'Dirty Burger' rebellion versus the experience and traditions of genuine anti-capitalist space. This week's Friday Essay.

Retired, white, British-born, independently wealthy. Recognise this type? Local government in England needs a shake-up. A young councillor sets out why the lack of diversity is damaging, and offers ideas for change.

A republican economy should aim at maximising the genuine independence of economic actors. Only then can corruption be tackled at the root.

The success of the UK Independence Party in local elections indicates a lack of trust in mainstream politicians on migration. This leaves the pro-migration lobby with a bigger role than ever, and some challenging questions about how to impact on public opinion

The Rana Plaza tragedy was an outcome of a corrupt system that is rotten to the core. Who should - and can - be held accountable?

With a victory of the ruling Barisan Nasional, it was tempting to write off the results of this Sunday's election as another missed opportunity to reform Malaysia's chronic status quo. Yet, the patterns of change are already there: one only needs to recognize them.

The community growing movement in Scotland reveals a desire, and an opportunity, for a more profoundly democratic politics.

Contrary to the dominant narrative of a vibrant democracy with a strong record of integration, many in India are in effect non-citizens. Citizenship cannot reach its potential unless there is a commitment to achieve equality and justice in practice. (Video, 33 mins)

In this interview Bela Bhatia discusses the anti-corruption movement in India, the endemic failures of the Indian system and the challenge of producing a people's knowledge for change. (Video, 7 minutes)

A new report suggests the nationalised East Coast line is providing far better value for money than Britain's disastrous private network and its eye watering prices. Is this why the Coalition is desperately trying to re-privatise it?

Abuja's response to Boko Haram's insurgency is flawed and self-defeating. Without a change of policy, Nigeria will move ever closer to becoming a centre of transational jihadist struggle. 

Burnt with metal rods and cigarette butts? Maybe so, says the Border Agency, but you paid someone to do this to you. A surgeon with expertise in torture scars argues that 'self-torture by proxy' is a dangerous fiction.

After being sidelined since December 2011, the Kremlin's once-mighty propagandist Vladislav Surkov was today ousted from government. Mikhail Loginov looks back at the career of the former 'grey cardinal', and defines the man who has replaced him, Vyacheslav Volodin.

My dear Etienne Balibar, in a recent article you explain how a new Europe can only come from the bottom up. But how would this shift from top-down to bottom-up work, and what does it even mean?

In this video interview from the Oecumene project's second symposium, Saba Mahmood discusses Malala Yousufzai, women's reform movements in the Middle East and the politics of piety.

In a keynote lecture from the Oecumene project's second symposium, Saba Mahmood shows that religious liberty is a mechanism of statecraft and discusses the implications for religious minority populations.

When the only thing holding a coalition together is fear of the voters, instability is just around the corner. 

We need homes, but why growth? The Novara radio show discusses the housing crisis in Britain. For more Novara radio episodes, go to the Novara Media website.

A political settlement to the Cyprus dispute is no longer just a romantic fantasy; it may be the only way out of the country's current economic crisis.

How should liberal Russians interact with an increasingly illiberal regime? Writer and Putin critic Grigory Chkhartishvili (a.k.a Boris Akunin) delivered a simple message at yesterday's opposition rally in Moscow.