I don't think populism is necessarily a challenge to democracy. I think it's part and parcel of it.Hugo DrochonHugo Drochon joins The Democracy Paradox to explore why elites are an unavoidable part of democracy – and why that may not be a bad thing. Drawing on classical elite theory, he explains how democratic systems depend on the constant circulation of competing elites and why outsider movements, including populism, can play a vital role in keeping democracy responsive. The conversation challenges conventional views by reframing democracy as an ongoing, dynamic struggle rather than a fixed set of institutions.Hugo Drochon is an Associate Professor in Political Theory at the University of Nottingham and the author of a new book titled Elites and Democracy. The Democracy Paradox is made in partnership with the Kellogg Institute of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. Read the full transcript here.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20Nobody Wants to be an Elite - 3:52Lions, Foxes, and the Circulation of Elites - 15:34Is Populism a Threat to Democracy? - 31:37The Role of Ordinary Citizens - 41:12LinksLearn more about Hugo Drochon.Learn more about his upcoming book Elites and Democracy (Princeton University Press)Learn more about the Kellogg Institute.Register for the 2026 Global Democracy Conference at the University of Notre Dame.Apes of the State created all MusicEmail comments or questions to jkempf@democracyparadox.comSupport the show

We are badly mismeasuring whether and how much people care about democracy.Milan SvolikIn this episode of the Democracy Paradox, host Justin Kempf speaks with political scientist Milan Svolik, the Elizabeth S. & A. Varick Stout Professor of Political Science at Yale University and author of The Politics of Authoritarian Rule. Their conversation explores one of the central puzzles in contemporary democracy: why citizens who say they strongly support democracy sometimes vote for politicians who undermine it. Drawing on Svolik’s experimental research, the discussion examines how traditional survey questions often overestimate democratic commitment and why understanding voters’ real trade-offs offers a more accurate picture.The Democracy Paradox is made in partnership with the Kellogg Institute of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. Read the full transcript here.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20Measuring What Voters Really Believe - 3:33Militant Democracy and the Risks of Overcorrection - 16:51The Left, the Right, and Who Defends Democracy - 37:18The Voter as Democracy's Last Gatekeeper - 52:13LinksLearn more about Milan Svolik.Learn more about his book The Politics of Authoritarian Rule (Cambridge University Press)Learn more about the Kellogg Institute.Register for the 2026 Global Democracy Conference at the University of Notre Dame.Apes of the State created all MusicEmail questions or comments to jkempf@democracyparadox.comSupport the show

The paradox of dictatorship is that dictatorships do well when they do not have a genuine dictator.Minxin PeiIn this episode of Democracy Paradox, Justin Kempf speaks with China scholar Minxin Pei about his book The Broken China Dream: How Reform Revived Totalitarianism and his argument that China under Xi Jinping has shifted from authoritarianism back toward totalitarianism. They explore the missed opportunities for political reform in the 1980s, the party’s post-Tiananmen survival strategy, and how Xi consolidated power through purges, ideological revival, and expanded social control. The conversation also reflects on what China’s trajectory reveals about the strengths – and fragility – of democracy itself.The Democracy Paradox is made in partnership with the Kellogg Institute of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. Read the full transcript here.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20China's Missed Opening - 4:22The Return of Control - 21:03The Making of a Strongman 38:16Lessons for Democracy - 50:41LinksLearn more about Minxin Pei.Learn more about his new book The Broken China Dream: How Reform Revived Totalitarianism.Learn more about the Kellogg Institute.Register for the Global Democracy ConferenceApes of the State created all MusicSupport the show

Traditional programmatic parties serve as a critical guardrail for democracy. Erica FrantzIn this episode, Justin Kempf speaks with Erica Frantz about her book The Origins of Elected Strongmen and the rise of personalist leaders in democracies. Frantz explains how leader-dominated political parties – more than populist rhetoric alone – can erode democratic institutions from within, drawing on cases from El Salvador to France. The conversation explores why voters support such leaders and what this trend means for the future of democracy worldwide.The Democracy Paradox is made in partnership with the Kellogg Institute of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. Read the full transcript here.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20Personalism Defined - 2:50Personalism's Appeal - 14:19Threat to Democracy - 19:38Pushing the Boundaries of the Theory - 33:13LinksLearn more about Erica Frantz.Learn more about her coauthored book The Origins of Elected Strongmen: How Personalist Parties Destroy Democracy from Within.Learn more about the Kellogg Institute.Register for the Global Democracy ConferenceApes of the State created all MusicSupport the show

By dismantling certain capacities today, you're making the democratic choices of tomorrow harder.Javier Pérez SandovalIn this episode, Javier Pérez Sandoval discusses his Journal of Democracy essay, coauthored with Andrés Mejía Acosta, on why populist leaders often “hollow out” the state. Moving beyond familiar debates about executive aggrandizement and democratic backsliding, Pérez Sandoval argues that democracy depends on the state’s capacity to deliver essential public goods – from health and education to security, justice, and credible elections. Drawing on examples from Mexico and Argentina, he explains how both left- and right-wing populists may weaken institutions through austerity, politicization, and institutional restructuring, often prioritizing short-term political gains over long-term democratic resilience. The conversation explores how state erosion can constrain future democratic choices, undermine public trust, and create a vicious cycle that leaves democracy structurally weakened from within.The Democracy Paradox is made in partnership with the Kellogg Institute of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. Read the full transcript here.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20Reducing State Capacity - 3:47Core Functions of the State - 12:23Is Reducing State Capacity Antidemocratic? 21:13Does the Public Want to Hollow Out the State? 33:31LinksLearn more about Javier Pérez Sandoval.Read the Journal of Democracy essay “Why Populists Hollow Out Their States.”Learn more about the Kellogg Institute.Apes of the State created all MusicSupport the show

The group of people who have an interest in defending liberal democracy might be broader than many academics, and maybe even liberals, would have shown.Kate BaldwinThis episode features Yale political scientist Kate Baldwin in a conversation about her book Faith in Democracy, which challenges the assumption that religion is inherently hostile to democratic governance. Drawing on research from sub-Saharan Africa, Baldwin explains how Christian churches have often emerged as defenders of liberal democracy – not because of ideological commitments, but because democratic institutions protect church autonomy and social service work from state overreach. The conversation explores when and why churches mobilize against democratic backsliding, how institutional incentives shape political behavior, and what this reveals about the broader coalition of actors invested in sustaining democracy.The Democracy Paradox is made in partnership with the Kellogg Institute of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. Read the full transcript here.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20Why Churches Defend Democracy - 3:20Role of Education - 14:09Why Churches Choose Autocracy - 20:09Leadership - 27:00LinksLearn more about Kate Baldwin.Learn more about her book Faith in Democracy: The Logic of Church Advocacy for Liberal Democratic Institutions in Africa.Check out "Democracy's Devout Defenders" in the Journal of Democracy.Learn more about the Kellogg Institute.Apes of the State created all MusicSupport the show

You can take a cognitive bias so far down the road that you can live in an objectively very clear dictatorship and sit there and say, 'I live in a democracy.'Natalie Wenzell LetsaIn this episode of The Democracy Paradox, host Justin Kempf speaks with political scientist Natalie Wenzell Letsa about why some voters genuinely support ruling parties in electoral autocracies. Drawing on her book The Autocratic Voter and fieldwork in Cameroon, Letsa explains how partisan identities form under dictatorship and what these dynamics reveal about democracy, polarization, and political behavior more broadly.The Democracy Paradox is made in partnership with the Kellogg Institute of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. Read the full transcript here.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20What is an Electoral Autocracy - 3:20Voters in an Autocracy - 12:55Opposition in an Autocracy - 21:04Parallels to Democracies - 30:31LinksLearn more about Natalie Wenzell Letsa.Learn more about her book The Autocratic Voter: Partisanship and Political Socialization Under Dictatorship.Learn more about the Kellogg Institute.Apes of the State created all MusicSupport the show

The heart of ungoverning is going after expertise - eradicating expertise - and replacing it with the power of the great ruler.Russ MuirheadRussell Muirhead is the Robert Clements Professor of Democracy and Politics and the co-director of the Political Economy Project at Dartmouth University. He's also the co-author, with Nancy Rosenblum, of Ungoverning: The Attack on the Administrative State and the Politics of Chaos. Patrick McQuestion joins to help introduce the episode. Patrick is a  PhD student in his fourth year at the University of Notre Dame studying political science and peace studies, and also the co-host of the Global Stage Podcast. The Democracy Paradox is made in partnership with the Kellogg Institute of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. Read the full transcript here.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20What is Ungoverning? 9:00The Fourth Branch - 32:29Other Examples of Ungoverning 36:28Ungoverning and Democracy - 46:59Links:Learn more about Russell MuirheadLearn more about his book Ungoverning: The Attack on the Administrative State and the Politics of ChaosLearn more about Patrick McQuestionLearn more about the Kellogg Institute.Apes of the State created all MusicSupport the show

Decreasing incumbent capacity and affective polarization are making incumbency salient, but also more of a curse than a blessing.Luis SchiumeriniIn this episode of The Democracy Paradox, host Justin Kempf speaks with Notre Dame political scientist Luis Schiumerini about his new book Incumbency Bias: Why Political Office is a Blessing and a Curse in Latin America. Schiumerini challenges common assumptions about incumbents, demonstrating that holding office can create systematic advantages – or disadvantages – depending on the institutional context. Before the conversation begins, Kellogg Doctoral Student Affiliate Tomás Gianibelli joins Kempf to share his experience working with Schiumerini and to explain why this research reshapes how scholars think about democracy. The Democracy Paradox is made in partnership with the Kellogg Institute of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. Read the full transcript here.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20What is Incumbency Bias - 6:06Incumbency Disadvantage on the Rise - 23:58Term Limits - 31:39Implications for Democracy - 36:52Links:Learn more about Luis SchiumeriniLearn more about his book Incumbency Bias: Why Political Office is a Blessing and a Curse in Latin AmericaLearn more about Tomás GianibelliLearn more about the Kellogg Institute.Support the show

The biggest disappointment is that democracies do not reduce social and economic inequality.Adam PrzeworskiIn this episode, host Justin Kempf talks with political scientist Adam Przeworski about what truly defines democracy today. Przeworski explains why he sees no global democratic crisis, defends a minimalist view centered on free and fair elections, and reflects on why democracies struggle to reduce inequality. He also discusses why citizens sometimes tolerate democratic erosion and how modern autocracies maintain support, offering a clear and concise perspective on democracy’s strengths and limits. Alejandro González Ruiz, cohost of the Kellogg Institute's Global Stage podcast, joins to help introduce the episode.The Democracy Paradox is made in partnership with the Kellogg Institute of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. Read the full transcript here.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20Minimal Democracy and Democratic Crisis - 9:44Economic Inequality and Democracy - 22:37Autocracy and Popular Support - 31:42Democratic Backsliding - 36:09LinksLearn more about Adam Przeworski.Learn more about his book Crises of Democracy (Cambridge University Press, 2019).Learn more about Alejandro González Ruiz.Learn more about the Kellogg Institute.Apes of the State created all MusicSupport the show

For democratic revolutions to survive counterrevolution, they have to make certain choices that can undermine the quality of their democracy.Killian ClarkePolitical scientist Killian Clarke joins The Democracy Paradox to discuss his new book, Return of Tyranny: Why Counterrevolutions Emerge and Succeed. He explains why democratic revolutions are especially vulnerable to reversal, how elites and citizens can align in counterrevolutionary movements, and what these dynamics reveal about democracy’s fragility and endurance today. Amanda Waterhouse, a postdoctoral democracy researcher at the Kellogg Institute also joins to help introduce the episode.The Democracy Paradox is made in partnership with the Kellogg Institute of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. Read the full transcript here.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20Counterrevolutions as Mass Movements - 9:59Prevalence and Success of Counterrevolution - 19:08Is Counterrevolution Always Bad? - 33:22Why Some Revolutionaries Join the Counterrevolution - 41:12LinksLearn more about Amanda Waterhouse.Learn more about Killian Clarke.Learn more about Clarke's book Return of Tyranny: Why Counterrevolutions Emerge and Succeed (Cambridge University Press, 2025)Learn more about the Kellogg Institute.Apes of the State created all MusicSupport the show

The regime question at its core is about how we should govern ourselves... This is an enduring question that is essential to democratic politics.Amel AhmedThis episode begins with host Justin Kempf and Javier Pérez Sandoval setting the stage for a deep dive into the “regime question,” highlighting its significance in democratic theory and contemporary politics. Their introductory discussion explores foundational divides in political systems and frames the questions that will be pursued, particularly the tensions between institutional arrangements and party cleavages. The heart of the episode follows as Kempf interviews Amel Ahmed, who draws on her comparative research to examine historical battles over parliamentary power, suffrage, and executive authority in the United Kingdom, United States, and Germany. Ahmed connects these cases to present-day concerns about legislative dysfunction and polarization, demonstrating that ongoing contestation over the rules of democracy is both persistent and essential to democratic governance.The Democracy Paradox is made in partnership with the Kellogg Institute of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. Read the full transcript here.Amel Ahmed is an assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the author of the book The Regime Question: Foundations of Democratic Governance in Europe and the United States. Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20What is the Regime Question - 8:42Electoral Authoritarianism - 25:05Resolving the Regime Question - 36:03Implications for Democracy - 44:47LinksLearn more about Javier Pérez SandovalLearn more about Amel AhmedLearn more about her book, The Regime Question: Foundations of Democratic Governance in Europe and the United StatesLearn more about the Kellogg InstituteSupport the show

After an introductory conversation with Kellogg Faculty Fellow Marc Jacob, Democracy Paradox host Justin Kempf explores the dynamics of global democracy with renowned expert Thomas Carothers. Carothers, the director of the Carnegie Endowment's Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program, shares his deep knowledge and firsthand experiences in democracy promotion, focusing on the importance of coalition-building, inclusive leadership, and long-term commitment in sustaining democratic movements. Drawing from case studies in Latin America, particularly Chile and Brazil, he provides thoughtful reflections on the challenges and successes of political activism. This conversation offers insights for scholars, policymakers, and activists dedicated to advancing resilient democratic institutions worldwide. The Democracy Paradox is made in partnership with the Kellogg Institute of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. Read the full transcript here.Tom Carothers is the Director of the Democracy Conflict and Governance Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He's the author of numerous books and articles. Some of his most recent articles and reports include “Misunderstanding Democratic Backsliding,” “Lessons about Backsliding and Resistance,” and “Understanding and Responding to Global Democratic Backsliding.” ChaptersIntroduction with Marc Jacob - 0:20Explanations for Backsliding - 8:40Role of Institutions - 24:28Polarization - 37:31Democratic Hardball - 39:24Links:Learn more about Marc Jacob.Learn more about Thomas Carothers.Learn more about the Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.Learn more about the Kellogg Institute.Support the show

Javier Corrales, professor of political science at Amherst College, discusses his recent research on democratic backsliding and intentional polarization. The discussion explores how leaders employ extremist policies and ideological rhetoric to consolidate executive power, drawing comparisons between Venezuela, the United States, and other global contexts. An introductory conversation with Kellogg Visiting Fellow Henry Moncrieff offers a nuanced look at opposition strategies and the complex factors shaping democratic resilience and decline.Read the transcript here. The Democracy Paradox is made in partnership with the Kellogg Institute of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. Javier Corrales is Dwight W. Morrow 1895 professor of Political Science at Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts. He is the author of the book Autocracy Rising: How Venezuela Transitioned to Authoritarianism as well as numerous scholarly articles. His most recent article (coauthored with Ricardo José Salas Díaz) is "Intentional Polarization: How Policy Extremism and Ideological Overuse Promote Democratic Backsliding" published in Democratization. ChaptersIntroduction with Henry Moncrieff 0:20Leaders Drive Polarization 5:48Radicalization 15:43Opposition Response 26:32Role of the Public - 37:29Learn more about Javier Corrales.Learn more about Henry Moncrieff.Learn more about the Kellogg Institute.Support the show

In this episode, Justin interviews Susan Stokes, the  Tiffany and Margaret Blake Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago and Director of the Chicago Center on Democracy.  They discuss her new book The Backsliders, which explains how economic inequality and political polarization create conditions that allow leaders to undermine democratic institutions. She explores the roles of populism, voter behavior, and institutional erosion in democratic backsliding worldwide.Read the transcript here.The Democracy Paradox is made in partnership with the Kellogg Institute at the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. ChaptersIntroduction - 0:20Leadership  - 3:51Economic Inequality - 6:35Polarization - 19:35Populism - 27:27Key LinksLearn more about Susan Stokes.Backsliders: Why Leaders Undermine their Own DemocraciesVictoria Murillo - The Social Underpinnings of Political Discontent in Latin America - September 23rd, 12:30pm - 2:00pm Central Time. If you can't make it, click here to watch the video!Check out this year's visiting fellows to the Kellogg Institute here.Support the show

We've often compared democratic national security and autocratic security making in terms of autocratic elites and democratic voters. My argument is not that all democracies are the same, but I do think we ought to be thinking about autocratic elites and democratic elites and voters.Elizabeth SaundersProudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduProudly sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.orgA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Elizabeth Saunders is a Professor of Political Science at Columbia University as well as a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. She is also an editor of The Good Authority Blog formerly known as The Monkey Cage Blog. Her most recent book is The Insiders’ Game: How Elites Make War and Peace.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20How Foreign Policy Works - 3:30Politics at the Water's Edge - 18:13Parties and Foreign Policy - 27:09Contemporary Politics - 41:28Key LinksThe Insiders’ Game: How Elites Make War and Peace by Elizabeth SaundersGood Authority BlogLearn more about Elizabeth SaundersDemocracy Paradox PodcastRep Mikie Sherrill on Whether the Bipartisan Consensus on Foreign Policy Will Hold and on Threats to American DemocracyGrading Biden’s Foreign Policy with Alexander WardMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

I think we've seen democracies can be unstable. Autocracies are even more unstable.David MossMade in partnership with the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and InnovationGet your copy of When Democracy Breaks or read it open access.Access Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduProudly sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.orgA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Archon Fung is the Winthrop Laflin McCormack Professor of Citizenship and Self-Government at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is also the Director of the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation.David Moss is the Paul Whiton Cherington Professor at Harvard Business School. He is also founder and president of the Tobin Project and the Case Method Institute for Education and Democracy.Arne Westad is the Elihu Professor of History and Global Affairs at Yale University.They are the editors of When Democracy Breaks: Studies in Democratic Erosion and Collapse, From Ancient Athens to the Present Day.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20Thinking about Democratic Breakdown - 3:51What is Democracy - 19:26Democratic Recovery - 26:36Resilience and Fragility - 45:15Key LinksWhen Democracy Breaks: Studies in Democratic Erosion and Collapse, From Ancient Athens to the Present Day edited by Archon Fung, David Moss, and Odd Arne Westad"Introduction: When Democracy Breaks" by Archon Fung, David Moss, and Odd Arne WestadAsh Center for Democratic Governance and InnovationDemocracy Paradox PodcastWhen Democracy Breaks: Scott Mainwaring on ArgentinaWhen Democracy Breaks: 1930s Japan with Louise YoungMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

