Public support for rule enforcement to stop the decline of democracy in EU countries

What if democratic principles are undermined such that the basis for a community of states like the EU is eroded?

University of Konstanz

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Freedom of the press and the independence of the courts are under fire: The fact that basic democratic principles are being systematically eroded by right-wing populist parties is clearly visible in EU countries like Hungary and Poland. The "democratic backsliding" of individual member states, as the erosion of democratic systems is called, poses a problem for the European Union (EU), which sees itself as a community of democratic states. How should the EU respond? What reaction do the region's citizens expect of the EU? Political scientists from the Cluster of Excellence "The Politics of Inequality" at the University of Konstanz have just published a study on this topic in the Journal of European Public Policy.

The rules of democracy must be upheld
EU citizens are very concerned about democratic backsliding in EU member states. This is a result of surveys conducted by Sharon Baute, Max Heermann (first author) and Dirk Leuffen in Germany, Italy, Poland and Sweden. A large majority of EU citizens would like the EU take measures to protect democracy. Political scientist Max Heermann emphasizes: "Our data clearly show that most EU citizens would like member states to be sanctioned if they leave the canon of democratic and constitutional rule of law." According to Heermann, people do not support these policies out of malice towards such countries, but because they "recognize that the community of states can only work if all of the countries follow the rules that they agreed to when joining the EU." The high level of support for such sanctions should encourage the EU to actually enact and enforce them effectively.

Sanctions in groups and in inter-country relationships
In their study, the researchers draw on findings from the field of behavioural economics – that groups respond to norm violations with strong sanctioning behaviour. For Dirk Leuffen, Vice Rector for Research and Academic Staff Development at the University of Konstanz and co-author of the study, this is a good example of how findings from one discipline can inspire work in other areas: "Without the knowledge provided by literature from the field of behavioural economics, we definitely would have asked different questions and constructed our study very differently. It is exciting to see that the results of lab research in behavioural economics can be applied to inter-country relationships in the EU."

Sharon Baute, a junior professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration, highlights the political implications: "Our study demonstrates that EU citizens show less solidarity for member states that violate shared basic rules. This means that countries that break these rules are harming themselves over the long term."

Link to the publication

 

Key facts:

• Original publication: Heermann, Max, Baute, Sharon & Leuffen, Dirk (2025), Democratic Backsliding and Support for Public Good Provision in the European Union, Journal of European Public Policy: https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2025.2503973.
• Key result: A large majority of EU citizens would like the EU take measures to protect democracy.
• Authors of the study: Political scientist Max Heermann (first author), who was recently hired by ETH Zurich, had been a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Konstanz beforehand. Sharon Baute, junior professor of comparative social policy, and Dirk Leuffen, professor of political science with a focus on international politics, both work at the University of Konstanz and in the university's Cluster of Excellence "The Politics of Inequality".
• The study was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) in the context of the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments.
• The Cluster of Excellence "The Politics of Inequality" at the University of Konstanz investigates the political causes and consequences of inequality from an interdisciplinary perspective. The research is dedicated to some of the most pressing issues of our time: access to and distribution of (economic) resources, the global rise of populists, climate change and unfairly distributed educational opportunities.

 

Note to editors:
You can download photos here:

1) Max Heermann: LINK
Caption: Political scientist Max Heermann (first author), who was recently hired by ETH Zurich, had been a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Konstanz beforehand.
Copyright: University of Konstanz, Ines Janas

2) Sharon Baute: LINK
Caption: Sharon Baute is a junior professor of comparative social policy at the University of Konstanz. She is a Principal Investigator in the university's Cluster of Excellence "The Politics of Inequality".
Copyright: University of Konstanz, Ines Janas

3) Porträtfoto von Dirk Leuffen: LINK
Bildunterschrift: Dirk Leuffen is a professor of political science with a focus on international politics at the University of Konstanz. He is a Principal Investigator in the university's Cluster of Excellence "The Politics of Inequality".
Copyright: University of Konstanz, Ines Janas

 

 

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Journal

Journal of European Public Policy

DOI

10.1080/13501763.2025.2503973 

 

Whisker whisperers

Research reveals how mouse whiskers can “hear” the world

Weizmann Institute of Science

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Nestled in dark burrows, with a limited sense of vision, mice brush their whiskers against their environment to navigate and to detect objects around them. This behavior, termed whisking, has been extensively studied in the past few decades and has traditionally been viewed as purely an act of touch. Now Weizmann Institute of Science researchers present an entirely new, multisensory view of this process. These resounding findings, published recently in Current Biology, reveal that whisking generates subtle sounds that are encoded in the auditory cortex of mice, enhancing their perception of their surroundings.

“Whiskers are so delicate that no one had thought of checking whether they produce sounds that mice are able to hear,” says team leader Prof. Ilan Lampl of Weizmann’s Brain Sciences Department.

