# Political Economy > Political science, policy, geopolitics, and the intersection of politics and economics. Sub-rubric of the former Social Sciences catch-all. > HTML version: https://research.mental-momentum.ai/r/hub/society-culture-learning/political-economy The Political Economy section of Mental Momentum Research explores the critical intersections of geopolitical strategy, economic forces, state power, and the psychological drivers of political behavior. At the macro level, our research examines the shifting architecture of the global order. As the rivalry between the United States and China intensifies and the European Union navigates internal polarization and defense pressures, the international community faces starkly different future scenarios. These range from fragmented economic blocs and de-dollarization to new networks of competitive coexistence. This structural volatility is further reflected in modern conflict dynamics, where state-based proxy wars are surging even as transnational terrorism declines. Domestically, the stability of democratic nations is increasingly challenged by economic anxiety. Pressures like inflation and housing costs are actively reshaping political behavior and fueling populist movements. At the same time, deep-seated ideological divides are widening, evidenced by growing political polarization between genders and biological traits—such as disgust sensitivity—that influence traditionalist social views. These contemporary divisions echo historical struggles, such as the women's suffrage movement, which secured landmark voting rights but left minority women to struggle for representation for decades. Finally, this section investigates the fragile relationship between state authority, secrecy, and public trust. Historical records of covert government operations—from the unethical human experimentation of Project MKUltra to state investigations into unidentified aerial phenomena—demonstrate the historical realities of government secrecy. Although mathematical limits and bureaucratic failures inevitably expose genuine cover-ups, their historical confirmation has lasting consequences. Today, this eroded institutional trust, supercharged by algorithmic and psychological mechanisms, feeds conspiracy beliefs and theories like QAnon, driving radicalization and political violence. - [Four Possible Futures for the European Union](https://research.mental-momentum.ai/r/four-possible-futures-european-union-bl0fk6) — Explore four potential scenarios for the future of the European Union as geopolitical tensions, defense needs, and political polarization reshape the bloc. - [Five Scenarios for the Global Order by 2040](https://research.mental-momentum.ai/r/five-scenarios-global-order-2040-so4psr) — Explore five scenarios for the future of the global order in 2040, from a multiplex world and de-dollarization to competitive coexistence. - [What the Women's Suffrage Movement Achieved and Left Undone](https://research.mental-momentum.ai/r/what-women-s-suffrage-movement-achieved-3wk86x) — Learn how the women's suffrage movement achieved key voting rights like the 19th Amendment while leaving minority women to fight for decades. - [What Declassified Records Show About Project MKUltra](https://research.mental-momentum.ai/r/what-declassified-records-show-about-7cv3ry) — Project MKUltra was a secret, illegal CIA human experimentation program from 1953 to 1973 that tested mind-control and psychological torture techniques. - [What Confirmed Government Cover-Ups Teach Us](https://research.mental-momentum.ai/r/what-confirmed-government-cover-ups-us-rqgsll) — Learn how mathematical limits, whistleblowers, and bureaucratic failures inevitably expose real government cover-ups and debunk conspiracy theories. - [4 Scenarios for the Future of US-China Rivalry](https://research.mental-momentum.ai/r/4-scenarios-future-us-china-rivalry-i1237k) — Explore the four future scenarios for US-China rivalry—Drift, Blocs, Networks, and War—and how they impact global trade and technology. - [The Origins, Appeal, and Political Effects of QAnon](https://research.mental-momentum.ai/r/origins-appeal-political-effects-qanon-m6ibjn) — Explore the origins, psychological appeal, and political impact of the QAnon conspiracy theory, from its 4chan roots to mainstream influence. - [History of UFO and UAP investigations and disclosures](https://research.mental-momentum.ai/r/history-ufo-uap-investigations-bvhjrq) — Explore the history of government UAP investigations from early military programs like Project Blue Book to modern global disclosure efforts. - [History of CIA Project MKUltra](https://research.mental-momentum.ai/r/history-cia-project-mkultra-hh6g7o) — Discover the history of Project MKUltra, the CIA's covert Cold War mind control program involving unethical human experimentation and LSD testing. - [Conspiracy theories and radicalization to political violence](https://research.mental-momentum.ai/r/conspiracy-theories-radicalization-wuq5fp) — This research report analyzes how conspiracy theories drive political violence and extremism through psychological, algorithmic, and moral mechanisms. - [Confirmed Government Conspiracies and Public Belief](https://research.mental-momentum.ai/r/confirmed-government-conspiracies-public-90jxyl) — Discover how confirmed state conspiracies like MKUltra and the Tuskegee study impact public trust and shape modern conspiracy beliefs. - [Economic Anxiety and Political Behavior](https://research.mental-momentum.ai/r/economic-anxiety-political-behavior-27a9og) — Research explores how economic anxiety, inflation, and housing costs drive political behavior and the rise of populist movements across global democracies. - [Biological basis of disgust sensitivity and political orientation](https://research.mental-momentum.ai/r/biological-basis-disgust-sensitivity-lqtizf) — This research explores how disgust sensitivity and the behavioral immune system influence political orientation, traditionalism, and social ideology. - [Global violence trends in 2026](https://research.mental-momentum.ai/r/global-violence-trends-2026-6oh12j) — Global violence trends in 2026 reveal a surge in state-based conflict fatalities and proxy wars despite a statistical decline in transnational terrorism. - [Global Gender Trends in Political Ideology](https://research.mental-momentum.ai/r/global-gender-trends-political-ideology-jzx87d) — This research report analyzes global polling data to determine if men and women are growing apart politically through symbolic and operational ideology.