March 24th, 1976 is the coup and it unleashes wild celebrations in establishment Argentina and almost no opposition.... Of course, this unleashed the most ruthless dictatorship in Argentina's history and in recent South American history as well.Scott MainwaringMade in partnership with the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and InnovationGet your copy of When Democracy Breaks or read it open access.Access Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduProudly sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.orgA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Scott Mainwaring is the Eugene and Helen Conley Professor of Political Science at Notre Dame. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2010. His most recent book is Democracy in Hard Places (coedited with Tarek Masoud). In April 2019, PS: Political Science and Politics listed him as one of the 50 most cited political scientists in the world.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20Democratization in 1973 - 3:41Democratic Erosion - 18:30Breakdown - 39:08Argentina Today - 43:18Key LinksWhen Democracy Breaks: Studies in Democratic Erosion and Collapse, From Ancient Athens to the Present Day edited by Archon Fung, David Moss, and Odd Arne Westad"Democratic Breakdown in Argentina, 1976" by Scott MainwaringAsh Center for Democratic Governance and InnovationDemocracy Paradox PodcastScott Mainwaring on Argentina and a Final Reflection on Democracy in Hard PlacesWhen Democracy Breaks: 1930s Japan with Louise YoungMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

There's a fog of democratic breakdown where really you cannot see the actual impact of your choices or your actions until after the fact.Louise YoungMade in partnership with the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and InnovationGet your copy of When Democracy Breaks or read it open access.Access Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduProudly sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.orgA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Louise Young is a professor of history at the University of Wisonsin-Madison. She is the author of the chapter “The Breakdown of Democracy in 1930s Japan.” It is part of the volume When Democracy Breaks: Studies in Democratic Erosion and Collapse, From Ancient Athens to the Present Day.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20Democratization - 2:52What Made it Different - 11:41Democratic Breakdown - 20:14Resisting Democratic Erosion - 37:15Key LinksWhen Democracy Breaks: Studies in Democratic Erosion and Collapse, From Ancient Athens to the Present Day edited by Archon Fung, David Moss, and Odd Arne Westad"The Breakdown in Democracy in 1930s Japan" by Louise YoungAsh Center for Democratic Governance and InnovationDemocracy Paradox PodcastWhen Democracy Breaks: Ancient Athens with Josiah Ober and Federica CarugatiDan Slater on IndonesiaMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

What strikes me about that period is that democracy was not inevitable.Federica CarugatiMade in partnership with the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and InnovationGet your copy of When Democracy Breaks or read it open access.Access Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduProudly sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.orgA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Josiah Ober is a Professor of Political Science and Classics at Stanford University. Federica Carugati is a Lecturer in History and Political Economy at King's College London. They are the coauthors of the chapter “Democratic Collapse and Recovery in Ancient Athens (413-403 BCE)” in a new book called When Democracy Breaks: Studies in Democratic Erosion and Collapse, From Ancient Athens to the Present Day.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20Democratization - 3:28Breakdown - 17:36Rebirth - 36:48Final Lessons - 47:51Key LinksWhen Democracy Breaks: Studies in Democratic Erosion and Collapse, From Ancient Athens to the Present Day edited by Archon Fung, David Moss, and Odd Arne Westad"Democratic Collapse and Recovery in Ancient Athens (413-403 BCE)" by Federica Carugati and Josiah OberAsh Center for Democratic Governance and InnovationDemocracy Paradox PodcastDoes Democracy Rely on a Civic Bargain? Josiah Ober Makes the CaseDavid Stasavage on Early Democracy and its DeclineMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

I think that if you got rid of the Electoral College, in the short run, there would be losers. But it hasn't always been the same group and it hasn't always been the same party.Alexander KeyssarMade in partnership with the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and InnovationMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduProudly sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.orgA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Alexander Keyssar is the Matthew W. Stirling Jr. Professor of History and Social Policy at Harvard University and the author of the book Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College?Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20Origin of the Electoral College - 3:05Proportional or District Electoral Votes - 17:37Race and Civil Rights - 27:02Why No Reform - 41:44Key LinksWhy Do We Still Have the Electoral College? by Alexander KeyssarWatch Electoral College Symposium: What’s to be Done?Follow Alexander Keyssar on X @AlexKeyssarDemocracy Paradox PodcastHeather Cox Richardson on History, Conservatism, and the Awakening of American DemocracyDaniel Ziblatt on American Democracy, the Republican Party, and the Tyranny of the MinorityMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

You actually have to fight in every generation, if you want to preserve liberalism. It's not just going to preserve itself. It's not just the end of history. It isn't just the final resting place of humanity - not by any stretch of the imagination. It's a continual struggle.Robert KaganAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduProudly sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.orgA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Robert Kagan is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a columnist for The Washington Post. He is the author of many books including most recently The Ghost at the Feast: America and the Collapse of World Order, 1900-1941 and Rebellion: How Antiliberalism Is Tearing America Apart--Again.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20Traditions of Liberalism and Antiliberalism - 3:04Antiliberalism as an Idea - 8:35Tension Within Ourselves - 21:25Future of Liberalism and Antiliberalism - 37:42Key LinksRebellion: How Antiliberalism Is Tearing America Apart--Again by Robert KaganThe Ghost at the Feast: America and the Collapse of World Order, 1900-1941 by Robert KaganFollow Robert Kagan at the Brookings InstitutionDemocracy Paradox PodcastRobert Kagan Looks to American History to Explain Foreign Policy TodayHeather Cox Richardson on History, Conservatism, and the Awakening of American DemocracyMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

People in Congress are leaders in their communities and people in some parts of this country are, in my opinion, being led astray.Rep. Mikie SherrillThis episode was made in partnership with the Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of DemocracyAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduProudly sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.orgA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Representative Mikie Sherrill represents the 11th Congressional District of New Jersey. She sits on the Committee on Armed Services, Subcommittee on Readiness, Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces, and the Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the United States Naval Academy, a Master’s degree in Global History from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Law degree from Georgetown University.  She is a military veteran with almost ten years of active duty service.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20Personal Background - 3:48Polarization and Foreign Policy - 13:50China - 23:36American Democracy - 28:41Key LinksLearn more about Rep. Mikie Sherrill on her Congressional pageFollow Rep. Mikie Sherrill on X @RepSherrill or @MikieSherrillRep. Mikie Sherrill's Campaign PageDemocracy Paradox PodcastGrading Biden’s Foreign Policy with Alexander WardCan America Fight Back Against the Authoritarian Economic Statecraft of China? Bethany Allen Believes We CanMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

What does it mean to empower women politically in a context in which the dominant party is engaged in democratic backsliding or other forms of illiberal and exclusionary politics? Would you still want more women to be part of that party?Saskia BrechenmacherAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduMade in partnership with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.orgA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Saskia Brechenmacher is a fellow in Carnegie’s Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program. Recently, she coauthored a new book with Katherine Mann called Aiding Empowerment: Democracy Promotion and Gender Equality in Politics.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20Democracy Promotion and Gender Equality - 3:13Gender Quotas - 12:38Challenges - 28:12New Ideas and Issues - 44:53Key LinksAiding Empowerment: Democracy Promotion and Gender Equality in Politics by Saskia Brechenmacher and Katherine MannLearn more about Saskia Brechenmacher at the Carnegie EndowmentFollow Saskia Brechenmacher on X @SaskiaBrechDemocracy Paradox PodcastMarc Plattner Has Quite a Bit to Say About DemocracyLarry Diamond on Supporting Democracy in the World and at HomeMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

We have to reconstruct the foundations of our democracy, building on the past, not repudiating everything we're building on it.Bruce AckermanAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduSponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.orgA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Bruce Ackerman is the Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale. He is well known as a legal scholar and a political philosopher. His most recent book is The Postmodern Predicament: Existential Challenges of the Twenty-First Century.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20Modernity - 2:37Postmodernism - 15:26Deliberation Day - 36:08Rethinking Modernity - 43:28Key LinksThe Postmodern Predicament: Existential Challenges of the Twenty-First Century by Bruce AckermanLearn more about Bruce Ackerman on WikipediaFollow Bruce Ackerman on X @backermanyaleDemocracy Paradox PodcastYascha Mounk Warns Against a Misguided New IdeologyZizi Papacharissi Dreams of What Comes After DemocracyMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

We thought we were strengthening the militaries in the Cold War. In fact, the political effects of those strengthened militaries ended up leading to a longer-term deterioration and instability.Adam CaseyAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduSponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.orgA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Adam E. Casey is an analyst in the United States government. He wrote Up in Arms: How Military Aid Stabilizes―and Destabilizes―Foreign Autocrats while he was a research fellow at the Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies at the University of Michigan. All the content in the book and this interview reflects the views of the author and does not reflect the position of any US government agency or department, nor does it assert or imply US government authentication of information or endorsement of the author's views.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20Why Military Aid Destabilizes Some Autocrats - 4:23The Soviet Approach to Military Aid - 21:50Revolutionary Governments - 29:09Modernization - 35:57Key LinksUp in Arms: How Military Aid Stabilizes―and Destabilizes―Foreign Autocrats by Adam Casey"The Origins of Military Supremacy in Dictatorships," by Dan Slater Lucan A. Way Jean Lachapelle and Adam E. Casey in Journal of Democracy.Follow Adam Casey on X @adam_e_caseyDemocracy Paradox PodcastAfter a Coup, Can the Constitutional Order Be Repaired? Adem Abebe on Rebuilding Constitutions in West AfricaNaunihal Singh on the Myth of the Coup ContagionMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

We have to care more about truth than tribe. We have to care more about each other than about profit.Barbara McQuadeThis episode was made in partnership with the Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of DemocracyAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduSponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.orgA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Barbara McQuade is a professor from practice at the University of Michigan Law School. She is also a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, and a co-host of the podcast #SistersInLaw. Her new book Attack from Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20Propaganda Today - 3:05Disinformation and Polarization - 19:57Free Speech - 24:29Attack from Within - 37:14Key LinksAttack from Within: How Disinformation Is Sabotaging America by Barbara McQuadeLearn more about Barbara McQuadeFollow Barbara McQuade on X @BarbMcQuadeDemocracy Paradox PodcastPeter Pomerantsev on Winning an Information WarSamuel Woolley on Bots, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital PropagandaMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Whoever you vote for, Biden or Trump at this point, you are voting for a radically different vision of American foreign policy.Alexander WardAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduSponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.orgA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Alexander Ward is a national security reporter at Politico and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is also the author of the book The Internationalists: The Fight to Restore American Foreign Policy after Trump.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20A Foreign Policy for the Middle Class - 2:47Crises - 20:13Ukraine - 27:56The Grade - 40:32Key LinksThe Internationalists: The Fight to Restore American Foreign Policy after Trump by Alexander WardLearn more about Alexander WardFollow Alexander Ward on X @alexbwardDemocracy Paradox PodcastCan America Fight Back Against the Authoritarian Economic Statecraft of China? Bethany Allen Believes We CanLarry Diamond on Supporting Democracy in the World and at HomeMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

All this stuff about half of America just won't listen to this. You're just not trying. You're just not trying. I fear in America people don't try to reach people in echo chambers.Peter PomerantsevAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduSponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.orgA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Peter Pomerantsev is a Senior Fellow at Johns Hopkins University where he co-directs the Arena Initiative. His past books include Nothing is True and Everything is Possible and This is Not Propaganda. His most recent book is called How to Win an Information War: The Propagandist Who Outwitted Hitler.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20Sefton Delmer - 3:37Der Chef - 11:34Communication and Propaganda - 25:27Winning an Information War - 37:45Key LinksHow to Win an Information War: The Propagandist Who Outwitted Hitler by Peter PomerantsevThis Is Not Propaganda: Adventures in the War Against Reality by Peter PomerantsevFollow Peter Pomerantsev on X @peterpomeranzevDemocracy Paradox PodcastSamuel Woolley on Bots, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital PropagandaAllie Funk of Freedom House Assesses Global Internet FreedomMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Without an elected government, without a government that truly represents... a lot of things are imperiled - rights, democracy, freedom, certainly peace. I think that's another kind of challenge as we go into this year of widespread elections. It's not just about preserving democracy. It's also laying the foundation for peace.Yana GorokhovskaiaAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduSponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.orgA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Yana Gorokhovskaia is the Research Director at Freedom House and one of the lead authors of this year’s Freedom in the World report titled, The Mounting Damage of Flawed Elections and Armed Conflict.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20Nagorno-Karabakh - 2:15Gaza and Israel - 7:46Freedom in Decline - 13:18Autocratic Elections - 35:43Key LinksFreedom in the World 2024: The Mounting Damage of Flawed Elections and Armed ConflictFreedom on the Net 2023: The Repressive Power of Artificial IntelligenceFollow Freedom House on X @freedomhouseDemocracy Paradox PodcastStaffan Lindberg with a Report on Democracy in the WorldSarah Repucci from Freedom House with an Update on Freedom in the WorldMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

As a writer I had the space to try to humanize him without sanitizing him. That was my mission: to try to see the world from behind his eyes in order to explain his otherwise inexplicable behavior.Steve CollAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduRead Justin Kempf's essay "The Revolution Will Be Podcasted."A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Steve Coll is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who has served as President and CEO of New America and the Dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He is currently a staff writer at The New Yorker. His most recent book is The Achilles’ Trap: Saddam Hussein, the CIA, and the Origins of America’s Invasion of Iraq.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20Saddam Hussein - 2:56Iran-Iraq War - 10:22WMD - 27:062003 American Invasion - 46:03Key LinksThe Achilles’ Trap: Saddam Hussein, the CIA, and the Origins of America’s Invasion of Iraq by Steve Coll“How Iraq was Lost” by Robert Kaplan in The New Statesman (Book Review of The Achilles' Trap)Read more from Steve Coll at The New YorkerDemocracy Paradox PodcastRobert Kaplan on the Politics of the Past and Future of the Greater Middle EastSteven Simon on American Foreign Policy in the Middle East including Iran and the Wars in IraqMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Written into the DNA of American immigration policy, which we tend to regard as a kind of domestic policy - and which in many ways it is - has to do with US foreign policy.Jonathan BlitzerThis episode was made in partnership with the Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of Democracy.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Read Justin Kempf's essay "The Revolution Will Be Podcasted."A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Jonathan Blitzer is a staff writer at The New Yorker. He won a 2017 National Award for Education Reporting for “American Studies,” a story about an underground school for undocumented immigrants. His writing and reporting have also appeared in the New York Times, The Atlantic, The Atavist, Oxford American, and The Nation. He is an Emerson Fellow at New America. His most recent book is Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20Personal Experiences - 3:12Immigration and Foreign Policy - 12:25Migration as a Crisis - 31:20Bukele and El Salvador Today - 46:26Key LinksEveryone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis by Jonathan Blitzer“Do I Have to Come Here Injured or Dead?” by Jonathan Blitzer in The New YorkerFollow Jonathan Blitzer on X @JonathanBlitzerDemocracy Paradox PodcastRachel Schwartz on How Guatemala Rose Up Against Democratic BackslidingJoseph Wright and Abel Escribà-Folch on Migration’s Potential to Topple DictatorshipsMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

I think a powerful surveillance apparatus will continue to be a major obstacle to the development of democratic forces, but it will not be the decisive factor.Minxin PeiProudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Read Justin Kempf's essay "The Revolution Will Be Podcasted."A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Minxin Pei is the Tom and Margot Pritzker ’72 Professor of Government and George R. Roberts Fellow at Claremont McKenna College. His most recent book is The Sentinel State: Surveillance and the Survival of Dictatorship in China.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20What is a Surveillance State - 2:55Informants - 12:02History - 23:43Surveillance and Elites - 35:26Key LinksThe Sentinel State: Surveillance and the Survival of Dictatorship in China by Minxin Pei"Why China Can’t Export Its Model of Surveillance" by Minxin Pei in Foreign Affairs"Totalitarianism’s Long Shadow" by Minxin Pei in Journal of DemocracyDemocracy Paradox PodcastJosh Chin on China’s Surveillance StateDeng Xiaoping is Not Who You Think He is. Joseph Torigian on Leadership Transitions in China and the Soviet UnionMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

As democracy promoters, we also need to pay a lot of attention to the material needs of people... When these material needs are not satisfied, people will be more willing to give nondemocratic forms a chance.Adem AbebeThis episode was made in partnership with the Constitution Building Programme at International IDEAAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduRead Justin Kempf's essay "The Revolution Will Be Podcasted."A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Adem Abebe is a senior advisor on constitution-building processes at International IDEA. He supports transitions from conflict and authoritarianism to peace and democracy, generates cutting edge knowledge, convenes platforms for dialogue and advocates for change. Adem is also Vice President of the African Network of Constitutional Lawyers, which promotes democratic constitutionalism across the continent.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20Why Military Coups Happen - 4:05Holding Back Political Institutions - 19:23Restoring Constitutional Order - 34:31The Role of Constitutions - 48:54Key LinksFollow Adem Abebe on X @AdamAbebeLearn more about International IDEALearn about the Constitution-Building Programme at International IDEA at Constitutionnet.org Democracy Paradox PodcastCan Poland Repair its Constitutional Democracy? Tomás Daly Believes it CanMarcela Rios Tobar on the Failed Constitutional Process in ChileMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Poland will be showing us the endless ingenuity of constitutional thinkers who are genuinely committed to democracy in its many forms.Tomás DalyThis episode was made in partnership with the Constitution Building Programme at International IDEAAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduRead Justin Kempf's essay "The Revolution Will Be Podcasted."A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Tomás Daly is a Professor at Melbourne Law School and Director of the Democratic Decay & Renewal (DEM-DEC) platform at www.democratic-decay.org. His new project on ‘constitutional repair’ addresses a pressing question: how can a democracy be repaired after being deeply degraded, but not ended, during a period of anti-democratic government?Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20What is Constitutional Repair? - 3:48Poland and its Constitutional Damage - 7:36Constitutional Repair in Poland - 20:06Avoiding Democratic Backsliding - 40:12Key LinksConstitutional Repair: A Comparative Theory by Tomás DalyFollow Tomás Daly on X @democracytalkLearn more about International IDEALearn about the Constitution-Building Programme at International IDEA at Constitutionnet.org Democracy Paradox PodcastKurt Weyland on the Resilience of DemocracyHow Can Democracy Survive in an Age of Discontent? Rachel Navarre and Matthew Rhodes-Purdy on Populism and Political ExtremismMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