The study offers a unique glimpse into the complexity of natural perception, which commonly involves input from multiple senses, in this case touch and hearing. In fact humans too combine these two types of cues more often than one might think. Imagine, for example, your fingers delving into a crowded bag to search for a candy bar and the sudden, welcome rustle of the wrapper.

"Whiskers are so delicate that no one had thought of checking whether they produce sounds that mice are able to hear"

In the new study, Lampl’s team – led by Dr. Ben Efron, then a PhD student, who worked with Drs. Athanasios Ntelezos and Yonatan Katz – started out by recording the sounds made by whiskers probing different surfaces, including dried Bougainvillea leaves and aluminum foil. The researchers used sensitive microphones that can record ultrasonic frequencies, which are beyond the upper limit of the audible range for humans. They placed the microphones some 2 centimeters from the source of the sound, about the same distance as from the mouse’s ear to its whiskers.

Next, the scientists made entirely different recordings: They measured neural activity in the auditory cortex of mice that were brushing their whiskers against different objects. The recordings showed that the auditory networks of the mice responded to the whisker-generated sounds, no matter how subtle. When the researchers interrupted the pathways that convey the sensation of touch from the whiskers to the brain, the auditory cortex still responded to these sounds, showing that mice could process them as a separate sensory input, independent of the sense of touch.

Yet the fact that the mouse auditory system responds to certain noises does not necessarily mean that mice use them for sensing and can recognize objects by means of these noises. To explore this issue, the researchers resorted to AI. They first trained a machine-learning model to identify objects based on neural activity recorded from the auditory cortex of mice. The AI successfully identified the correct objects from neuronal activity alone, suggesting that the mice might be able to similarly interpret these cues. Next, the researchers trained another machine-learning model to identify objects on the basis of recorded sounds made by whiskers probing these objects. The two models – the one trained on neural activity alone and the one trained on sound recordings – were equally successful, which suggests that the neural responses to the whisking were caused directly by the sounds rather than by other sensory information, such as that coming from smell or touch.

These findings led the researchers to the central question of their study: Can mice recognize objects using whisker-generated sounds alone? To address this, Efron and colleagues performed a behavioral experiment. They trained mice, whose touch sensation had been abolished, to recognize aluminum foil solely by its whisker-generated sound. The mice responded to the sounds in a consistent manner, connecting those sounds to the sensory information they represented.

“Our results show that the brain’s whisking network, called the vibrissa system, operates in an integrative, multimodal manner when the animals actively explore their surroundings,” Lampl sums up. This multimodal function, he explains, might have developed in the course of evolution to help mice hunt for prey or avoid their own predators. “Since whisking generates much weaker sounds than does walking, a mouse could rely on it when, for example, choosing whether to walk across a brittle, drier field of crops versus a fresher, quieter one, to avoid being detected by an owl. Whisking could also help a mouse figure out whether a stem is hollow or sufficiently juicy and worthy of a bite.”

By breaking down the boundaries between touch and hearing, the study doesn’t just reveal something new about mice, it opens up a plethora of research directions for future explorations of the brain’s sensory systems, particularly mechanisms by which the brain integrates different types of sensory input. The new findings might also lead to practical innovations in technology.

Science Numbers

Mouse whiskers measure 40 to 80 microns in diameter at the base – roughly the same as an average human hair – and 3 to 4 microns at the tip.

The possibilities are endless. If the brain can simultaneously process sensory information from different sources, the same principles might be used in prosthetics, sensory rehabilitation after brain trauma or perhaps even for enhancing perception in visually impaired individuals. For instance, learning exercises for the blind already exploit the distinct sounds produced by the white cane upon contact with a surface, and this approach could be developed further.

Another potential area for prospective innovation is robotics. Says Efron: “Integrating different types of sensory input is a major challenge in the design of robotic systems. The mouse brain’s whisking system might provide inspiration for technologies that would address this challenge by, for example, helping to create early-warning sensors to prevent collisions, particularly when visibility is limited because of smoke or other visual obstructions.”

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Journal

Current Biology

DOI

10.1016/j.cub.2025.01.061 

Article Title

Detection and neural encoding of whisker-generated sounds in mice

 

Journalism: Online headlines shift from concise to click-worthy

International study finds profound changes in the style of digital journalism

Max Planck Institute for Human Development

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International study finds profound changes in the style of digital journalism 

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Credit: Max Planck Institute for Human Development

The researchers liken the internet to a huge marketplace where journalists use headlines to compete for readers’ attention. Attention is a precious commodity in the digital age, as content can be produced more cheaply than ever before—resulting in an oversupply and fierce competition to engage readers’ interest.  

Headlines play a crucial role in drawing readers in. They need to grab attention and arouse curiosity. Unlike print headlines, the success of each individual online headline can be measured in terms of the number of clicks it receives. The researchers argue that this leads to online headlines being worded to generate as many clicks as possible, effectively becoming clickbait.   

