European politics today is marked less by stability than by turbulence.
At first glance, electoral volatility might seem like an academic concept. But its implications are concrete. When regional elections produce unexpected shifts, coalition building becomes harder, long-term strategies are disrupted, and policy delivery can suffer. Conversely, where regional politics remains relatively stable, it can provide a counterweight to turbulence at the national level.
In practice, this means that citizens’ experience of democracy – through public services like healthcare, education, or welfare – may depend not just on who governs nationally but also on how turbulent or stable regional politics is. For policymakers, recognising this can help anticipate bottlenecks, manage intergovernmental relations, and design more resilient institutions.
Democracy in Europe is not collapsing. But it is in motion – fluid, unpredictable, and uneven across space. Grasping the patterns of this turbulence is essential if we want to understand where our political systems are heading, and how they can remain resilient in the face of change.