I think his heart is in the right place. I've talked to him about these things. He's very sensitive to the judgment of history. He knows that. Ukraine has been fighting since long before he became president to be an independent sovereign democracy with freedom of speech.Simon ShusterProudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Read Justin Kempf's essay "The Revolution Will Be Podcasted."Simon Shuster is a staff writer for Time magazine who covers politics in Ukraine and Russia. His new book is called The Showman: Inside the Invasion That Shook the World and Made a Leader of Volodymyr Zelensky.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20The Early Zelensky - 3:30Wartime President - 19:16Politics in Wartime Ukraine - 33:59Democracy in Ukraine - 36:18Key LinksThe Showman: Inside the Invasion that Shook the World and Made a Leader of Volodymyr Zelensky by Simon Shuster"Where Zelensky Comes From" by Simon Shuster in TimeFollow Simon Shuster on X @shustryDemocracy Paradox PodcastSerhii Plokhy on the Russo-Ukrainian WarOlga Onuch and Henry Hale Describe the Zelensky EffectMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

When politics has to solve the problems that it has caused, how can politics do that?Marcela Rios TobarThis episode was made in partnership with the Constitution Building Programme at International IDEA Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Marcela Rios Tobar is the Director for Latin America and the Caribbean at International IDEA. From March 2022 until January 2023 she served as the Minister of Justice and Human Rights in Chile under Gabriel Boric.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:20Background - 3:40The Draft Constitutions - 18:04Lost Opportunity? 35:11Exceptional or Harbinger - 46:55Key LinksLearn more about International IDEALearn about the Constitution-Building Programme at International IDEA at Constitutionnet.org Read more about Chile's constitutional journeyDemocracy Paradox PodcastJennifer Piscopo on the Constitutional Chaos in ChileAldo Madariaga on Neoliberalism, Democratic Deficits, and ChileMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Populist leaders want polarization. They start polarization. They confront. Kurt WeylandProudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Kurt Weyland is the Mike Hogg Professor in Liberal Arts. He has written many books. His most recent is Democracy's Resilience to Populism's Threat: Countering Global Alarmism. He has also authored the article "Why Democracy Survives Populism" in the Journal of Democracy.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:45Democratic Breakdown in Peru - 2:56The Populist Threat - 18:46Institutional Strength - 25:19Countering Global Alarmism - 46:19Key Links"Why Democracy Survives Populism" by Kurt Weyland in Journal of DemocracyDemocracy's Resilience to Populism's Threat: Countering Global Alarmism by Kurt WeylandAssault on Democracy: Communism, Fascism, and Authoritarianism During the Interwar Years by Kurt WeylandDemocracy Paradox PodcastKurt Weyland Distinguishes Between Fascism and AuthoritarianismJason Brownlee Believes We Underestimate Democratic ResilienceMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

That's the point here. It's not there yet. But if electorally the BJP keeps winning, this is a prospect that must be faced.Ashutosh VarshneyProudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu Listen ad-free for just a $5/month on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Ashutosh Varshney is the Sol Goldman Professor of International Studies and the Social Sciences at Brown University. He is the author of many books and papers on India and its politics. His most recent article (coauthored with Connor Staggs), published in Journal of Democracy, is "Hindu Nationalism and the New Jim Crow."Key HighlightsIntroduction - 1:31Hindu Nationalism - 3:48Jim Crow and India - 12:08Vigilantism - 23:53Solutions - 34:46Key Links"Hindu Nationalism and the New Jim Crow" by Ashutosh Varshney and Connor Staggs in Journal of Democracy"India’s Democracy at 70: Growth, Inequality, and Nationalism" by Ashutosh Varshney in Journal of DemocracyFollow Ashutosh Varshney on X @ProfVarshneyDemocracy Paradox PodcastAshutosh Varshney on India. Democracy in Hard PlacesIs India Still a Democracy? Rahul Verma Emphatically Says YesMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

What we really need to do is recommit to the idea that this is difficult, it is valuable, and in order to keep this valuable, difficult thing going, we need to basically pay the cost of educating ourselves, educating the next generation, the background knowledge and skills that citizens need if they are to continue to govern themselves...Josiah OberSupport the podcast on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Josiah Ober is a Professor of Classics and Political Science at Stanford University and a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. He is the coauthor, along with Brook Manville, of The Civic Bargain: How Democracy Survives.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:49What is Democracy? 3:15Conditions and Constraints - 20:17Classical Democracy - 24:26Future of Democracy - 39:21Key LinksThe Civic Bargain: How Democracy Survives by Brook Manville and Josiah OberDemopolis: Democracy before Liberalism in Theory and Practice by Josiah OberLean more about Josiah OberDemocracy Paradox PodcastHow Can Democracy Survive in an Age of Discontent? Rachel Navarre and Matthew Rhodes-Purdy on Populism and Political ExtremismMarc Plattner Has Quite a Bit to Say About DemocracyMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

If these Islamist organizations want to stay in these contexts and keep playing the democratic game, they need to commit to the democratic game in the longer run.Sebnem GumuscuSupport the podcast on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Sebnem Gumuscu is an associate professor of political science at Middlebury College and the author of Democracy or Authoritarianism: Islamist Governments in Turkey, Egypt, and Tunisia.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:31What is Islamism - 2:48Liberal and Electoralists - 19:23Role of Elites - 35:16Islamism in the Long Run - 37:09Key LinksDemocracy or Authoritarianism: Islamist Governments in Turkey, Egypt, and Tunisia by Sebnem Gumuscu"How Erdoğan’s Populism Won Again'" by Sebnem Gumuscu and Berk EsenFollow Sebnem Gumuscu on X @sebnemisbackDemocracy Paradox PodcastBerk Esen and Sebnem Gumuscu on the Disappointing Elections in Turkey… or How Democratic (or Autocratic) is Turkey Really?Shadi Hamid on Democracy, Liberalism, and the Middle EastMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

In the past 26 years, to this day, there has not been one major Hollywood production that has gone against a major Chinese Communist Party red line. Not one. Twenty-six years of silence.Bethany AllenSupport the podcast on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Bethany Allen is the China reporter at Axios and the author of Beijing Rules: How China Weaponized Its Economy to Confront the World.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:48The Authoritarian Economic Statecraft of China - 3:32Trump Administration and China Policy - 22:24Another Cold War -  34:26American Options for Response - 48:16Key LinksBeijing Rules: How China Weaponized Its Economy to Confront the World by Bethany Allen"Zoom closed account of U.S.-based Chinese activist 'to comply with local law'" by Bethany AllenFollow Bethany Allen on X @BethanyAllenEbrDemocracy Paradox PodcastHal Brands Thinks China is a Declining Power… Here’s Why that’s a ProblemJosh Chin on China’s Surveillance StateMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

If we're thinking about democracy as something broader that is producing equality, justice or these kind of things, often those policies that we might describe as democratic policies can emerge from processes that are undemocratic. I think that's uncomfortable for us to think about.Katlyn CarterSupport the podcast on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Katlyn Carter is an assistant professor of history at Notre Dame University. She is the author of Democracy in Darkness: Secrecy and Transparency in the Age of Revolutions.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:41The Birth of Republics - 3:10Publicity - 19:23Spectacle - 26:43Representation - 35:43Key LinksDemocracy in Darkness: Secrecy and Transparency in the Age of Revolutions by Katlyn CarterKatlyn Carter on My History Can Beat Up Your PoliticsLearn more about Katlyn CarterDemocracy Paradox PodcastHeather Cox Richardson on History, Conservatism, and the Awakening of American DemocracyDaniel Ziblatt on American Democracy, the Republican Party, and the Tyranny of the MinorityMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

I think populism is rather a specific form of discontent. Discontent is the umbrella term. It's this vague sense that the way things are being done is not working. That democracy is not effective. That it's not serving my interests.Matthew Rhodes-PurdySupport the podcast on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Rachel Navarre is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and Master of Public Administration Program at Bridgewater State University. Matthew Rhodes-Purdy is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Clemson University. They are the coauthors (along with Stephen Utych) of The Age of Discontent: Populism, Extremism, and Conspiracy Theories in Contemporary Democracies.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:53What is Discontent - 3:21Crisis and Discontent - 13:34Rise of Populism - 25:13An End to Neoliberalism? - 39:20Key LinksThe Age of Discontent: Populism, Extremism, and Conspiracy Theories in Contemporary Democracies by Matthew Rhodes-Purdy, Rachel Navarre, and Stephen UtychLearn more about Rachel Navarre here.Learn more about Matthew Rhodes-Purdy here.Democracy Paradox PodcastDaniel Ziblatt on American Democracy, the Republican Party, and the Tyranny of the MinorityMarc Plattner Has Quite a Bit to Say About DemocracyMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

This was an election that was meant to cement authoritarian rule and it became a democratic breakthrough.Rachel SchwartzAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Rachel Schwartz is an assistant professor of international and area studies at the University of Oklahoma. Recently, she cowrote an article with Anita Isaacs for the Journal of Democracy called, “How Guatemala Defied the Odds." She also authored a book earlier this year called Undermining the State from Within: The Institutional Legacies of Civil War in Central America.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:33The 2023 Election - 2:46A Weak State - 17:18Democratic Backsliding - 30:53Rejuvenating Democracy - 39:39Key LinksUndermining the State from Within: The Institutional Legacies of Civil War in Central America by Rachel Schwartz"How Guatemala Defied the Odds" in Journal of Democracy by Rachel Schwartz"Guatemala: Resisting Democratic Backsliding in the Least Likely of Places?" by Rachel SchwartzDemocracy Paradox PodcastWendy Hunter on Lula, Bolsonaro, January 8th and Democracy in BrazilJennifer Piscopo on the Constitutional Chaos in ChileMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

It's impossible not to admire somebody who is willing to stand up for their country, for freedom and democracy, for the idea that Russians should be able to chart their own future and have a say in what their government looks like.David HerszenhornAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.David Herszenhorn is the Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe editor at The Washington Post and was a correspondent for Politico Europe and The New York Times. He is the author The Dissident: Alexey Navalny: Profile of a Political Prisoner.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:44Navalny as a Political Figure - 3:13Navalny and the State - 21:26Navalny and Russian Repression - 34:41Politician or Dissident? 42:45Key LinksThe Dissident: Alexey Navalny: Profile of a Political Prisoner by David Herszenhorn"Alexey Navalny Never Wanted to Be a Dissident" in Politico by David Herszenhorn"For Putin foe Alexey Navalny, Ukraine has long been a volatile issue" in The Washington Post by David HerszenhornDemocracy Paradox PodcastOlga Onuch and Henry Hale Describe the Zelensky EffectMichael McFaul and Robert Person on Putin, Russia, and the War in UkraineMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Leadership is not a formula. It's not something that happens in a vacuum. It's not just something that you can declare about yourself.Moshik TemkinAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Moshik Temkin is a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Leadership and History at Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University, and a fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. His most recent book is Warriors, Rebels, and Saints: The Art of Leadership from Machiavelli to Malcolm X.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:45What is Leadership? 3:12Powerless Leadership - 11:58Ethics of Leadership - 24:10Ordinary Leadership - 40:16Key LinksWarriors, Rebels, and Saints: The Art of Leadership from Machiavelli to Malcolm X by Moshik TemkinLearn more about Moshik TemkinFollow Moshik Temkin on X at @moshik_temkinDemocracy Paradox PodcastLarry Bartels Says Democracy Erodes from the TopMoisés Naím on the New Dynamics of Political PowerMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

For people like me or just your ordinary Joes who speak of democracy, I thought it meant freedom. I thought it meant a free press. I thought it meant that people would not die on the streets.Patricia EvangelistaAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Patricia Evangelista is a trauma journalist and former investigative reporter for the Philippine news company Rappler. She has received the Kate Webb Prize for exceptional journalism in dangerous conditions. Recently, she authored the book Some People Need Killing: A Memoir of Murder in My Country.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:46The Philippines and Duterte - 2:37The Drug War - 11:04Vigilantes and Police - 25:26Democracy in the Philippines - 34:11Key LinksSome People Need Killing: A Memoir of Murder in My Country by Patricia EvangelistaRead the original "Some People Need Killing" published in Rappler.comFollow Patricia Evangelista on X at @patevangelistaDemocracy Paradox PodcastMoisés Naím on the New Dynamics of Political PowerGuillermo Trejo and Sandra Ley on the Political Logic of Criminal Wars in MexicoMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

You could take that populism and turn it negative, which often happens... But populism could also be a wonderful thing where you're actually appealing to what the voters want instead of what the powerful want.Cenk UygurAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Cenk Uygur is a host of the show The Young Turks and the founder, president, and CEO of its parent company TYT. He is a Democratic Party candidate for President of the United States and the author of Justice Is Coming: How Progressives Are Going to Take Over the Country and America Is Going to Love It.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:42Cenk's Presidential Campaign - 2:49Progressive Issues - 26:56Populism - 40:28Polarization - 49:17Key LinksJustice Is Coming: How Progressives Are Going to Take Over the Country and America Is Going to Love It   by Cenk UygurSupport Cenk Uygur's campaign at cenkforamerica.comCheck out The Young Turks and other TYT programs at tyt.comDemocracy Paradox PodcastHeather Cox Richardson on History, Conservatism, and the Awakening of American DemocracyDaniel Ziblatt on American Democracy, the Republican Party, and the Tyranny of the MinorityMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Autocracy as we understand it today is a modern creation. I think there we see very few successful examples of modern autocracies that are able to sustain themselves.Shadi HamidAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Shadi Hamid is a columnist and member of the Editorial Board at The Washington Post. He is also a research professor of Islamic studies at Fuller Seminary and the co-host of the podcast Wisdom of Crowds. His most recent book is The Problem of Democracy: America, the Middle East, and the Rise and Fall of an Idea.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:32The Problem of Democracy - 2:25Islamism - 5:51Turkey - 22:47Autocratic Rulers - 32:20Key LinksThe Problem of Democracy: America, the Middle East, and the Rise and Fall of an Idea by Shadi HamidFollow Shadi Hamid on Twitter @shadihamidWisdom of CrowdsDemocracy Paradox PodcastRobert Kaplan on the Politics of the Past and Future of the Greater Middle EastSteven Simon on American Foreign Policy in the Middle East including Iran and the Wars in IraqMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Writing a book like that makes you really think brutally about the past. It makes you really think about the current time and also how the future would look at you.Branko MilanovicAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Branko Milanovic is a Research Professor at the City University of New York and a Senior Scholar at the Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality. He served as the lead economist in the World Bank’s Research Department for almost 20 years. His most recent book is Visions of Inequality: From the French Revolution to the End of the Cold War.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:31Why Economic Inequality - 2:53Ideas Before 1820 - 13:26Marx and Socialism - 19:52Piketty and Modern Thought - 40:17Key LinksVisions of Inequality: From the French Revolution to the End of the Cold War by Branko Milanovicglobalinequality blog by Branko MilanovicFollow Branko Milanovic on X @BrankoMilanDemocracy Paradox PodcastThomas Piketty on EqualityJacob Hacker and Paul Pierson on the Plutocratic Populism of the Republican PartyMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

I really do think that what we've witnessed over the last decades is the emergence of a new ideology that is meaningfully distinct... I think it really is meaningfully distinct from other forms of what is meant to be left wing in the past from other ideological traditions.Yascha MounkAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Yascha Mounk is a Professor of the Practice of International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University. He’s a writer for The Atlantic, founder of the online magazine Persuassion, and host of the podcast The Good Fight. He is the author of The People vs Democracy, The Great Experiment, and The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:51Values and Beliefs - 3:15Higher Education - 13:56Identity - 22:34Differences from Marxism - 37:21Key LinksThe Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time by Yascha MounkThe Great Experiment: How to Make Diverse Democracies Work by Yascha MounkThe People vs. Democracy: Why Our Freedom Is in Danger and How to Save It by Yascha MounkDemocracy Paradox PodcastYascha Mounk on the Great Experiment of Diverse DemocraciesFrancis Fukuyama Responds to Liberalism’s DiscontentsMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

It would be a lovely thing if before I die, I get to see a younger generation reclaim democracy and rebuild it in a new, more expansive way.Heather Cox RichardsonAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Heather Cox Richardson is a Professor of History at Boston College. Her daily newsletter Letters from an American is read by millions. She has a new book out as of today called Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:46Patriotism and Conservatism - 3:15The Liberal Consensus - 14:42Awakening Democracy - 39:07Trump - 51:41Key LinksDemocracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America by Heather Cox RichardsonLetters from an American by Heather Cox RichardsonFollow Heather Cox Richardson on Twitter @HC_RichardsonDemocracy Paradox PodcastDaniel Ziblatt on American Democracy, the Republican Party, and the Tyranny of the MinorityJoseph Fishkin on the Constitution, American History, and Economic InequalityMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

I think one of the greatest barriers to reform is thinking that reform is impossible.Daniel ZiblattAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Daniel Ziblatt is the Eaton Professor of Government at Harvard University and director of the Transformations of Democracy group at Berlin's Social Science Center. He is the coauthor with Steven Levitsky of How Democracies Dieand a new book The Tyranny of the Minority and the author of Conservative Parties and the Birth of Democracy.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:38American Democracy - 3:25A Multi-Racial Democracy - 16:36Conservatism and Democracy - 22:34The Republican Party and Authoritarianism - 35:37Key LinksTyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point by Steven Levitsky and Daniel ZiblattHow Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel ZiblattConservative Parties and the Birth of Democracy by Daniel ZiblattDemocracy Paradox PodcastStephan Haggard and Robert Kaufman on Democratic BackslidingSteven Levitsky and Lucan Way on the Durable Authoritarianism of Revolutionary RegimesMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

North Korea is stable up until the day it's not... The day that it collapses, there'll be a lot of people out there who will say this was inevitable.Victor ChaAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Victor Cha is a professor of government at Georgetown University and holds the Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. He is a former director for Asian Affairs at the White House National Security Council. Ramon Pacheco Pardo is a professor of international relations at King’s College London and the KF-VUB Korea Chair at Free University of Brussels. They are the authors of Korea: A New History of South and North.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:45Korea as a People and a Place - 2:25Korean War and its Aftermath - 11:44Democracy - 23:23Is Reconciliation Possible? - 40:55Key LinksKorea: A New History of South and North by Victor Cha and Ramon Pacheco PardoVictor Cha at the Center for Strategic & International StudiesRamon Pacheco Pardo at King's College LondonDemocracy Paradox PodcastDeng Xiaoping is Not Who You Think He is. Joseph Torigian on Leadership Transitions in China and the Soviet UnionHal Brands Thinks China is a Declining Power… Here’s Why that’s a ProblemMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

