Democracy Lab Weekly Brief, May 30, 2016

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Siddharta Mitter explains why the real hope for reform in Nigeria lies with regional governments.

Alina Mungiu-Pippidi argues that corruption is a much bigger problem in some places than others.

And now for this week’s recommended reads: 

For the Washington Post’s “Monkey Cage” blog, Monica Marks takes a close look at the Tunisia’s Islamist party’s recent announcement that it’s “separating” religion from politics. Also in the Post, Anne Applebaum proposes resurrecting the term “national socialism” for Europe’s new populist political movements.

FP’s William Clowes reports on President Joseph Kabila’s latest moves to undermine planned parliamentary elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Guardian’s Jason Burke reports on the resulting civil unrest.

Politico’s Cynthia Kroet reports on Greek overtures to Russia as EU leaders prepare to discuss extending economic sanctions.

In GlobalPost, Patrick Winn relates some of the absurd reasons for which dissidents in Thailand have recently been arrested.

Bloomberg View’s Noah Feldman asks where Poland’s antipathy towards Brussels comes from, given the country’s remarkable progress in recent decades.

Chatham House’s Peter Salisbury parses the latest developments in Yemen’s civil war.

A new report from Human Rights Watch urges the Cambodian government to investigate attacks on opposition members of parliament.

The photo shows the aftermath of a nationwide protest against the long-serving President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Joseph Kabila, on May 26 in Goma.

Photo credit: FISTON MAHAMBA/AFP/Getty Images