“Our analysis shows that the language of online headlines has changed systematically over the years,” says lead author Pietro Nickl, a predoctoral fellow in the Center for Adaptive Rationality at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development. “Many of these changes indicate that they are being adapted to the new affordances and pressures of the digital environment.” 

Online news headlines have changed markedly in the last 20 years  

The analysis focused on linguistic and structural changes in headlines since 2000. These changes reflect not only changes in editorial practice, but also the growing importance of headlines as a key element in the digital competition for attention. Unlike in print journalism, where headlines primarily need to be clear and concise, online headlines are used strategically to generate clicks. Clickbait headlines are characterized by their length: They are written in a conversational tone and serve to arouse curiosity without revealing much information. In fact, the researchers found that the average length of headlines has increased continuously over time. They also observed an increased use of linguistic devices typically associated with clickbait. These include active verbs, the use of pronouns such as “I,” “you,” or “they,” and a higher frequency of question words (“how,” “what,” “why”). These elements arouse curiosity by creating an information gap that readers can only bridge by clicking to open the article. 

Another notable finding concerns sentence structure. While noun phrases such as “Earthquake in Myanmar” were common in the early 2000s, full sentences later became more popular. Full-sentence headlines are more dynamic and emotional, often narrative in structure, and appeal more strongly to the emotions. 

The shift in emotional tone was also striking. Sentiment analysis showed that headlines have become more negative on average, across both high-quality and tabloid journalism. Interestingly, right-wing media outlets used headlines with negative connotations significantly more often than left-wing or politically neutral ones. 

Developments reinforced by algorithms 

“The changes are not the result of individual editorial decisions, but reflect a process of cultural selection. Specific linguistic features prevail because they are more successful under the conditions of the digital attention economy. They are used more and more frequently—sometimes without the people who produce or consume them even being aware of what is happening,” says Pietro Nickl. This whole development is reinforced by social media recommendation algorithms.  

The study is based on data from four international news outlets—The New York Times, The Guardian, The Times of India, and ABC News Australia—as well as the comprehensive News on the Web corpus (NOW), which contains some 30 million additional headlines from various countries. In addition, data from Upworthy (as a prime example of clickbait style) and from a corpus of scientific preprints (as a counterexample) were analyzed. Over time, the news headlines became increasingly similar to the clickbait titles on most variables considered. Data analysis was conducted using modern natural language processing methods such as sentiment analysis, syntactic analysis, and dictionary-based counting. 

Manipulative content is getting harder to detect  

The results also raise fundamental social questions. The increasing prevalence of clickbait style in traditional media could, in the long term, undermine trust in journalism and make it more difficult to distinguish between reputable and manipulative content. Many linguistic features that were previously red flags for clickbait or manipulative content—such as overly emotional language or heavy use of pronouns and question words—are now also common in quality media. “If the style of established media increasingly resembles that of problematic sources, the boundaries become blurred—which makes it more difficult to distinguish between serious and manipulative content,” warns co-author Philipp-Lorenz Spreen, research scientist in the Center for Adaptive Rationality at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development. 

Need for changes in platform design  

The researchers nevertheless see opportunities for action by shaping the digital information landscape. If metrics such as click-through rates or time on page have adverse effects on content, it is time to think about alternative metrics. The first platforms are already experimenting with new approaches—one emerging metric is “deeply read” content, which focuses on how thoroughly users engage with articles rather than just the number of clicks. In the long term, individually selectable criteria could also help to promote a more diverse and sustainable media landscape. 

In brief: 

• Online news headlines have become longer and more negative.  
• They tend to use clickbait style to attract attention. 
• This development can be observed across news outlets, regardless of journalistic quality.
• Potential reasons include the sinking production costs of online publications, a general change in style, or the more competitive online environment. 

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Journal

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications

DOI

10.1057/s41599-025-04514-7 

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

The evolution of online news headlines

 

Stroke survivors in China face high rates of depression

Shanghai Jiao Tong University Journal Center

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Flow network of quality of life and depressive symptoms.

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Credit: Mu-Rui Zheng, Pan Chen, Ling Zhang, Yuan Feng, Teris Cheung, Nicole Xun Xiang, Gabor S Ungvari, Qinge Zhang, Chee H Ng, Yu-Tao Xiang.

Stroke is a leading cause of mortality and disability globally, with a particularly high prevalence in low- and middle-income countries. In China, the number of stroke survivors is rising due to an ageing population. Post-stroke depression (PSD) is a common neuropsychiatric condition that can severely impact recovery and overall well-being. A recent study published in General Psychiatry sheds light on the prevalence and impact of depression among older stroke survivors in China, aiming to explore the prevalence of PSD and its association with quality of life (QoL).