People still think of Chinese history as this two-line struggle because that's the story the Chinese tell. But everything from Mao Zedong's relationship to Liu Shaoqi to anything that happened during the 1980s, it was not a problem of competing policy platforms. It was a problem of getting the politics of your relationship with the top leader right when it was hard to guess what they were thinking and they were changing their mind and they were suspicious of you.Joseph TorigianAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Joseph Torigian is a Research Fellow at the Harvard History Lab. Previously he was an assistant professor at the School of International Service at American University in Washington and a Global Fellow at the Wilson Center. He is the author of Prestige, Manipulation, and Coercion: Elite Power Struggles in the Soviet Union and China after Stalin and Mao.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:48Deng Xiaoping and Hua Guofeng - 2:33Khrushchev Consolidates Power - 16:16Will History Repeat? - 30:11Connections to Contemporary China - 38:31Key LinksPrestige, Manipulation, and Coercion: Elite Power Struggles in the Soviet Union and China after Stalin and Mao by Joseph TorigianHarvard History LabLearn more about Joseph TorigianDemocracy Paradox PodcastHal Brands Thinks China is a Declining Power… Here’s Why that’s a ProblemAnne Applebaum on Autocracy, IncMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Great developments by nature are not linear. Things just don't always continue as they have been. That's why this idea that the Arab Spring came, it went, it happened, it didn't work, therefore the Middle East will always remain an autocracy - that's linear thinking. Great events are great precisely because they're not linear.Robert KaplanAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Robert reported on foreign policy for The Atlantic for three decades and is currently the Robert Strausz-Hupé Chair in Geopolitics at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. His most recent book is The Loom of Time: Between Empire and Anarchy, from the Mediterranean to China.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:43What is the Greater Middle East? - 3:13Developing Political Institutions - 14:55Turkey and Iran - 26:40Iraq - 38:15Key LinksThe Loom of Time: Between Empire and Anarchy, from the Mediterranean to China by Robert KaplanForeign Policy Research InstituteThe Writings of Robert Kaplan at The AtlanticDemocracy Paradox PodcastBerk Esen and Sebnem Gumuscu on the Disappointing Elections in Turkey… or How Democratic (or Autocratic) is Turkey Really?Steven Simon on American Foreign Policy in the Middle East including Iran and the Wars in IraqMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

India should be understood as a test case of democracy outside the Western world.Rahul VermaAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Rahul Verma is a fellow at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi. He is also Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science, Ashoka University. Recently, he wrote “The Exaggerated Death of Indian Democracy” in the recent Journal of Democracy.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:44India's Democracy Paradox - 2:24Reconciling Illiberalism - 15:54Sources of Indian Democratic Deficits - 20:02Overstating and Understating Indian Democracy - 30:50Key Links"The Exaggerated Death of Indian Democracy" in Journal of Democracy by Rahul VermaCentre for Policy Research Follow Rahul Verma on Twitter @rahul_tvermaDemocracy Paradox PodcastAshutosh Varshney on India. Democracy in Hard PlacesChristophe Jaffrelot on Narendra Modi and Hindu NationalismMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

It would be a miracle if the original understanding of the Constitution just landed time and time again with the views in 2023 of the right-wing of the Republican Party. That would be too amazing a coincidence. That's more than troublesome.Cass SunsteinAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Cass Sunstein is the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard Law School. During Obama’s first term he was the Administrator for the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. He is the author of dozens of books including Nudge(with Richard Thaler) and The World According to Star Wars. His most recent book is How to Interpret the Constitution.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:38Thinking about the Constitution - 3:06Different Interpretations - 10:44Textualism - 24:07Amendment or Interpretation - 37:23Key LinksHow to Interpret the Constitution  by Cass SunsteinThe World According to Star Wars  by Cass SunsteinFollow Cass Sunstein on Twitter @CassSunsteinDemocracy Paradox PodcastJoseph Fishkin on the Constitution, American History, and Economic InequalityDonald Horowitz on the Formation of Democratic ConstitutionsMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

I think we have a more complex notion of what democracy is. - Marc PlattnerAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Marc Plattner is the founding coeditor of the Journal of Democracy and the founding codirector of the National Endowment for Democracy’s International Forum for Democratic Studies. Until 2016, he also served as NED’s vice president for research and studies, and from 1984 to 1989 he was NED’s director of program.  He is the author of Democracy Without Borders? Global Challenges to Liberal Democracy (2008) and of Rousseau’s State of Nature(1979). His essays and reviews on a wide range of international and public policy issues have appeared in numerous books and journals, and he has coedited with Larry Diamond more than two dozen books on contemporary issues relating to democracy in the Journal of Democracy book series.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:48Democratic Consensus - 2:32Liberalism and Democracy - 10:26Democratic Threats - 20:58Governance - 28:51Key Links"Why Ukraine Is Critical to Rebuilding Our Democratic Consensus" in the Journal of Democracy by Marc Plattner"Democracy Embattled" in the Journal of Democracy by Marc Plattner"Liberalism and Democracy: Can’t Have One Without the Other" in Foreign Affairs by Marc PlattnerDemocracy Paradox PodcastAnne Applebaum on Autocracy, IncLarry Diamond on Supporting Democracy in the World and at HomeMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

It's too simplistic to call it an evil company. There are certainly a lot of very good people that work there. It's just the system itself and the corporation itself and the system that it's embedded in is what causes the problems.Michael ForsytheAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Michael Forsythe is a reporter on the investigations team at The New York Times. Until February 2017 he was a correspondent in the Hong Kong office, focusing on the intersection of money and politics in China. He is the author (along with Walt Bogdanich) of When McKinsey Comes to Town: the Hidden Influence of the World's Most Powerful Consulting Firm.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:35Who is McKinsey & Company? - 3:14Is it Anti-Democratic? - 17:55Working with Autocrats - 34:17Can it Change? - 44:33Key LinksWhen McKinsey Comes to Town: The Hidden Influence of the World's Most Powerful Consulting Firm by Walt Bogdanich and Michael Forsythe"How McKinsey Lost Its Way in South Africa" in The New York Times by Walt Bogdanich and Michael ForsytheFollow Michael Forsythe on Twitter @PekingMikeDemocracy Paradox PodcastAnne Applebaum on Autocracy, IncSamuel Woolley on Bots, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital PropagandaMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Spin dictators have fewer political prisoners, fewer political killings. This is good. This is really good. On the other hand, we want to tell everybody that they are still dictators.Sergei GurievAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Sergei Guriev is a professor of Economics at Sciences Po in Paris. He was a former chief economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the former rector of the New Economic School in Moscow. He is the coauthor (along with Daniel Treisman) of Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:46Spin Dictatorships and Fear Dictatorships - 3:12Popular Support - 25:21Putin - 39:44Beyond Spin Dictatorship - 43:49Key LinksSpin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century by Sergei Guriev and Daniel Treisman"Informational Autocrats" in the Journal of Economic Perspectives by Sergei Guriev and Daniel TreismanFollow Sergei Guriev on Twitter @sgurievDemocracy Paradox PodcastAnne Applebaum on Autocracy, IncLarry Bartels Says Democracy Erodes from the TopMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Elections are not free or fair, but they matter greatly because this is how Erdoğan comes to power and stays in power and in this case he was almost about to lose that power.Sebnem GumuscuSupport Democracy Paradox on Podurama. Listen here.Access Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Berk Esen is an assistant professor of political science at Sabancı University. Sebnem Gumuscu is an associate professor of political science at Middlebury College. Their recent paper in the Journal of Democracy is “How Erdoğan’s Populism Won Again.”Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:33Democracy in Turkey - 3:30The Opposition - 21:36The AKP - 27:40Is Democracy Lost? - 41:01Key Links"How Erdoğan’s Populism Won Again" in Journal of Democracy by Berk Esen and Sebnem GumuscuDemocratic Erosion: A Research, Teaching, & Policy CollaborationDemocracy or Authoritarianism: Islamist Governments in Turkey, Egypt, and Tunisia by Sebnem GumuscuDemocracy Paradox PodcastDan Slater on Thailand’s Revolutionary ElectionAnne Applebaum on Autocracy, IncMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

The most dangerous states in the international system aren't necessarily revisionist powers that think that their trajectory points continually upward. It's those countries that have been growing, rising for a long time, and then fear that they are peaking and are about to decline. Those are the countries that are inclined to take the biggest risks to try to improve their position in the the here and now before things get worse for them in the future.Hal BrandsAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Hal Brands is the Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He is the coauthor (with Michael Beckley) of Danger Zone: The Coming Conflict with China and the author of The Twilight Struggle: What the Cold War Teaches Us About Great-Power Rivalry Today.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:43Peaking Power Theory - 3:12The Original Cold War - 22:28China as a Peaking Power - 31:14American Policy Toward China - 41:56Key LinksDanger Zone: The Coming Conflict with China by Hal Brands and Michael BeckleyThe Twilight Struggle: What the Cold War Teaches Us about Great-Power Rivalry Today by Hal Brands"China’s Threat to Global Democracy" in Journal of Democracy by Hal Brands and Michael BeckleyDemocracy Paradox PodcastJosh Chin on China’s Surveillance StateElizabeth Economy in a Wide Ranging Conversation About ChinaMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on Democracy Support the show

My book is in some ways trying to help us see not only the kind of deep intermingling of pre-modern and modern ideas of sovereignty, but how we repeat some of those more fantastical attributes of sovereignty that we might otherwise presume to be long gone remnants of a more superstitious or religious age.Natasha WheatleyAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Natasha Wheatley is an assistant professor of history at Princeton University. She is the author of The Life and Death of States: Central Europe and the Transformation of Modern Sovereignty.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:40The State as Modern and Pre-Modern - 2:52The Habsbug Empire - 9:21Collapse of an Empire - 24:09The State and International Law - 40:55Key LinksThe Life and Death of States: Central Europe and the Transformation of Modern Sovereignty by Natasha WheatleyLearn More About Natasha WheatleyFollow Natasha Wheatley on Twitter @natasha_wheatlDemocracy Paradox PodcastAnna Grzymala-Busse on the Sacred Foundations of Modern PoliticsTom Ginsburg Shares his Thoughts on Democracy and International LawMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

I think that the most important reform is openness. Once the country is open, really open to the rest of the world, the rest follows.Sebastian EdwardsAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Sebastian Edwards is the Henry Ford II Professor of International Economics at the University of California, Los Angeles. He was the former Chief Economist for Latin America at the World Bank where from 1993 until 1996. His most recent book is The Chile Project: The Story of the Chicago Boys and the Downfall of Neoliberalism.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:46Pinochet and the Origin of the Chicago Boys - 3:17Neoliberalism Under Democracy - 22:35Personal Background of Sebastian Edwards - 30:18Future of Chile - 38:35Key LinksThe Chile Project: The Story of the Chicago Boys and the Downfall of Neoliberalism by Sebastian EdwardsLearn More About Sebastian EdwardsWatch the film Chicago Boys by Carola Fuentes and Rafael ValdeavellanoDemocracy Paradox PodcastJennifer Piscopo on the Constitutional Chaos in ChileAldo Madariaga on Neoliberalism, Democratic Deficits, and ChileMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Democracy is Eastern as well as Western.Dan SlaterAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Dan Slater is the James Orin Murfin Professor of Political Science, the Ronald and Eileen Weiser Professor of Emerging Democracies, and director of the Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies at the University of Michigan. His most recent book (coauthored with Joseph Wong) is From Development to Democracy: The Transformations of Modern Asia. More recently he wrote the article "Thailand's Revolutionary Election" at the Journal of Democracy.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:41An Inspiring Election - 2:38Parties and Politics - 5:09Forming a Government - 21:09Risks and Hope - 35:53Key Links"Thailand's Revolutionary Election" by Dan Slater at Journal of DemocracyFrom Development to Democracy: The Transformations of Modern Asia by Dan Slater and Joseph Wong"What Indonesian Democracy Can Teach the World" by Dan Slater in the Journal of DemocracyDemocracy Paradox PodcastDan Slater on IndonesiaRoger Lee Huang on MyanmarMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

If you have grown up in a household which had decent quality of life and now you are struggling, you cannot even match the degree of wellbeing that your parents achieved, this is very obvious and makes people feel completely dissatisfied with the system that we have now.Peter TurchinAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Peter is a complexity scientist who has established a new field of social science research called cliodynamics. He is the author of the book End Times: Elites, Counter-Elites, and the Path of Political Disintegration,Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:45The Crisis - 3:05Elites - 11:54Popular Immiseration - 30:59Cliodynamics - 43:40Key LinksEnd Times: Elites, Counter-Elites, and the Path of Political Disintegration by Peter TurchinCliodynamics: The Journal of Quantitative History and Cultural EvolutionLearn more about Peter TurchinDemocracy Paradox PodcastMartin Wolf on the Crisis of Democratic CapitalismFrancis Fukuyama Responds to Liberalism’s DiscontentsMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

It's very hard to understand what's happening today without looking at the roots of all these divisions and at the interests of the different communities and their long-held resentments against the establishment of the country.Isabel KershnerAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Isabel Kershner is a reporter at The New York Times and the author of a new book called The Land of Hope and Fear: Israel's Battle for Its Inner Soul.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:37Mizrahi and Askenazi - 5:31Immigration - 18:08Ultra-Orthodox - 28:12Netanyahu's Judiciary Proposal - 39:27Key LinksThe Land of Hope and Fear: Israel's Battle for Its Inner Soul by Isabel KershnerRead more from Isabel Kershner at The New York TimesFollow Isabel Kershner on Twitter @IKershnerDemocracy Paradox PodcastSteven Simon on American Foreign Policy in the Middle East including Iran and the Wars in IraqYascha Mounk on the Great Experiment of Diverse DemocraciesMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

The Jihadis today root themselves theologically and ideologically in a particular movement that is exclusivist, that is militant, that is activist, and that is the movement known as Wahhābism.Cole BunzelAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Cole Bunzel is a fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and the editor of the blog Jihadica. He is the author of the book Wahhābism: The History of a Militant Islamic Movement.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:33Relevance and Overview - 2:43Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab - 14:15Appeal to Adherents - 26:14Legacy - 36:16Key LinksWahhābism: The History of a Militant Islamic Movement by Cole BunzelRead the Jihadica BlogLearn more about Cole BunzelDemocracy Paradox PodcastMarsin Alshamary on Iraq’s Struggle for DemocracySteven Simon on American Foreign Policy in the Middle East including Iran and the Wars in IraqMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

If you have this model of AI, which is geniuses design machines and those machines or algorithms are going to scoop up all the data and they're going to make better decisions for you. That's fundamentally anti-democratic.Daron AcemogluAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Daron Acemoglu is the Elizabeth and James Killian Professor of Economics at MIT. He is coauthor (with James A. Robinson) of The Narrow Corridor, Why Nations Fail, and The Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy. His latest book (with Simon Johnson) is Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle over Technology and Prosperity.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:33Technology and Progress - 2:06Productivity - 14:01Artificial Intelligence - 24:42Shared Prosperity - 34:31Key LinksPower and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle over Technology and Prosperity by Daron Acemoglu and Simon JohnsonWhy Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty by Daron Acemoglu and James A. RobinsonLearn more about Daron AcemogluDemocracy Paradox PodcastJamie Susskind Explains How to Use Republican Ideals to Govern TechnologySamuel Woolley on Bots, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital PropagandaMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

The fact that Ukraine can be a democracy.... presents a threat to the authoritarian regimes in Moscow and Minsk of the sort that NATO would never actually present.Serhii PlokhyAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Serhii Plokhy is a Professor of Ukrainian history at Harvard University and the Director of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute. He’s written many books including The Gates of Europe, Nuclear Folly, and Atoms to Ashes. His most recent book is The Russo-Ukrainian War: The Return of History.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:37Ukrainian Political Identity - 2:39Background on the War - 18:31Causes of the War - 26:22Nuclear Power in a War - 36:06Key LinksThe Russo-Ukrainian War: The Return of History by Serhii PlokhyAtoms and Ashes: A Global History of Nuclear Disasters by Serhii PlokhyLearn more about the Harvard Ukrainian Research InstituteDemocracy Paradox PodcastOlga Onuch and Henry Hale Describe the Zelensky EffectMichael McFaul and Robert Person on Putin, Russia, and the War in UkraineMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

We are at a moment of very, very high risk and I'm not sure that people really know that or understand it, or if they do, if they care.Anne ApplebaumAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Anne Applebaum is a staff writer at The Atlantic and a Pulitzer-prize winning historian. Some of her books include Gulag: A History, Red Famine: Stalin’s War on Ukraine, and most recently Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism. She recently gave the Seymour Martin Lipset Lecture titled "Autocracy, Inc."Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:42What is Autocracy, Inc - 3:47Democratic Response - 13:40Appeal of Authoritarianism - 26:51Thoughts on Poland - 32:26Key LinksWatch Anne Applebaum's Lecture "Autocracy, Inc""The Autocrats are Winning" in The Atlantic by Anne ApplebaumTwilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism by Anne ApplebaumDemocracy Paradox PodcastFrancis Fukuyama Responds to Liberalism’s DiscontentsLarry Diamond on Supporting Democracy in the World and at HomeMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

The thing that really astonishes me is that there's never any agency given to Iraqis, both during the war and the occupation, but also 20 years later. It always goes back to what the Americans did. There's a defeatism about Iraq's ability to do anything on its own and I think that's at the heart of why people can't see anything democratic in the country.Marsin AlshamaryAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Marsin Alshamary is a research fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Middle East Initiative and nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Middle East Policy. She is the author of the paper "Iraq’s Struggle for Democracy" in the Journal of Democracy.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:41Is Iraq a Democracy - 3:37Iraqi Social Cleavages - 9:20Iraqi Consociationalism - 26:33Challenges to Democracy in Iraq - 36:55Key Links"Iraq’s Struggle for Democracy" in the Journal Democracy by Marsin AlshamaryFollow Marsin Alshamary on Twitter @MarsinRALearn more about Marsin AlshamaryDemocracy Paradox PodcastSteven Simon on American Foreign Policy in the Middle East including Iran and the Wars in IraqLarry Diamond on Supporting Democracy in the World and at HomeMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

The problem in both cases is not Zuckerberg or Musk, but the idea of a Zuckerberg or Musk. The idea that, simply by virtue of owning and controlling a particular technology, someone wields arbitrary or unaccountable power which can touch every aspect of our liberty and our democracy.Jamie SusskindAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Jamie Susskind is an author and barrister. He has held fellowships at Cambridge and Harvard Universities. His work is at the crossroads of technology, politics, and law. His most recent book is The Digital Republic: On Freedom and Democracy in the 21st Century.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:44Challenges of Digital Technology - 3:18Artificial Intelligence - 20:09A Digital Republic - 40:27Possible Solutions - 43:42Key LinksThe Digital Republic: On Freedom and Democracy in the 21st Century by Jamie SusskindFollow Jamie Susskind on Twitter @jamiesusskindLearn more about Jamie SusskindDemocracy Paradox PodcastSamuel Woolley on Bots, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital PropagandaRonald Deibert from Citizen Lab on Cyber Surveillance, Digital Subversion, and Transnational RepressionMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

Who would be a better ally than Ukrainians? These are people who are fighting so bravely and have shown so much resilience. That's what we should want in an ally.James GoldgeierAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.James Goldgeier is a a Professor of International Relations at American University. He is also a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University's Center on International Security and Cooperation and a Visiting Fellow at the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution. Recently, he is the coeditor with Joshua Itzkowitz Shifrinson of a new book called Evaluating NATO Enlargement: From Cold War Victory to the Russia-Ukraine War.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:35Purpose of NATO - 2:37NATO Expansion - 16:00NATO and Democratization - 22:41Future of NATO - 32:42Key LinksEvaluating NATO Enlargement: From Cold War Victory to the Russia-Ukraine War edited by James Goldgeier and Joshua R. Itzkowitz ShifrinsonPower and Purpose: U.S. Policy toward Russia After the Cold War by James Goldgeier and Michael McFaulLearn more about James GoldgeierDemocracy Paradox PodcastRobert Kagan Looks to American History to Explain Foreign Policy TodayMichael McFaul and Robert Person on Putin, Russia, and the War in UkraineMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

