Global Studies International Award for Excellence

The Global Studies Journal offers an annual award for newly published research or thinking that has been recognized to be outstanding by members of the Global Studies Research Network.

Award Winner for Volume 18

How to be a Democrat in an Authoritarian World?

This article is based on a lecture given at the Fifteenth Global Studies Conference on July 21, 2022. It analyzes the causes and implications of the global process of authoritarianization and considers the question of how and whether we can be democrats in an increasingly illiberal world. The article offers an explanation for the offensive against democratic institutions and the rule of law that locates it within the trend toward heightened systemic risk or “cascading crises.” Drawing on the arguments of my 2021 book, “Authoritarian Contagion: The Global Threat to Democracy,” I introduce the concept of authoritarian protectionism, as a framework highly attuned to the “demand for protection” from populations in a situation of systemic risk and breakdown. The closing section of the article considers the implications of this analysis for the future of multilateralism and collective security in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.


Thank you to The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Global Studies for awarding their volume 18 excellence award to my article, "How to be a democrat in an authoritarian world?" The piece is based on a lecture given at the Fifteenth Global Studies Conference on July 21, 2022. It updates and develops the analysis originally put forward in my book, Authoritarian Contagion; the Global Threat to Democracy (Bristol University Press, 2021), specifically, the concept of 'authoritarian protectionism' that it advances. The temptation of this politics for conservative and kleptocratic elites arises from the proliferation in 'demands for protection' from numerous crises and shocks. The process of material breakdown in systems intermixes with the ideological and cultural, generating a sense of risk that can be instrumentalised into attacks on institutions and the rule of law. The essay explores the specific logics and modalities of the Russian form of authoritarian protectionist ideology in a time of global breakdown. It reflects my current body of work on the political-economy of the war in Ukraine and its implications for global governance. I am currently working on developing further this analysis and its impact on the contemporary fragmentation of global order.

Luke Cooper

Past Award Winners

Volume 17

Our Future: Ecosocialism or Ecofascism

Jerry Harris, The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Global Studies, Volume 17, Issue 2, pp.35–47


Volume 17

How Do Female Labor Force Participation Rates Change During Episodes of Globalization and Marginalization?: Global Evidence from 1990 to 2019

Gunter, Bernhard, Bongsun Seo, and Farah Tasneem, The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Global Studies, Volume 17, Issue 1, pp.1–12


Volume 15

The Geo-Economics of Deprivation: Re-Thinking Philosophical Perspectives and Proposed Solutions on Global Poverty

Oluwatosin Akande, The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Global Studies, Volume 15, Issue 2, pp.31–43


Volume 14

The Essential Trust Building in Thailand’s Reconciliation Process

Satidporn, Wichuda and Stithorn Thananithichot, The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Global Studies, Volume 14, Issue 3, pp.1–17


Volume 11

Biopolitics and Sovereignty: Decontextualization and Recontextualization of Anthropolaw

Stefan Litz, The Global Studies Journal, Volume 11, Issue 4, pp.33–47


Volume 10

Where to Train: Shifts in the Doctoral Destination Advice Given to Asian Bioscience Students

Anju Mary Paul and Vicotira Paul, The Global Studies Journal, Volume 10, Issue 3, pp.1–18


Volume 8

Energy Crisis Keeps Egypt on the Wrong Side of Capitalism

Ahmed Badreldin, The Global Studies Journal, Volume 8, Issue 4, pp.1–18


Volume 7

No Freedom from Fear: Child Soldiers in Burma

Spreeha Debchaudhury, The Global Studies Journal, Volume 7, Issue 3, pp.41–51


Volume 6

The Impact of China on Sub-Saharan Africa’s Ability to Work towards a Sustainable Future: A Secondary Analysis

Lynne Ciochetto, The Global Studies Journal, Volume 6, Issue 2, pp.33–43


Volume 5

The American Dream: An Indian Version in the Age of Globalization

Sudata DebChaudhury, The Global Studies Journal, Volume 5, Issue 3, pp.121–138


Volume 4

Globalization and Social Justice in Latin America in the Past Twenty Years

Jalil Safaei, The Global Studies Journal, Volume 4, Issue 1, pp.219–238


Volume 3

Embracing China — From Market Fundamentalism to Socialised Mercantilist Markets? Enter the Dragon, a New Set of Clothes for Turbo-capitalism

Jackson Nyamuya Maogoto, The Global Studies Journal, Volume 3, Issue 1, pp.247–254


Volume 2

Power of McDonald’s ‘Happy Meal’: Globalization of American Culture and Value

Joanne Jung-wook Hong, The Global Studies Journal, Volume 2, Issue 2, pp.143–154


Volume 1

Mobile Cities: Reinventing Urban Mobility

Oliver Schwedes and Stephan Rammler, The Global Studies Journal, Volume 1, Issue 4, pp.159–168