency to disseminate fake news is amplified by conditions of fast-paced and impulsive decision-making. The effect is particularly pronounced among respondents with higher right-wing authoritarian attitudes. This suggests that the fast and intuition-reliant nature of decision-making on social media encourages the spread of such misinformation that is in line with individuals’ ideological beliefs, which could increase social polarization in societies.This work was supported by the HORIZON EUROPE European Research Council [885026]; Horizon 2020 Framework Programme [754388