The Iraqis suffered so heavily and not just because of the 2003 war. The first war in 1991 inflicted terrible damage on Iraq and then the next 10 years of sanctions immiserated the populace and inflicted an especially punishing blow on Iraqi women and children.Steven SimonBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Steven served on the National Security Council staff from 1994 to 1999 and again fro 2011 to 2012. Earlier he served in the State Department for fifteen years. He is currently a Robert E. Wilhelm Fellow at the MIT Center for International Studies and his most recent book is Grand Delusion: The Rise and Fall of American Ambition in the Middle East.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:43Iran - 4:41JCPOA - 22:58The Iraq Wars - 27:19Saudi Arabia - 32:57Key LinksGrand Delusion: The Rise and Fall of American Ambition in the Middle East by Steven SimonLearn more about Steven Simon"America's Great Satan" By Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon in Foreign AffairsDemocracy Paradox PodcastRobert Kagan Looks to American History to Explain Foreign Policy TodayZoltan Barany on the Ineffectiveness of the Gulf MilitariesMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

Democracy is a much more complicated thing than we often give it credit for and certainly speaking dichotomously about democracy being in crisis or not is an oversimplification.Larry BartelsBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Larry Bartels is the May Werthan Shayne Chair of Public Policy and Social Science at Vanderbilt University and a Co-Director for the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions. His new book is called Democracy Erodes from the Top: Leaders, Citizens, and the Challenge of Populism in Europe.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:34A Crisis of Democracy? 3:02Populism 23:20Political Restraint - 37:49What is Democracy? 44:51Key LinksDemocracy Erodes from the Top: Leaders, Citizens, and the Challenge of Populism in Europe by Larry BartelsDemocracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government by Christopher Achen and Larry BartelsCenter for the Study of Democratic InstitutionsDemocracy Paradox PodcastMartin Wolf on the Crisis of Democratic CapitalismJason Brownlee Believes We Underestimate Democratic ResilienceMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

One of the things that we see happening online is sort of a democratization of propaganda.Samuel WoolleyBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Samuel Woolley is an assistant professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin and the project director for propaganda research at the Center for Media Engagement. His most recent book is Manufacturing Consensus: Understanding Propaganda in the Era of Automation and Anonymity.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:43Background on Technology (including Bots) - 3:00Artificial Intelligence - 10:17Democratization of Propaganda - 20:44The Legitimation of Ideas - 30:48Key LinksManufacturing Consensus: Understanding Propaganda in the Era of Automation and Anonymity by Samuel Woolley"Digital Propaganda: The Power of Influencers" in the Journal of Democracy by Samuel WoolleyCenter for Media EngagementDemocracy Paradox PodcastRichard Wike Asked Citizens in 19 Countries Whether Social Media is Good for DemocracyRonald Deibert from Citizen Lab on Cyber Surveillance, Digital Subversion, and Transnational RepressionMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

It's hard to believe what was happening in Xinjiang and most Chinese people didn't believe, but now they do. A lot of them do.Josh ChinBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Josh Chin is the Deputy Bureau Chief for China at the Wall Street Journal and the coauthor with Liza Lin of the book Surveillance State: Inside China's Quest to Launch a New Era of Social Control.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:38Describing Xinjiang - 2:38Social Engineering - 11:21Privacy in China - 19:08AI in China - 28:23Key LinksSurveillance State: Inside China's Quest to Launch a New Era of Social Control by Josh Chin and Liza LinRead more from Josh Chin in the Wall Street Journal"The Mandarin in the Machine" A review of Surveillance State in Journal of Democracy by Will DobsonDemocracy Paradox PodcastElizabeth Economy in a Wide Ranging Conversation About ChinaAynne Kokas on the Intersection Between Surveillance Capitalism and Chinese Sharp Power (or How Much Does the CCP Already Know About You?)More Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

Democracy dies with the lies. Even that simplest form of democracy, which is that we vote on a politician or we don't and we vote on another politician depends on the truth. Because if you can lie about what you did in office or lie about what you didn't do, that sort of vertical accountability breaks down. It becomes meaningless.Staffan LindbergBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Staffan Lindberg is the Director of the V-Dem Institute, one of the five principal investigators of the Varieties of Democracy Project, and a Professor of Political Science at the University of Gothenburg. He is also a coeditor of the book Why Democracies Develop and Decline along with Michael Coppedge, Amanda B. Edgell, and Carl Henrik Knutsen.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:46Bright Spots for Democracy - 3:24Autocratization and Democratic Backsliding - 13:20Causes of Democratic Recession - 22:25Criticisms of the Report - 34:56Key LinksWhy Democracies Develop and Decline edited by Michael Coppedge, Amanda B. Edgell, Carl Henrik Knutsen, and Staffan LindbergLearn more about V-DEM"A Third Wave of Autocratization is Here: What is New About it?" in Democratization by Anna Lührmann and Staffan LindbergDemocracy Paradox PodcastMichael Coppedge on Why Democracies Emerge, Why They Decline, and Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem)Sarah Repucci from Freedom House with an Update on Freedom in the WorldMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

It is one Putin when you see him on a calendar. It's yet another Putin when he needs to arrest a snowman.Srdja PopovicBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Srdja Popovic is the co-founder of CANVAS, and was a founding member of the Otpor! (“Resistance!”) a movement that had a crucial part in bringing down the Milosevic regime in Serbia. He recently coauthored an article in the Journal of Democracy with Sophia McClennen and Joe Wright called, “How to Sharpen a Nonviolent Movement.”Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:27What are Dilemma Actions? 2:24Different Types of Dilemma Actions - 18:53Effectiveness - 33:01Strategies and Tactics - 38:37Key Links"How to Sharpen a Nonviolent Movement" in the Journal of Democracy by Sophia McClennen, Srdja Popovic, and Joseph WrightBlueprint for Revolution: How to Use Rice Pudding, Lego Men, and Other Nonviolent Techniques to Galvanize Communities, Overthrow Dictators, or Simply Change the World  by Srdja Popovic with Matthew MillerLearn more about CANVASDemocracy Paradox PodcastMohammed Ali Kadivar on Paths to Durable Democracy and Thoughts on the Protests in IranErica Chenoweth on Civil ResistanceMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

I do want to underscore this should not be read as a victory of the left. It's a victory of Lula and a narrow victory. And it's Lula the person. It's not so much Lula from the PT as the party that won.Wendy HunterBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Wendy Hunter is a Professor of Government at the University of Texas Austin. Recently, she cowrote an article with Timothy Power in the Journal of Democracy called “Lula’s Second Act.”Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:36Lula - 2:16The 2022 Presidential Election - 13:01Bolsonaro - 20:45January 8th - 27:18Key Links"Lula's Second Act" in the Journal of Democracy by Wendy Hunter and Timothy J. Power"Bolsonaro and Brazil’s Illiberal Backlash" in the Journal of Democracy by Wendy Hunter and Timothy J. Power"The Normalization of an Anomaly: The Workers' Party in Brazil" in World Politics by Wendy HunterDemocracy Paradox PodcastJennifer Piscopo on the Constitutional Chaos in ChileAmy Erica Smith on Politics and Religion in BrazilMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

I think voters right now, remember the circus of the convention over the substance of what it did. I think there is a bit of an amnesia over the mandate for change that existed in 2019 and 2020 that the Constitution delivered on, that voters had moved away from that mandate to change by the time the Constitution went for approval.Jennifer PiscopoBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Jennifer Piscopo is an associate professor of politics at Occidental College. Recently, she coauthored a paper with Peter Siavelis in the Journal of Democracy called “Chile’s Constitutional Chaos.”Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:42Demands for a New Constitution - 3:04The Constitution Making Process - 17:18Substance of the Constitution - 33:29Why Voters Rejected it - 36:53Key Links"Chile's Constitutional Chaos" in Journal of Democracy by Peter M. Siavelis and Jennifer PiscopoLearn more about Jennifer Piscopo hereFollow Jennifer Piscopo on Twitter @jennpiscopoDemocracy Paradox PodcastAldo Madariaga on Neoliberalism, Democratic Deficits, and ChileDonald Horowitz on the Formation of Democratic ConstitutionsMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

I think democracy and capitalism are individually in crisis in that they're not working very well and that the combination of the two in one political and economic system, which we have come to think of as the Western Way, is in crisis not only because the two component parts are in crisis, but because they're in crisis interactively.Martin WolfBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Martin Wolf is the chief economics commentator at the Financial Times. He has written many books, but his most recent is The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:51The Link Between Democracy and Capitalism  - 3:10Does Capitalism Reinforce Democracy? 16:50Status Anxiety - 26:13Populism- 38:55Key LinksThe Crisis of Democratic Capitalism by Martin WolfRead Martin Wolf's writings at the Financial TimesFollow Martin Wolf on Twitter @martinwolf_Democracy Paradox PodcastFrancis Fukuyama Responds to Liberalism’s DiscontentsLarry Diamond on Supporting Democracy in the World and at HomeMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

While war creates the need for a state, it obliterates the capacity to deliver one. We're seeing that in Ukraine right now. That if you want to develop a state, you need peace, not war. War may create the need for a state, but peace is what allows you to build one. I think that that might be a lesson worth emphasizing, especially these days.Anna Grzymala-BusseBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Anna Grzymała-Busse is the Michelle and Kevin Douglas Professor of International Studies at Stanford University. She is also the Director of the Europe Center and a Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute. Her latest book is Sacred Foundations: The Religious and Medieval Roots of the European State.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:38Medieval Governance - 2:42Papal Strategies - 16:43Law, Taxation, and Representation - 25:07Ongoing Influences - 40:25Key LinksSacred Foundations: The Religious and Medieval Roots of the European State by Anna Grzymala-BusseFollow Anna Grzymala-Busse on Twitter @AnnaGBusseLearn more about Anna Grzymala-BusseDemocracy Paradox PodcastOlivier Zunz on Alexis de TocquevilleDavid Stasavage on Early Democracy and its DeclineMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

I think that there is a core set of shared values that liberals have to embrace. You know, if they don't believe in a rule of law, they don't believe in the fundamental legitimacy of their constitutional order, that's a big problem. But as I said, probably the strongest argument in favor of liberalism is this pragmatic one. That this is something that allows pluralistic diverse societies to live in peace with one another.Francis FukuyamaClick Here to Join Patreon and Access the Bonus Episode with Final Thoughts on the Last Three Episodes on LiberalismMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:47Interpretation of Liberalism - 3:04Liberalism and Democracy - 17:15Conservative Critique - 26:22Threats to Liberalism - 39:16Key LinksLiberalism and its Discontents by Francis FukuyamaThe End of History and the Last Man by Francis FukuyamaLearn more about Francis FukuyamaDemocracy Paradox PodcastMichael Walzer on Liberal as an AdjectivePatrick Deneen Offers a Powerful Critique of LiberalismMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

By my reading of political philosophy every regime in a sense ultimately comes to an end because its contradictions ultimately undermine whatever virtues it might have had. I don't have a crystal ball, but I think it's a very real possibility that we're in a hinge of history where the next thing is in the offing and my hope is that that next thing is going to be a better and more humane way of organizing our society because the prospects of a worse and less humane way is also ever real and ever worrying.Patrick DeneenBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Patrick Deneen is a Professor of Political Science at Notre Dame University. He is the author of Why Liberalism Failedand the forthcoming Regime Change: Toward a Postliberal Future.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:51Deneen's Critique of Liberalism - 2:57Human Rights - 14:06Democracy - 25:18Why Not Reform or Repair - 37:38Key LinksWhy Liberalism Failed by Patrick DeneenRegime Change: Toward a Postliberal Future by Patrick DeneenPostliberal Order SubstackDemocracy Paradox PodcastMichael Walzer on Liberal as an AdjectiveOlivier Zunz on Alexis de TocquevilleMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

It doesn't have a fixed character. It's a mindset that has to do with a respect for human rights and civil liberties, toleration of different religions, and an ability to live with ambiguity. So, I like the idea of liberal as a qualifier on other and more specific and coherent commitments.Michael WalzerBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Michael Walzer is an emeritus professor at the Institute for Advanced Study. He was also a longtime editor of Dissent. He is the author of many books including the classic of political philosophy Spheres of Justice. His most recent book is called The Struggle for a Decent Politics: On “Liberal” as an Adjective.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:45What is Liberalism? 3:53Liberal Democracy - 11:47Liberal Nationalism - 17:35How Does Liberalism Change? 22:14Key LinksThe Struggle for a Decent Politics: On "Liberal" as an Adjective by Michael WalzerSpheres Of Justice: A Defense Of Pluralism And Equality by Michael WalzerInstitute for Advanced StudyDemocracy Paradox PodcastOlivier Zunz on Alexis de TocquevilleMichael Ignatieff Warns Against the Politics of EnemiesMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

We think that because we’re children of the Enlightenment, the way the world is moving is gradually toward liberalism. I think the natural course of the world is away from liberalism and it has only been American power that has sustained this aberration in world history.Robert KaganBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Robert Kagan is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, a columnist at The Washington Post, and among the most influential writers on foreign policy today. His latest book is Ghost at the Feast: America and the Collapse of World Order, 1900-1941.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:37American and WWI - 2:37Isolationism and Retrenchment - 16:40Troops in the Rhineland - 31:36Parallels to Today - 42:32Key LinksThe Ghost at the Feast: America and the Collapse of World Order, 1900-1941 by Robert Kagan"A Free World, If You Can Keep It" by Robert Kagan in Foreign Affairs"The Weight of Geopolitics" by Robert Kagan in the Journal of DemocracyDemocracy Paradox PodcastLarry Diamond on Supporting Democracy in the World and at HomeCharles Kupchan on America’s Tradition of IsolationismMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

Tocqueville’s Democracy in America is only partly a book on America. It's also a book of comparative thinking and it's a book of theoretical invention. So, Democracy in America is a theory of democracy. Part of it is about America and part of it is Tocqueville’s theoretical genius pushing through.Olivier ZunzBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Olivier Zunz is the James Madison Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Virginia. He is among the foremost scholars of Alexis de Tocqueville and the author of The Man who Knew Democracy: The Life of Alexis de Tocqueville.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:44Democracy in America - 2:21Tocqueville as Political Theorist - 15:56Tocqueville the Politician - 22:14Tocqueville's Legacy - 27:17Key LinksThe Man who Knew Democracy: The Life of Alexis de Tocqueville by Olivier Zunz"Cancel Tocqueville?" by Tarek Masoud in the Journal of DemocracyLearn more about Olivier ZunzDemocracy Paradox PodcastMichael Ignatieff Warns Against the Politics of EnemiesLarry Diamond on Supporting Democracy in the World and at HomeMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

The state is able to take advantage of the social capital by deploying social actors and in exercising social capital, through the process of persuasion. They'll be putting on pressure on these families, but the pressures being put on them are social pressures. People would often cave into this social pressure. So, there is compliance, but it doesn't feel like state repression.Lynette OngBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Lynette Ong is a professor of political science at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. She is the author of the recent book Outsourcing Repression: Everyday State Power in Contemporary China.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:48Thugs for Hire - 2:47Political, Economic, and Social Brokers - 12:52Zero-Covid Protests - 20:34Outsourcing Repression After the Protests - 32:17Key LinksOutsourcing Repression: Everyday State Power in Contemporary China by Lynette Ong"China’s Massive Protests Are the End of a Once-Trusted Governance Model" by Lynette Ong in the Foreign PolicyLearn more about Lynette OngDemocracy Paradox PodcastJessica Pisano on How Zelenskyy Changed UkraineLucan Way on Ukraine. Democracy in Hard Places.More Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

I just want to say that I don't think Zelensky has changed Ukraine. He amplified it. He mirrored what was already there in his time as an actor and comedian. He tried to show the realities and positions of ordinary Ukrainians as they saw them themselves and he then amplifies that and emphasizes that as a Ukrainian.Olga OnuchBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Olga Onuch is a Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Manchester. Henry E. Hale is a Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University. They are the authors of a new book called The Zelensky Effect.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:44The Maidan and the Independence Generation - 2:59Zelensky's Origins - 9:19The Zelensky Effect - 23:05The Future of Ukraine - 33:11Key LinksThe Zelensky Effect by Olga Onuch and Henry E. Hale"Why Ukrainians Are Rallying Around Democracy" by Olga Onuch in the Journal of DemocracyLearn more about Olga OnuchDemocracy Paradox PodcastJessica Pisano on How Zelenskyy Changed UkraineLucan Way on Ukraine. Democracy in Hard Places.More Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

But if you think that China can change and that Xi Jinping is not inevitable and Xi Jinping two and three and four and five are not inevitable, then I think that leads you to a slightly different set of policy recommendations. A set that's probably more open to discussion to ensuring that we continue to quote ‘Engage with China.’Elizabeth C. EconomyBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Elizabeth C. Economy is serving as the Senior Advisor for China to the Secretary of Commerce. She is on leave from her role as a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. Previously she served as the Asia Director at the Council for Foreign Relations. Her past books include The Third Revolution: Xi Jinping and the New Chinese State and more recently The World According to China. The views expressed in this podcast are her own and do not reflect the official position of the US Government or the Commerce Department.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:43China's Foreign Policy Priorities - 2:57BRI & Chinese Investments - 11:21Indo-Pacific Economic Framework - 22:25Future Issues and Concerns - 28:23Key LinksThe World According to China by Elizabeth C. Economy"Dissent is Not Dead" by Elizabeth C. Economy in the Journal of DemocracyLearn more about Elizabeth C. Economy at the Hoover InstituteDemocracy Paradox PodcastSarah Cook on China’s Expanding Global Media InfluenceAynne Kokas on the Intersection Between Surveillance Capitalism and Chinese Sharp Power (or How Much Does the CCP Already Know About You?)More Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