The study utilized data from the 2017–2018 wave of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), a nationwide community-based project led by Peking University. Researchers analyzed data from 1,123 stroke survivors aged 65 and older. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 10-item Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD), and QoL was measured with the World Health Organization Quality of Life-brief version (WHOQOL-BREF).

Depression is prevalent among older stroke survivors, with 34.3% experiencing depressive symptoms. The most central symptoms identified through network analysis were "feeling blue/depressed", "feeling nervous/fearful", and "loneliness". The study also examined the relationship between specific depressive symptoms and QoL. Symptoms such as "hopelessness", "sleep disturbances", and "everything was an effort" were found to have the strongest negative associations with QoL. Stroke survivors with these symptoms reported significantly lower QoL compared to those without depressive symptoms.

Prof. XIANG Xutao, the corresponding author, emphasized the importance of these findings: "Our study highlights the need for targeted interventions addressing central PSD symptoms to improve depressive symptoms and overall QoL among older stroke survivors."

Additionally, the findings suggest that improving activities of daily living (ADL), reducing anxiety, ensuring sufficient financial support, and promoting regular physical exercise are critical for reducing the risk of PSD.

In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights into the prevalence and impact of PSD among older stroke survivors in China. By identifying central symptoms and their associations with QoL, the research offers a foundation for developing targeted interventions to improve mental health and overall well-being in this vulnerable population.

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Journal

General Psychiatry

DOI

10.1136/gpsych-2024-101838 

Method of Research

News article

Article Title

Prevalence and network structure of depression and its association with quality of life among older stroke survivors: findings from a national survey in China

 

Navigating “triple disruptions”: insights into South–South higher education interactions

South–South higher education interactions generally occur through a mix of approaches with a preference for inward-oriented expansion diffusion

ECNU Review of Education

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A modern university campus representing the growing emphasis on South–South higher education interactions. This image symbolizes the institutional foundations and regional cooperation efforts that are key to navigating the “triple disruptions” impacting higher education systems across emerging economies.

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Credit: keone from Flickr Image Source Link: https://openverse.org/image/2dd209b9-108c-4974-9c44-63bae42edce9

Over the last decade, various emerging technologies and educational disruption, particularly during the previous global pandemic, have resulted in an increasing gap between emerging economies and the developed world, which represents the third of the “triple disruptions” that are shaping the macro-context of higher education. Under these circumstances, it seems necessary to examine the different types of South-South interactions in higher education in the context of the "triple disruptions", as well as their dynamics and challenges.

In a study published online on May 9, 2025, in ECNU Review of Education, researchers from Zhejiang University, doctoral candidate Jingji Zhang and her doctoral supervisor professor Hantian Wu, attempted to identify the rationale and strategies of different South-South higher education interaction models. Using the conceptual perspectives of Southern epistemologies and the typology of “inward- and outward-oriented” higher education internationalization, the researchers analyzed a range of selected documents, including academic literature, national strategies and legislation, and public reports issued by states, institutions, and other stakeholders that focused on South–South higher education interactions.

The findings suggest that South–South higher education interactions generally occur through a mix of approaches with a preference for inward-oriented expansion diffusion. Given the “triple disruptions,” regional cooperation based on advantages and characteristics remains the most promising form of South–South higher education interactions. Additionally, the notion of new types of colonialism serves as a wake-up call for Southern countries’ outward-oriented HE internationalization through relocation diffusion for soft power enhancement. “It is essential to develop a decolonial approach to digitalization to ensure that the South benefits without losing its autonomy,” argued Zhang and Prof. Wu.

This study contributes to the critical examination of the Western-centric theoretical monopoly on internationalization in higher education by clarifying the principles and positions of South–South higher education cooperation through epistemological exploration. It draws patterns from the complex practices of existing South–South cooperation in higher education based on the typology of “inward- and outward-oriented” higher education internationalization and attempts to provide theoretical contributions in the context of the “triple disruptions.” “A critical methodology is essential for research on higher education internationalization,” as Zhang and Prof. Wu cited the viewpoints of Jooste and Heleta. Theoretical contributions can also be instructive for the practice. Based on the research findings, Zhang and Prof. Wu argued that “countries in the Global South must prioritize identifying a distinct niche and sharpening their institutional profile by realigning existing resources and cooperation strategies.” “This approach can foster mutual benefits, compromise, and understanding, ultimately leading to the development of a more equitable and inclusive global HE system,” they concluded.

 

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Reference

Titles of original papers: Reimagining South–South Higher Education Interactions Under “Triple Disruptions”

Journal: ECNU Review of Education

DOI: 10.1177/20965311251335986

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Journal

ECNU Review of Education

DOI

10.1177/20965311251335986 

Method of Research

Content analysis

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Reimagining South–South Higher Education Interactions Under “Triple Disruptions”

Article Publication Date

19-May-2025

COI Statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article