When people think about social media, they think about the upsides of it. It speaks to what they want in democracy that they're not getting. They feel disconnected, voiceless, and not empowered. So, if there's ways that social media can play a role in empowering people and giving them a voice and holding accountable leaders that they don't think listen to them, those are upsides and that's some of the reasons why you get more positive evaluations of social media than we might think.Richard WikeBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Richard Wike is director of global attitudes research at Pew Research Center. He conducts research and writes about international public opinion on a variety of topics, such as America’s global image, the rise of China, democracy, and globalization. His latest report (coauthored with Laura Silver, Janell Fetterolf, Christine Huang, Sarah Austin, Laura Clancy and Sneha Gubbala) is   "Social Media Seen as Mostly Good for Democracy Across Many Nations, But U.S. is a Major Outlier."Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:47Role of Survey Research - 2:47Views on Social Media and Democracy - 5:27Differences by Age - 16:35Social Media Engagement - 24:23 Key Links"Social Media Seen as Mostly Good for Democracy Across Many Nations, But U.S. is a Major Outlier" by Richard Wike, Laura Silver, Janell Fetterolf, Christine Huang, Sarah Austin, Laura Clancy and Sneha Gubbala"Liberal Democracy’s Crisis of Confidence" by Richard Wike and Janell Fetterolf in the Journal of DemocracyLearn more about Richard Wike at the Pew Research CenterDemocracy Paradox PodcastAllie Funk of Freedom House Assesses Global Internet FreedomRonald Deibert from Citizen Lab on Cyber Surveillance, Digital Subversion, and Transnational RepressionMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

Sometimes I found people who I was talking to and their coup happened after an elected leader became less democratic. They could very convincingly tell me that their coup was in response to those actions. Then I'd find out that they started plotting the coup years in advance or entertaining it when the situation was very different.Naunihal SinghBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Naunihal Singh is associate professor in the Department of National Security Affairs at the U.S. Naval War College and the author of Seizing Power: The Strategic Logic of Military Coups (2014). He recently wrote the article "The Myth of the Coup Contagion" in the Journal of Democracy.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:43Brief History of Coups - 3:11Anti-Coup Norm - 10:33Conditions for a Coup - 18:33Reinforcing the Anti-Coup Norm - 35:53The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not reflect the official position of the U.S. Navy, Department of Defense, or U.S. Government.Key Links"The Myth of the Coup Contagion" by Naunihal Singh in the Journal of DemocracySeizing Power: The Strategic Logic of Military Coups by Naunihal SinghLearn more about Naunihal SinghDemocracy Paradox PodcastSteven Levitsky and Lucan Way on the Durable Authoritarianism of Revolutionary RegimesMichael Miller on the Unexpected Paths to DemocratizationMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

It's been exciting and it's been overwhelming. It's exciting to see people are rising, to see the amount of bravery on the streets, how these young women and men will stand up against the armored police with bare hands. It's been inspiring.Mohammad Ali KadivarBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Mohammad Ali Kadivar is an assistant professor of sociology and international studies at Boston College. He is the author of the book Popular Politics and the Path to Durable Democracy.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:38Democratization Examples: Egypt and South Africa - 3:20Democratization and Durable Democracy - 11:12Nonviolence and Democratization - 23:33Part 2: The Iranian Protests - 38:49Key LinksPopular Politics and the Path to Durable Democracy by Mohammed Ali Kadivar"Sticks, Stones, and Molotov Cocktails: Unarmed Collective Violence and Democratization " by Mohammed Ali Kadivar and Neil Ketchley in Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic WorldLearn more about Mohammed Ali KadivarDemocracy Paradox PodcastMichael Coppedge on Why Democracies Emerge, Why They Decline, and Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem)Mark Beissinger on Urban Civic RevolutionsMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

Democracy is the stage in which we mount the battle for power and we fight out our competing visions of what would be good for a society. But at the same time, the most dangerous of all things we try to do in a democracy is argue about what is democratic and what is undemocratic.Michael IgnatieffBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Michael Ignatieff is a historian and former Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. He has served as rector and president of Central European University, and is the author, most recently, of On Consolation: Finding Solace in Dark Times. He recently wrote, "The Politics of Enemies" in the Journal of Democracy.Key HighlightsIntroductionWhat is democracy? 3:15Role of Politicians - 18:05January 6th - 21:06The Politics of Enemies - 23:51Consolation After Electoral Losses - 34:55Key Links"The Politics of Enemies" by Michael Ignatieff in the Journal of DemocracyOn Consolation: Finding Solace in Dark Times by Michael IgnatieffLearn more about Michael IgnatieffDemocracy Paradox PodcastJason Brownlee Believes We Underestimate Democratic ResilienceJeremi Suri on America’s Unfinished Fight for DemocracyMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

There is this idea on the one hand of this mass collective participation, but on the other hand that there's a lot of attention being given to the sort of dignity of each individual contribution. So, I think the experience of voting that is most valuable is when you have these two experiences juxtapose with each otherEmilee Booth ChapmanBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Emilee Booth Chapman is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Stanford University. Her most recent book is Election Day: How We Vote and What It Means for Democracy.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:40Common Perceptions of Elections - 3:17Creative Work of Politics - 15:15Thoughts on Voting Reforms - 29:49A Model of Good Voting - 39:21Key LinksElection Day: How We Vote and What It Means for Democracy by Emilee Booth ChapmanLearn more about Emilee Booth ChapmanDemocracy Paradox PodcastJason Brownlee Believes We Underestimate Democratic ResilienceMiles Rapoport on How We Can Achieve Universal VotingMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

71% of Americans are concerned about democracy. And apparently that number, roughly 71%, holds for both parties. So, if listeners are concerned about democracy, they can expect that there's someone from the other party who's also concerned about democracy from a different perspective.Jason BrownleeBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Check out the podcast Entitled A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Jason Brownlee is a professor of Government at the University of Texas at Austin. Along with Kenny Miao, he is the author of "Why Democracies Survive" and "A Quiet Consensus" in the Journal of Democracy.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:41Democratic Decline and Resiliency - 3:40National Income or Wealth and Democracy - 13:49Democratic Backsliding - 21:53More than Minimal Democracy - 32:02Key Links"Why Democracies Survive" by Jason Brownlee and Kenny Miao in the recent Journal of Democracy"A Quiet Consensus" by Jason Brownlee and Kenny Miao in the recent Journal of DemocracyLearn more about Jason BrownleeDemocracy Paradox PodcastMichael Coppedge on Why Democracies Emerge, Why They Decline, and Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem)Sarah Repucci from Freedom House with an Update on Freedom in the WorldMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

The Internet's a battle space. I think this year unfortunately we've seen that more than ever with Russia's brazen invasion of Ukraine about how the internet and digital platforms are used to pursue authoritarian ends or to promote democracy and freedom and help people stay safe during armed conflict.Allie FunkBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Allie Funk is the Research Director for Technology and Democracy at Freedom House. She was deeply involved in this year's Freedom on the Net report and coauthored the executive summary "Countering an Authoritarian Overhaul of the Internet" along with Adrian Shahbaz and Kian Vesteinsson.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:42The Importance of Internet Freedom - 2:42Where Internet Freedom Improved - 6:34Internet Freedom in the China - 18:25Internet Freedom as Transnational - 25:11Key LinksFreedom on the Net 2022: Countering an Authoritarian Overhaul of the Internet by Adrian Shahbaz, Allie Funk, and Kian VesteinssonLearn more about Allie FunkFollow Allie Funk on Twitter @alfunkDemocracy Paradox PodcastSarah Cook on China’s Expanding Global Media InfluenceSarah Repucci from Freedom House with an Update on Freedom in the WorldMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

Our democracy is an evolving machine. The machine was built by a small group of people who were all men and looked the same. Over time the strength of American society is that it has grown and become more diverse and become very different. Our democracy has in an inefficient, episodic way been able to adjust and been able to at least account for some of that. But it hasn't done that in about a generation, and it's long time we do that.Jeremi SuriBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Order Civil War By Other Means: America’s Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy by Jeremi SuriA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Jeremi Suri is the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. He cohosts the podcast This is Democracy with his son Zachary. His latest book is Civil War By Other Means: America’s Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:50Reconstruction and American Democracy - 3:21Contradictions in American Reconstruction - 15:25How Reconstruction Era Issues Shape Democracy Today - 23:25Democracy and Political Reform - 32:18Key LinksThis is Democracy a podcast from Jeremi and Zachary SuriFollow Jeremi Suri on Twitter @JeremiSuriDemocracy Paradox PodcastLynn Vavreck on the 2020 Election and the Challenge to American DemocracyCan America Preserve Democracy without Retreating from it? Robert C. Lieberman on the Four ThreatsMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

This is a party absolutely determined to maintain a monopoly of power and absolutely determined to crush any attempt by any group to suggest that there ought to be anything like separation of powers. No labor unions. No civil society. No freedom of press. No judicial independence. The mere suggestion of it seems to be so offensive that people end up in jail and that’s a constant theme that runs throughout this entire period.Frank DikötterBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Order China After Mao: The Rise of a Superpower by Frank Dikötter (Available in the UK now. Available in the US November 15th, 2022.)A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Frank Dikötter is the author of three books about China under Mao called the People’s Trilogy. He is currently the Chair Professor of Humanities at the University of Hong Kong. His latest book is China After Mao: The Rise of a Superpower.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:52Life in China After Mao - 3:06How much did China Reform After Mao - 13:20What do the Chinese People Want from Reform - 25:38Is Political Reform Necessary for Deeper Economic Reforms - 29:33Why is China's Reform Overstated - 36:18Key LinksLearn more about Frank Dikötter at WikipediaThe People's Trilogy by Frank DikötterDemocracy Paradox PodcastSarah Cook on China’s Expanding Global Media InfluenceSteven Levitsky and Lucan Way on the Durable Authoritarianism of Revolutionary RegimesMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

The world can't wait for us to counter Russian and Chinese disinformation, support democratic struggles abroad, help to stabilize and improve democratic institutions, forge partnerships between our democratic organizations and actors and parties and theirs, and otherwise promote democracy around the world. The world can't wait for us to do that.Larry DiamondBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Larry Diamond is widely considered the leading scholar of democracy. He is a professor at Stanford University and a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. He was a co-founder of the Journal of Democracy with Marc Plattner in 1990. His influence on the thought and practice of democracy is incalculable. His recent article in Foreign Affairs is titled "All Democracy is Global."Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:49Importance of Democracy - 2:34Strategies to Promote Democracy - 11:30American Policies - 19:59Using Democracy's Strengths - 30:32Key LinksIll Winds: Saving Democracy from Russian Rage, Chinese Ambition, and American Complacency by Larry DiamondFollow Larry Diamond on Twitter @LarryDiamondCheck out Larry Diamond's Greatest Hits at the Journal of Democracy"All Democracy is Global" by Larry DiamondDemocracy Paradox PodcastMichael McFaul and Robert Person on Putin, Russia, and the War in UkraineMoisés Naím on the New Dynamics of Political PowerMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

The people who win get to enact policy and they get to change the world we live in. But we're at this moment where the candidates who lose, if they think that they don't have to abide by election outcomes, that's very important and that affects the kind of world we live in.Lynn VavreckBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Order The Bitter End: The 2020 Presidential Campaign and the Challenge to American Democracy by Chris Tausanovitch, John Sides, and Lynn VavreckLynn Vavreck is the Marvin Hoffenberg Professor of American Politics and Public Policy at UCLA. She’s a contributor for The Upshot at The New York Times. She recently coauthored (with John Sides and Chris Tausanovitch) The Bitter End: The 2020 Presidential Campaign and the Challenge to American Democracy.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:39Lessons from 2016 - 3:05Political Calcification - 14:31Why Did the Democrats Nominate Joe Biden? - 18:51Forecasting the 2020 Election - 25:52Implications for American Democracy - 29:39Key LinksFollow Lynn Vavreck on Twitter @vavreckLearn more about Lynn VavreckDemocracy Paradox PodcastRobert Lieberman, Kenneth Roberts, and David Bateman on Democratic Resilience and Political Polarization in the United StatesKaren Greenberg on the War on Terror, Donald Trump, and American DemocracyMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

In country after country - we've counted over 130 news outlets of 30 countries that were republishing content that was produced by Chinese state media outlets or the Chinese embassy. So, these state media outlets are actually formally under the control of the Communist Party's propaganda department.Support Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes, ad free episodes and exclusive updates and information. Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Sarah Cook is the Research Director for China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan at Freedom House. She also directs their China Media Bulletin and authored the executive summary of this latest report, "Beijing's Global Media Influence 2022: Authoritarian Expansion and the Power of Democratic Resilience."Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:38China and its Media Influence - 2:58Chinese Influence Tactics - 12:48The Effectiveness of Chinese Influence - 18:30Resiliency of Democracies - 27:47Key LinksRead the report "Beijing's Global Media Influence 2022: Authoritarian Expansion and the Power of Democratic Resilience"Follow Sarah Cook on Twitter @Sarah_G_CookFollow Freedom House on Twitter @freedomhouseDemocracy Paradox PodcastAynne Kokas on the Intersection Between Surveillance Capitalism and Chinese Sharp Power (or How Much Does the CCP Already Know About You?)Sarah Repucci from Freedom House with an Update on Freedom in the WorldMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Back then as a child, when it was normal that we couldn't ride on all buses and sit on all park benches and be allowed to go and watch a movie in a cinema together. Today, our children simply don't know that we had those experiences. But in it lies the wonders of the successes of what we have achieved. And if we managed to change that, then I think we have the ability to change from where we are currently into the future.Hassen EbrahimSupport Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes, ad free episodes and exclusive updates and information. Preorder the new book Constitution Makers on Constitution Making: New Cases here. Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Hassen Ebrahim was Executive Director of the Constitutional Assembly of South Africa, and is an advisor on constitution building. He participated in the construction of South Africa's constitution. He is the author of the chapter "Decisions, Deadlocks and Deadlines in Making South Africa’s Constitution" in the forthcoming book Constitution Makers on Constitution Making.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:50Meaning of a Constitution - 2:54Hassen's Political Journey - 10:07Constitutional Process - 20:22Unifying Event - 29:15Areas of Disagreement - 36:48Future of South Africa's Democracy - 46:18Key LinksRead the Constitution of South AfricaConstitution Makers on Constitution Making: New Cases edited by Tom Ginsburg and Sumit BisaryaDemocracy Paradox PodcastJoseph Fishkin on the Constitution, American History, and Economic InequalityDonald Horowitz on the Formation of Democratic ConstitutionsMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Politics requires complex and ongoing engagement by all of us. There are lots of elements that hang together. The Brexit process has really highlighted that whatever we decide to do that has knock-on consequences and those knock-on consequences have knock-on consequences of their own which might come back and affect our original decision. Everything is connected and we are never going to have something that's going to make everybody happy.Simon UsherwoodSupport Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes, ad free episodes and exclusive updates and information. Order The Nested Games of Brexit here. Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Simon Usherwood is a Professor of Politics & International Studies at the Open University, Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Surrey's Centre for Britain & Europe and a National Teaching Fellow. Simon coauthored (along with John Pindar) The European Union: A Very Short Introduction. He recently coedited (along with Agnès Alexandre-Collier and Pauline Schnapper) The Nested Games of Brexit.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:48The Rise of Boris Johnson - 3:44Why Boris Johnson Resigned - 16:40What are Nested Games - 23:48Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak - 31:55What Have we Learned about Democracy? 40:23 Key LinksEuropean Union: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) by John Pindar and Simon UsherwoodLearn more about Simon UsherwoodFollow Simon Usherwood on Twitter @UsherwoodDemocracy Paradox PodcastAmory Gethin on Political Cleavages, Inequality, and Party Systems in 50 DemocraciesSusan Rose-Ackerman on the Role of the Executive in Four Different DemocraciesMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

People like Lenin, Stalin, Mao, they basically lashed out at the entire capitalist world and that lashing out created a counterrevolutionary armed struggle, which in turn contributed to their durability. So, it's that reckless behavior in creating enemies that ultimately led to their creating very strong authoritarian institutions.Lucan WaySupport Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes, ad free episodes and exclusive updates and information. Preorder Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way's new book Revolution and Dictatorship: The Violent Origins of Durable Authoritarianism here. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Lucan Way is a professor of political science at the University of Toronto and Co-Director of the Petro Jacyk Program for the Study of Ukraine. Steven Levitsky is the David Rockefeller Professor of Latin American Studies, professor of government, and director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University. They are also co-chairs of the editorial board at the Journal of Democracy. They are the authors of the forthcoming book Revolution and Dictatorship: The Violent Origins of Durable Authoritarianism.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:45How Recklessness Leads to Authoritarian Durability - 3:17Why Revolutions Abandon Pluralism - 16:53Revolutions and Institution Building - 22:05Why does Durable Authoritarianism Fail - 29:31Is the Era of Revolutions Over - 38:01Key LinksRevolution and Dictatorship: The Violent Origins of Durable Authoritarianism by Steven Levitsky and Lucan WayCompetitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid Regimes after the Cold War by Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way"The Durability of Revolutionary Regimes" by Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way in the Journal of DemocracyDemocracy Paradox PodcastLucan Way on Ukraine. Democracy in Hard Places.Mark Beissinger on Urban Civic RevolutionsMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

There's always another set of elections. So, let's set up for elections. Let's figure out how to mobilize people. Let's figure out how to engage them and answer the question, ‘Why they elected this person? What did we miss? What do we need to build? Which kind of program.’ I think using the streets is great, but definitely you need training… A lot of training.This is a long-term effort. It's not about calling you on Facebook for a demonstration and that's it.Laura GamboaSupport Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes, ad free episodes and exclusive updates and information. Preorder Laura Gamboa's new book Resisting Backsliding: Opposition Strategies against the Erosion of Democracy here. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Laura Gamboa is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Utah. She is the author of the forthcoming book Resisting Backsliding: Opposition Strategies against the Erosion of Democracy.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:47Uribe was a Threat to Democracy - 3:11Opposition Strategies in Colombia - 14:20Opposition Strategies in Venezuela - 17:53How Often do Aspiring Autocrats Get Elected - 27:03Final Advice for Democratic Oppositions - 34:02Key LinksLearn more about Laura Gamboa"The Peace Process and Colombia’s Elections" by Laura Gambia in the Journal of DemocracyResisting Backsliding: Opposition Strategies against the Erosion of Democracy by Laura GamboaDemocracy Paradox PodcastKim Lane Scheppele on Hungary, Viktor Orbán, and its Democratic DeclineCaitlin Andrews-Lee on Charismatic Movements and Personalistic LeadersMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

So, I came back from that trip and said to one of my good friends back in Budapest, ‘I think I've met the most dangerous person I've ever met personally.’ And she said, ‘Oh Viktor, he's nothing. He's like a kid. He's in his thirties.’ I mean, he was an aspiring politician at this point. His party was at the bottom of the polls. It didn't look like he had any future. And I said, ‘No, this guy has something. It's hard to define what it is, but we're going to be hearing from him.’Kim Lane ScheppeleSupport Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes, ad free episodes and exclusive updates and information. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Kim Lane Scheppele is the Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Sociology and International Affairs and the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:50Kim Lane Scheppele meets Viktor Orbán - 2:45Viktor Orbán as Prime Minister 1998-2002 - 9:21Hungary Changes its Constitution 15:56Orbán Undermines Democracy Legally - 26:32Why do Voters Support Orbán and Fidesz - 41:48Key LinksLearn more about Kim Lane Scheppele"How Viktor Orbán Wins" by Kim Lane Scheppele in the Journal of Democracy9/11 and the Rise of Global Anti-Terrorism Law: How the UN Security Council Rules the World edited by Kim Lane Scheppele and Arianna VedaschiDemocracy Paradox PodcastMoisés Naím on the New Dynamics of Political PowerStephan Haggard and Robert Kaufman on Democratic BackslidingMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

There were lots of opportunities for a certain part of Ukrainian society to encounter Zelenskyy and to feel that they knew him. He was not an unknown quantity when he ran for president. So, I think that's important for us to keep in mind. I would say the so-called Western World is still discovering who he is, but his loyalty, his integrity, his ideas or his group's ideas about Ukrainian political nationhood have been in the works for a long time.Jessica PisanoSupport Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Jessica Pisano is Associate Professor in the Department of Politics at the New School for Social Research. She is the author of "How Zelensky Changed Ukraine" in the Journal of Democracy and Staging Democracy: Political Performance in Ukraine, Russia, and Beyond.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:49Early Career of Zelenskyy - 2:58What is Political Theater? - 10:30Zelenskyy Changes Politics in Ukraine - 17:26Zelenskyy as President - 22:43Future of Ukraine - 30:41Key LinksLearn more about Jessica Pisano"How Zelensky Changed Ukraine" by Jessica Pisano in the Journal of DemocracyStaging Democracy: Political Performance in Ukraine, Russia, and Beyond by Jessica PisanoDemocracy Paradox PodcastMichael McFaul and Robert Person on Putin, Russia, and the War in UkraineLucan Way on Ukraine. Democracy in Hard Places.More Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

As long as people are able to cast their ballot, irrespective of the illiberalism, irrespective of all these other shortcomings, democracy, at least from a voting standpoint, has the capacity to surprise.Neil DevottaSupport Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Neil DeVotta is professor of politics and international affairs at Wake Forest University. His article "Sri Lanka's Agony" was published in this July's issue of Journal of Democracy.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:38Overview of the Protests - 3:15Protests After the Rajapaksas - 15:16Background on the Rajapaksas - 24:58Sri Lanka and Democracy - 30:31Future of Sri Lanka - 34:11Key LinksLearn more about Neil DeVotta"Sri Lanka's Agony" by Neil DeVotta in the Journal of Democracy"Sri Lanka: The Return to Ethnocracy" by Neil DeVotta in the Journal of DemocracyDemocracy Paradox PodcastAshutosh Varshney on India. Democracy in Hard PlacesMark Beissinger on Urban Civic RevolutionsMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

The US consumer system is uniquely exploitative. US consumers are exploited by American companies, by French companies, by German companies, by Chinese companies, because there aren't laws protecting consumer data privacy that extend widely across the US consumer ecosystem. The main difference with Chinese companies is that the Chinese government has established an entire framework that pressures Chinese firms to share their data with Chinese government regulators.Aynne KokasSupport Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Aynne Kokas is an associate professor of media studies and the C.K. Yen Chair at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center. Her most recent book is Trafficking Data: How China Is Winning the Battle for Digital Sovereignty. Her article "How Beijing Runs the Show in Hollywood" was published in this April's issue of Journal of Democracy.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:50Video Games as Social Media - 3:02Chinese Brands in the US Tech Market - 11:34Party Control of China's Tech Industry - 19:40America's Lack of Tech Regulations - 28:36The Big Picture - 37:03Key LinksLearn more about Aynne KokasTrafficking Data: How China Is Winning the Battle for Digital Sovereignty by Aynne Kokas"How Beijing Runs the Show in Hollywood" by Aynne Kokas in the Journal of DemocracyVisit the Miller Center at the University of VirginiaDemocracy Paradox PodcastRonald Deibert from Citizen Lab on Cyber Surveillance, Digital Subversion, and Transnational RepressionMareike Ohlberg on the Global Influence of the Chinese Communist PartyMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

There are a lot of people quietly who are deeply frustrated with this war. Every rich person in Russia with one or two exceptions are frustrated with this war. I think many of the so-called liberal technocratic elites in the government are frustrated with this war. Lots of regional leaders are frustrated with this war. It's not just the vocal opposition. I think there's a quiet minority and maybe even majority that is exhausted with what Putin has done.Michael McFaulSupport Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Michael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Russia, is professor of political science at Stanford University, director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. His most recent book is From Cold War to Hot Peace: An American Ambassador in Putin’s Russia (2018). Robert Person is associate professor of international relations at the U.S. Military Academy, director of its international affairs curriculum, and faculty affiliate at its Modern War Institute. Their essay "What Putin Fears Most" was published as an online exclusive from the Journal of Democracy in February and was included in the April 2022 issue.Key HighlightsIntroduction 0:48Personal Account from Michael McFaul 3:16Putin's Objectives 7:44What would Russia be like without Putin? 12:22Challenges for democracy in Ukraine 20:10Effectiveness of sanctions 24:15Where is the Russian Revolution going? 27:11Key LinksLearn more about Michael McFaul"What Putin Fears Most" by Robert Person and Michael McFaul in the Journal of DemocracyFrom Cold War To Hot Peace: An American Ambassador in Putin's Russia by Michael McFaulDemocracy Paradox PodcastKathryn Stoner on How Putin’s War has Ruined RussiaMarta Dyczok and Andriy Kulokov on the Media, Information Warriors, and the Future of UkraineMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

I think they're really important. But I don't think that they are a complete safeguard. Certainly, when you create democracies in hard places, you want to think very carefully about what institutions you want in place and how you strengthen them. But if you get illiberal governing parties in democracies in hard places, they can run over institutions.Scott MainwaringSupport Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Scott Mainwaring is the Eugene P. and Helen Conley Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame. He is also a faculty fellow at the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, where he previously served as director for 13 years and is a current Advisory Board member. He is the coeditor (with Tarek Masoud) of Democracy in Hard Places.Key HighlightsIntroduction 0:47Why is Argentina a hard place for democracy? 2:35Are democracies in hard places the exception or the norm? 9:19Is Peronism a threat to democracy? 12:01How can democracies strengthen institutions? 19:32What role do citizens play? 33:27Key LinksLearn more about Scott Mainwaring"The Fates Of Third-Wave Democracies" by Scott Mainwaring and Fernando Bizarro in the Journal of DemocracyDemocracy in Hard Places edited by Scott Mainwaring and Tarek MasoudDemocracy Paradox PodcastLucan Way on Ukraine. Democracy in Hard Places.Rachel Beatty Riedl on Benin. Democracy in Hard Places.More Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

The war is never going to really end. Because even in the most optimistic scenario where Ukraine regains its territory and it goes back to the 1991 borders, Russia is almost certainly going to present a permanent threat to Ukrainian sovereignty. I think objectively it will. But even if objectively it wasn’t, after such an invasion, you can imagine the political environment's going to treat it as one.Lucan WaySupport Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Lucan Way is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto. He coauthored (along with Steven Levitsky) Competitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid Regimes After the Cold War. He has a new book also coauthored with Steven Levitsky due this fall called Revolution and Dictatorship: The Violent Origins of Durable Authoritarianism. He is the author of the chapter "Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine: Democratic Moments in the Former Soviet Union" in the book Democracy in Hard Places.Key HighlightsWhat makes Zelensky such a special leader?Why wasn't Ukraine considered more democratic before Russia's invasion?How has the war impacted democracy in Ukraine?What role did Ukraine's ethnic pluralism contribute to democratization?What challenges will Ukrainian democracy face after its war with Russia?Key LinksRevolution and Dictatorship: The Violent Origins of Durable Authoritarianism by Steven Levitsky and Lucan WayFollow the Lucan Way on Twitter @LucanWay"The Rebirth of the Liberal World Order?" by Lucan Way in the Journal of DemocracyDemocracy in Hard Places edited by Scott Mainwaring and Tarek MasoudDemocracy Paradox PodcastSarah Repucci from Freedom House with an Update on Freedom in the WorldStephan Haggard and Robert Kaufman on Democratic BackslidingMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Democracy is a complex concept. It has to do with elections. It has to do with legislatures. It has to do with civil society organizations and courts and political styles of politicians. There's a lot packed into the concept and it's multidimensional, because some of these components don't move together.Michael CoppedgeSupport Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Michael Coppedge is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame, a principal investigator of the Varieties of Democracy project, and a faculty fellow at the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. He is a coeditor (along with Amanda Edgell, Carl Henrik Knutsen, and Staffan Lindberg) of Why Democracies Develop and Decline.Key HighlightsDemocracy as a multidimensional conceptHow the conditions for democratization differ from those for backslidingWays researchers use information from V-Dem to discover new insights about democracyNew findings from V-Dem research regarding presidentialism, party system institutionalization, and anti-system partiesHow has V-Dem changed research about democracyKey LinksLearn more about the Varieties of Democracy ProjectFollow the V-Dem Institute on Twitter @vdeminstituteWhy Democracies Develop and Decline edited by Michael Coppedge, Amanda B. Edgell, Carl Henrik Knutsen and Staffan I. LindbergDemocracy Paradox PodcastSarah Repucci from Freedom House with an Update on Freedom in the WorldStephan Haggard and Robert Kaufman on Democratic BackslidingMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

So, at some level, a belief in democracy was necessary in Benin as in elsewhere. Support for it - Absolutely. But what's interesting in the Benin case is that you were lacking that level of political elite leadership that were committed democratic ideologues.Rachel Beatty RiedlSupport Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Rachel Beatty Riedl is the John S. Knight Professor of International Studies, Director of the Einaudi Center for International Studies, and professor in the Department of Government at Cornell University. She also cohosts the podcast Ufahamu Africa with Kim Yi Dionne. Her chapter "Africa’s Democratic Outliers Success amid Challenges in Benin and South Africa" appears in the forthcoming book Democracy in Hard Places.Key HighlightsDetails the story of Benin's democratizationHow Benin has used consensus to governWhat makes Benin a democracy in a hard placeAn overview of the current President Patrice TalonCurrent threats to democracy in BeninKey LinksLearn more about the Einaudi Center for International StudiesListen to the Ufahamu PodcastFollow Rachel Beatty Riedl on Twitter @BeattyRiedlDemocracy in Hard Places edited by Scott Mainwaring and Tarek MasoudDemocracy Paradox PodcastEvan Lieberman on South AfricaChristophe Jaffrelot on Narendra Modi and Hindu NationalismMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Nehru is asked several times in those early years, ‘Aren’t you doing something which has never been done before? You are 17% literate. Half of your country is below the poverty line. Under such conditions no democracy has ever stabilize itself and perhaps has not emerged.’ And his argument repeatedly is that we shouldn't be constrained by the history of the West.Ashutosh VarshneySupport Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Ashutosh Varshney is the Sol Goldman Professor of International Studies and the Social Sciences and Professor of Political Science at Brown University, where he also directs the Center for Contemporary South Asia. His chapter "India’s Democratic Longevity and Its Troubled Trajectory" appears in the forthcoming book Democracy in Hard Places.Key HighlightsHow India defied early theories of democratizationThe role of leadership in India's early democracyWhy India returned to democracy after Indira Gandhi's emergency?The eerie similarities between India's recent treatment of Muslims and the rise of the Jim Crow era in the American SouthWhen will democratic backsliding in India become a democratic collapseKey Links"Modi Consolidates Power: Electoral Vibrancy, Mounting Liberal Deficits" by Ashutosh Varshney in Journal of DemocracyLearn more about Ashutosh Varshney at www.ashutoshvarshney.netFollow Ashutosh Varshney on Twitter @ProfVarshneyDemocracy in Hard Places edited by Scott Mainwaring and Tarek MasoudDemocracy Paradox PodcastDan Slater on IndonesiaChristophe Jaffrelot on Narendra Modi and Hindu NationalismMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

When you hear people talk in such disparaging tones, that everything is broken, that nothing is possible, you need to ask yourself, is that right? When you look around, the answer is no. There are these examples where things do go right, where people work together and create a neighborhood or a community for themselves in which they can be prosperous and build better lives. And that's really what the democratic project is all about.Evan LiebermanSupport Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Evan Lieberman is a Professor of Political Science and Contemporary Africa at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Director of the MIT Global Diversity Lab, and the faculty director of the MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI). He is the coauthor with Rorisang Lekalake of the recent article "South Africa's Resilient Democracy" in the Journal of Democracy and author of the forthcoming book Until We Have Won Our Liberty: South Africa after Apartheid.Key HighlightsWhy is Evan Lieberman optimistic about democracy in South AfricaRole of Nelson Mandela on South Africa's democracyImportance of South Africa for democracy in the worldAccount of the housing community EthembalethuWhat the 2019 election says about democracy in South AfricaKey LinksUntil We Have Won Our Liberty: South Africa after Apartheid by Evan Lieberman"South Africa’s Resilient Democracy" by Evan Lieberman and Rorisang Lekalake in Journal of DemocracyLearn more about Evan Lieberman at www.evanlieberman.orgFollow Evan Lieberman on Twitter @evliebDemocracy in Hard Places edited by Scott Mainwaring and Tarek MasoudDemocracy Paradox PodcastDan Slater on IndonesiaNic Cheeseman and Gabrielle Lynch on the Moral Economy of Elections in AfricaMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

This might sound like a cliche, but in Indonesia it's really, really true. My hope rests in the Indonesian people and the voters. I mean, the voters, they show up. The voters have been the ones to defend democracy. They've been the ones to reject the most anti-pluralistic candidates, not all Indonesian voters, but a slim majority. They've been managing to do it.Dan SlaterSupport Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Dan Slater is the Weiser Professor of Emerging Democracies in the Department of Political Science and director of the Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies at the University of Michigan. Dan is also the coauthor of the forthcoming book From Development to Democracy: The Transformations of Modern Asia with Joseph Wong.Key HighlightsA brief account of how Indonesia democratizedWhat is democratization through strengthHow elites held onto power after democratizationWhat makes Indonesia a hard place for democracyThe current state of Indonesia's democracyKey LinksFrom Development to Democracy: The Transformations of Modern Asia by Dan Slater and Joseph WongDemocracy in Hard Places edited by Scott Mainwaring and Tarek MasoudFollow Dan Slater on Twitter @SlaterPoliticsDemocracy Paradox PodcastDonald Horowitz on the Formation of Democratic ConstitutionsSebastian Strangio Explains the Relationship Between China and Southeast AsiaMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Boeing is pulling out, DuPont, Erickson, Analog Devices, Bombardier. Eventually all of these things are going to cause supply and production chain issues and unemployment in Russia. So, Mr. Putin doesn't have an infinite amount of time before havoc is wrought.Kathryn StonerSupport Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Kathryn Stoner is the Mosbacher Director at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, a professor of political science at Stanford University, and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. She is also the author of the book Russia Resurrected: Its Power and Purpose in a New Global Order. Her article “How Putin’s War Has Ruined Russia” was recently published online at journalofdemocracy.org.Key HighlightsHow has Russia's invasion of Ukraine affected perceptions of Russia's militaryHow has it affected its economy both short-term and long-termHow has it affected Russia's international standingThe affects on Russia's citizensWhat does Putin's unpredictability mean for peace in UkraineKey Links"How Putin’s War in Ukraine Has Ruined Russia" by Kathryn Stoner in Journal of DemocracyRussia Resurrected: Its Power and Purpose in a New Global Order by Kathryn StonerFollow Kathryn Stoner on Twitter @kath_stonerDemocracy Paradox PodcastMoisés Naím on the New Dynamics of Political PowerKathryn Stoner on Russia’s Economy, Politics, and Foreign PolicyMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

There's something natural and organic about perceiving that the people in power are out to advance their own interests. It's in part because it’s often true. Governments actually do keep secrets from the public. Politicians engage in scandals. There often is corruption at high levels. So, we don't want citizens in a democracy to be too trusting of their politicians. It's healthy to be skeptical of the state and its real abuses and tendencies towards secrecy. The danger is when this distrust gets redirected, not toward the state, but targets innocent people who are not actually responsible for people's problems.Scott RadnitzSupport Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.*Please note during the interview the host says "conspiracy" rather than "conspiracy theory." The transcript has been corrected.*Scott Radnitz is an associate professor of Russian and Eurasian Studies at the University of Washington and the director of the Ellison Center for Russian, Eastern European, and Central Asian Studies. He is the author of Revealing Schemes: The Politics of Conspiracy in Russia and the Post-Soviet Region and coeditor with Harris Mylonas of the forthcoming book Enemies Within: The Global Politics of Fifth Columns. His article “Why Democracy Fuels Conspiracy Theories” was recently published in the Journal of Democracy.Key HighlightsConspiracy theories Russia uses to justify their invasion of UkraineWhy Russia relies on conspiracy theories in its political rhetoricThe use of conspiracy theories in democracies and autocraciesThe recent proliferation of conspiracy theories in the United StatesHow to mitigate the harmful effects of conspiracy theories in politicsKey Links"Why Democracy Fuels Conspiracy Theories" by Scott Radnitz in Journal of DemocracyRevealing Schemes: The Politics of Conspiracy in Russia and the Post-Soviet Region by Scott RadnitzEnemies Within: The Global Politics of Fifth Columns edited by Harris Mylonas and Scott RadnitzDemocracy Paradox PodcastRonald Deibert from Citizen Lab on Cyber Surveillance, Digital Subversion, and Transnational RepressionMoisés Naím on the New Dynamics of Political PowerMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

This bonus episode is part of a series of interviews available for monthly supporters of Democracy Paradox at Patreon. Other interviews feature guests like Julia Azari, Mila Atmos, and Bob Shrum. But more importantly you'll help the podcast cover important expenses and continue to grow. Please consider becoming a monthly supporter by clicking on the link here.If you want to help the podcast in other ways, please email the host, Justin Kempf, at jkempf@democracyparadox.com. Dan Banik is a professor of political science at the University of Oslo and Director of the Oslo SDG Initiative. He also hosts the podcast In Pursuit of Development. His podcast is among the most insightful on topics of democracy, modernization, and sustainability. Past guests have included Francis Fukuyama and Daron Acemoglu. But it's Dan's ability to help listeners understand complex ideas and subjects that sets his podcast apart. In Pursuit of Development Follow on Twitter @GlobalDevPod Follow Dan on Twitter @danbanik Support the show

So, if your aim is to get inside someone's device without their permission and gather up information, you could do that using a very sophisticated commercial spyware technology like Pegasus. The latest iteration of it employs zero click technology meaning that it can target and insert itself on any device without the owner of that device even knowing or being tricked into clicking on a link. That's very powerful, because there is no defense against it.Ronald DeibertA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Ronald Deibert is a professor of political science at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto and the Director of the Citizen Lab. He recently gave the 18th annual Seymour Martin Lipset Lecture at the National Endowment for Democracy. Its title was “Digital Subversion: The Threat to Democracy.” His article, “Subversion Inc: The Age of Private Espionage” in the most recent Journal of Democracy is based on this lecture.Support Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. Key HighlightsHow Black Cube tried to infiltrate Citizen LabHow autocrats continue to repress political dissidents overseasThe privatization of espionage and spycraftThe link between surveillance capitalism and private espionageWhat liberal democracies can do to defend civil societyKey LinksCitizen LabSeymour Martin Lipset Lecture "Digital Subversion: The Threat to Democracy" by Ronald Deibert"Subversion Inc: The Age of Private Espionage" by Ronald Deibert in Journal of DemocracyDemocracy Paradox PodcastCan Democracy Survive the Internet? Nate Persily and Josh Tucker on Social Media and DemocracyWinston Mano on Social Media and Politics in Africa… And what America can Learn from Africa about DemocracyMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Pure economic factors or technological factors or the level of economic development or level of technological development cannot explain the diversity of levels of inequality and structure of inequality that we observe throughout history.Thomas PikettyA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Thomas Piketty is Professor at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) and the Paris School of Economics and Codirector of the World Inequality Lab. He is also the author of A Brief History of Equality.Support Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. Key HighlightsThe Case for Reparations for HaitiAn Account of the Historical Movement Toward Greater EqualityEconomic Inequality as a Political ConstructionShould Economic Equality be the Goal of the State?Is Thomas Piketty Optimistic for the Future?Key LinksA Brief History of Equality by Thomas PikettyCapital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas PikettyFollow Thomas Piketty on Twitter @PikettyLeMondeDemocracy Paradox PodcastJoseph Fishkin on the Constitution, American History, and Economic InequalityJacob Hacker and Paul Pierson on the Plutocratic Populism of the Republican PartyMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

I heard a verified story of a person who made his way with his family from an occupied town listening to our broadcast, because we were telling them where it was dangerous for them to go and where it was more or less safe to go. So, radio actually saves lives. I probably cannot save lives otherwise. But I can with the help of radio.Andriy KulykovRecorded on April 19th, 2022.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Marta Dyczok is an Associate Professor at the Departments of History and Political Science, Western University, Canada. She was the host of the podcast Ukraine Calling. Andriy Kulykov is co-founder and Chairperson of Hromadske Radio.Support Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. Key HighlightsA Short History of Hromadske RadioDo Journalists in Ukraine Consider Themselves Information WarriorsThe Importance of Media Literacy in a WarHow Radio Can Saved Lives in UkraineAndriy's Thoughts on Ukrainian IdentityKey LinksUkraine Calling: A Kaleidoscope from Hromadske Radio 2016–2019 edited by Marta DyczokListen to the Ukraine Calling PodcastLearn more about Hromadske RadioDemocracy Paradox PodcastBetween Russia and China: Anja Mihr on Central AsiaJoshua Yaffa on Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin’s RussiaMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

So, there's actually something about the basic mechanism of democracy that does make it harder to sustain diversity. In other ways, the principles of liberal democracy are the right solution. And so, obviously my vision for the future is that of a diverse democracy. But we shouldn't be at ease about the ways in which democracy can sometimes inflame ethnic and religious tensions as well.Yascha MounkA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Yascha Mounk is a Professor of the Practice of International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University and the founder of Persuasion. Mounk is also a contributing editor at The Atlantic and a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is the author of The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure.Support Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. Key HighlightsIs a diverse democracy more democraticChallenges for diverse democraciesYascha's vision for diverse societiesThe most dangerous idea in American PoliticsIs it more difficult for diverse ideas to flourish?Key LinksThe Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure by Yascha  MounkRead more from Yascha Mounk at PersuassionFollow Yascha Mounk @Yascha_MounkDemocracy Paradox PodcastElisabeth Ivarsflaten and Paul Sniderman on Inclusion and Respect of Muslim MinoritiesSara Wallace Goodman on Citizen Responses to Democratic ThreatsMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

I think the revolutionary process has become somewhat less consequential in some ways. The ability to bring about substantive change in the wake of revolution has deteriorated for one thing. We've gained certain things as well. I mean, revolutions are no longer as violent as they once were. They're more frequent than they once were, almost more normal in terms of being part of the political landscape in a way that they were not in the past.Mark BeissingerA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Mark Beissinger is a professor of politics at Princeton University and the author of the new book The Revolutionary City: Urbanization and the Global Transformation of Rebellion.Support Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. Key HighlightsAn Account of the Orange Revolution in UkraineDescription of Urban Civic RevolutionsWhy are Revolutions more Successful than in the Past?Why are Revolutions Less Violent?How do Revolutions Continue to Change?Key LinksThe Revolutionary City: Urbanization and the Global Transformation of Rebellion by Mark BeissingerLearn more about Mark Beissinger at Princeton UniversityLearn more about Mark Beissinger at WikipediaDemocracy Paradox PodcastErica Chenoweth on Civil ResistanceGeorge Lawson on RevolutionMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

It's still shocking to me to read a lot of these documents and interviews in, The Afghanistan Papers, things that most people would think are obvious. What's the plan to end the war? What benchmarks do we have to achieve so that we know we can leave? You know, none of those things were thought out or articulated.Craig WhitlockA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Craig Whitlock is an investigative reporter at The Washington Post and the author of The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War.Support Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. Key HighlightsWhen did the War in Afghanistan Go WrongThe Lies and Deception in Communications on the WarDifferences in the Approach to the War Between Bush and ObamaFailures to Provide a Long-Term Political SolutionLessons for Involvement in Ukraine and Beyond Key LinksThe Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War by Craig WhitlockAfghanistan Papers Document Database at The Washington Post"At War With Truth" by Craig WhitlockDemocracy Paradox PodcastJennifer Brick Murtazashvili and Ilia Murtazashvili on Afghanistan, Local Institutions, and Self-GovernanceKaren Greenberg on the War on Terror, Donald Trump, and American DemocracyMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

I have worked on voting issues for 35 years, for same-day registration and for opening up the process to younger people and preregistration, and, you know, nevertheless 35 years later we're still at 60 and 65%. 2020 was the highest turnout election ever and it was at 66%. So, I started to think what is it that could really, really move the needle and change the game.Miles RapoportA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of 100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting  here.Miles Rapoport is also the Senior Practice Fellow in American Democracy at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School. He formerly served as secretary of the state of Connecticut.  He is the coauthor of the book 100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting with E.J. Dionne.Support Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. Key HighlightsWhat is Civic Duty Voting?Why Should We Require Citizens to Vote?Is Voting a Right or a Duty?Australia's System of Civic Duty VotingHow Would it Change How Citizens Think About Themselves?Key Links100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting by Miles Rapoport and E.J. DionneLearn about Miles Rapoport at Harvard UniversityLift Every Voice: The Urgency of Universal Civic Duty Voting Democracy Paradox PodcastShari Davis Elevates Participatory BudgetingLee Drutman Makes the Case for Multiparty Democracy in AmericaMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Russia... will lose ground here in the region over the next decade and China will fill it, because the Europeans are not doing it. The United States is not doing it. Iran is not doing it and Turkey cannot do it either.Anja MihrA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Between Peace and Conflict in the East and the West Studies on Transformation and Development in the OSCE Region  here.Anja Mihr is an associate professor of Political Science at the OSCE Academy at Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and the founder and program director of the Center on Governance through Human Rights at the HUMBOLDT-VIADRINA Governance Platform (gGmbH) in Berlin. Recently, she edited the volume Between Peace and Conflict in the East and the West Studies on Transformation and Development in the OSCE Region.Support Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. Key HighlightsHow do Central Asian countries feel about Russia's invasion of Ukraine?Differences and similarities between Central Asian nationsWhy has China become so influential in the region?Sadyr Japarov and his rise to powerWhat is Glocalism?Key LinksBetween Peace and Conflict in the East and the West: Studies on Transformation and Development in the OSCE Region  edited by Anja MihrLearn more about Anja MihrFollow Anja Mihr on Twitter @AnjaMihrDemocracy Paradox PodcastJennifer Brick Murtazashvili and Ilia Murtazashvili on Afghanistan, Local Institutions, and Self-GovernanceTimothy Frye Says Putin is a Weak StrongmanMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

But what we have now is something that has not been sufficiently discussed, sufficiently understood, which is a criminalized state of which Russia is an example, in the Balkans we have some examples, in Latin America Venezuela stands out as an example. And that is essentially that the state becomes an organized criminal organization. An organization that essentially uses the structure, strategies, tactics, modalities of organized crime.Moisés NaímA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of The Revenge of Power: How Autocrats Are Reinventing Politics for the 21st Century  here.Moisés Naím is a scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and an internationally syndicated columnist. He served as editor in chief of Foreign Policy, as Venezuela's trade minister, and as executive director of the World Bank. He is the author of The End of Power: From Boardrooms to Battlefields and Churches to States, Why Being In Charge Isn't What It Used to Be and most recently, The Revenge of Power: How Autocrats Are Reinventing Politics for the 21st Century.Support Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. Key HighlightsHow 3P Autocrats Use Polarization, Populism, and Post-Truth to Consolidate PowerWhy Do People Elect AutocratsNaím's Personal Evolution in his Ideas on PowerThe Rise of the Criminal StateNaím discusses Putin, Russia, and the War in UkraineKey LinksThe Revenge of Power: How Autocrats Are Reinventing Politics for the 21st Century by Moisés NaímLearn more about Moisés NaímFollow Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili on Twitter @MoisesNaimDemocracy Paradox PodcastSarah Repucci from Freedom House with an Update on Freedom in the WorldCaitlin Andrews-Lee on Charismatic Movements and Personalistic LeadersMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

It wasn't because Afghan social norms don’t support democracy. They do. And Afghans understood darn well what they were supposed to have. But they never even got the minimum of what they were promised in the constitution.Jennifer Brick MurtazashviliA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Land, the State, and War: Property Institutions and Political Order in Afghanistan  here.Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili and Ilia Murtazashvili are associate professors at the University of Pittsburgh and the authors of the recent book Land, the State, and War: Property Institutions and Political Order in Afghanistan. Jen is also the founding director and Ilia is an associate director of the Center for Governance and Markets.Support Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. Key HighlightsDescription of the role of shuras, maliks, and mullahs in local governanceHow property rights help explain local governanceWhy has the state always been ineffective in AfghanistanA little history on AfghanistanAre local, self-governing institutions in Afghanistan democratic?Key LinksLand, the State, and War: Property Institutions and Political Order in Afghanistan by Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili and Ilia MurtazashviliLearn more about the Center for Governance and MarketsFollow Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili on Twitter @jmurtazashviliFollow Ilia Murtazashvili on Twitter @IMurtazashviliDemocracy Paradox PodcastDavid Stasavage on Early Democracy and its DeclineDonald F. Kettl on FederalismMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

You can't protect basic human rights if you don't have democracy. If you're going to protect basic human rights, you need to have things like credible institutions that hold abusers to account. You need to have opportunities for the least advantaged in a society. The people whose rights are most at risk to be able to choose their leaders and choose leaders who will represent them and serve their interests. You need leaders that serve for the common good, not for their own personal gain.Sarah RepucciA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Freedom in the World 2022: The Global Expansion of Authoritarian Rule  here.Sarah Repucci is the Vice President of Research and Analysis at Freedom House. She coauthored (along with Amy Slipowitz) Freedom in the World 2022: The Global Expansion of Authoritarian Rule.Key HighlightsGlobal freedom has declined for 16 consecutive yearsHow Russia's invasion of Ukraine is part of a broader expansion of authoritarianismMyanmar and other countries with major declines in freedomBright spots like Ecuador and PeruHow we can support democracy in the worldSupport Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. Key LinksFreedom in the World 2022: The Global Expansion of Authoritarian Rule by Sarah Repucci and Amy SlipowitzLearn more about Freedom HouseFollow Freedom House on Twitter @freedomhouseDemocracy Paradox PodcastFreedom House: Sarah Repucci Assesses Freedom in the WorldStephan Haggard and Robert Kaufman on Democratic BackslidingMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

If you're actually a real person and you're living your life and you're going into stores and you're riding on a bus or your kids are going to school, what matters is that you be treated with respect. That you have a dignity. And that, I think, at every point that matters most to us is what the book has wound up being about. It’s an essay on respect as a condition of a liberal democracy.Paul SnidermanA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of The Struggle for Inclusion: Muslim Minorities and the Democratic Ethos  here.Elisabeth Ivarsflaten is a professor of political science and scientific director of the Digital Social Science Core Facility at the University of Bergen, Norway. Paul Sniderman is the Fairleigh S. Dickinson Jr., Professor of Public Policy at Stanford University. They are the authors of The Struggle for Inclusion: Muslim Minorities and the Democratic Ethos.Key HighlightsWestern societies show greater openness towards Muslim immigrants than previously recognizedWhere are there opportunities for real inclusion for Muslim immigrantsHow innovative research designs led to unexpected resultsThe difference between recognition respect and appraisal respectThe limits to inclusion for liberal societies that remain todaySupport Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. Key LinksThe Struggle for Inclusion: Muslim Minorities and the Democratic Ethos by Elisabeth Ivarsflaten and Paul SnidermanLearn more about the Digital Social Science Core Facility including The Norwegian Citizen PanelLearn more about Paul SnidermanDemocracy Paradox PodcastSara Wallace Goodman on Citizen Responses to Democratic ThreatsMike Hoffman on How Religious Identities Influence Support for or Opposition to DemocracyMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

You treat votes as equal. My vote is equal to your vote. But the state treats our bodies as unequal. That logically makes no sense and it is farcical to call it a democracy in the first place. Forget what implications this will have for democracy in the long-term, but to be called a democracy and to have your bodies treated differently is a farce in itself.Debasish Roy ChowdhuryA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of To Kill a Democracy: India's Passage to Despotism  here.Deb Chowdhry is a journalist who has published in Time, South China Morning Post, and Washington Times. John Keane is a Professor of Politics at the University of Sydney. They are the authors of the recent book To Kill a Democracy: India's Passage to Despotism.Key HighlightsWho is Mamata Banerjee?How does political violence undermine democracy?How does the failure to tackle social problems affect democracy?Why is Indian democracy in decline?What does India's experience teach other democracies?Support Democracy Paradox on Patreon for early access to new episodes and exclusive updates and information. Key LinksTo Kill A Democracy: India's Passage to Despotism by Debasish Roy Chowdhury and John KeaneLearn more about Debasish Roy ChowdhuryLearn more about John KeaneDemocracy Paradox PodcastBilal Baloch on Indira Gandhi, India’s Emergency, and the Importance of Ideas in PoliticsChristophe Jaffrelot on Narendra Modi and Hindu NationalismMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

The tension in what we want from democratic representation is that we want control over our representatives and we want creativity from them. If we control them, they are delegates. They're not representatives. They do what we want. They act in our place instead of us. They act as we would in our place. If they give us creativity, they will bring things out of us and do things for us that we may not have imagined.Lisa DischA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Making Constituencies: Representation as Mobilization in Mass Democracy  here.Lisa Disch is a professor of political science at the University of Michigan and an elected member of the Ann Arbor City Council. She is the author of the book Making Constituencies: Representation as Mobilization in Mass Democracy.Key HighlightsShould elected officials serve as delegates or opinion shapers?What is the line between leadership and manipulation?What is the constituency paradox?Does representation facilitate citizen mobilization?Can realists be idealists?Support Democracy Paradox on Patreon for early access to new episodes and exclusive updates and information. Key LinksMaking Constituencies: Representation as Mobilization in Mass Democracy by Lisa Jane DischLearn about Lisa Disch at the University of MichiganLisa Disch for City CouncilDemocracy Paradox PodcastSara Wallace Goodman on Citizen Responses to Democratic ThreatsCaitlin Andrews-Lee on Charismatic Movements and Personalistic LeadersMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

For many Americans, for the first many generations really up through the mid 20th century, the constitutional order seemed to rest on and depend on an economic order in which people had enough economic clout to be independent citizens and voters. Not serfs dependent on some kind of master.Joseph FishkinA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of The Anti-Oligarchy Constitution: Reconstructing the Economic Foundations of American Democracy  here.Joseph Fishkin is a Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law. He is the coauthor (along with William E. Forbath) of The Anti-Oligarchy Constitution: Reconstructing the Economic Foundations of American Democracy.Key HighlightsHow did Montana reform its laws to limit the influence of Amalgamated Copper?When do questions of inequality become constitutional questions?How did the courts undermine labor laws in the early 20th century?What are the affirmative obligations and duties in the constitution?What is the proper role of the courts in American politics?Support Democracy Paradox on Patreon for early access to new episodes and exclusive updates and information. Key LinksThe Anti-Oligarchy Constitution: Reconstructing the Economic Foundations of American Democracy by Joseph Fishkin and William E. ForbathFollow Joseph Fishkin on Twitter @joeyfishkinLearn more about Joseph Fishkin at UCLA LawDemocracy Paradox PodcastDonald Horowitz on the Formation of Democratic ConstitutionsJacob Hacker and Paul Pierson on the Plutocratic Populism of the Republican PartyMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

We have core ideas that form a part of our worldview, but those core ideas are not fixed in the way in which we talk about rationality and interest in that they can evolve. And we have to, when we think about human behavior, political behavior, we have to give serious attention to those ideas and go beyond just fixed material interests.Bilal BalochA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of When Ideas Matter: Democracy and Corruption in India  here.Bilal Baloch is the Co-Founder and COO of Enquire, formerly GlobalWonks. He is also a non-resident visiting scholar at the Center for the Advanced Study of India at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of When Ideas Matter: Democracy and Corruption in India.Key HighlightsWhat was the Jayaprakash Narayanan Movement?Why did the State of Emergency happen in India?How do ideas influence governance?The differences between technocratic and political leadershipIs it more important to foster a diversity of ideas or support the best ideas? Key LinksWhen Ideas Matter: Democracy and Corruption in India by Bilal BalochFollow Bilal Baloch on Twitter @bilalabalochLearn more about his company EnquireDemocracy Paradox PodcastChristophe Jaffrelot on Narendra Modi and Hindu NationalismKajri Jain Believes Democracy Unfolds through the AestheticMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

If I could say one thing to every citizen, it's to put country before party. Which is, you know, at this time it almost feels like a hollowed phrase, because we we've kind of heard it so often. But it's like actually true.Sara Wallace GoodmanA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Citizenship in Hard Times: How Ordinary People Respond to Democratic Threat  here.Sara Wallace Goodman is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Irvine and the author of Citizenship in Hard Times: How Ordinary People Respond to Democratic Threat.Key HighlightsHow much agency do citizens have in democracy?The important differences between citizenship and partisanship and their implicationsThe role of both rights and duties for citizenshipDifferences between citizenship in the United States, the United Kingdom, and GermanyWhat can citizens do to protect democracy?Key LinksCitizenship in Hard Times: How Ordinary People Respond to Democratic Threat by Sara Wallace GoodmanLearn about Sara Wallace Goodman from WikipediaFollow Sara Wallace Goodman on Twitter @ThatSaraGoodman Democracy Paradox PodcastStephan Haggard and Robert Kaufman on Democratic BackslidingJan-Werner Müller on Democracy RulesMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

This is money that flows between individuals and families and largely circumvents governments and that's a hugely important point, because the real take home of the book is that when these financial flows are controlled by citizens, it tips the balance of power in favor of citizens. When the international financial flow goes to governments, it tips the balance of power in terms of governments.Joseph WrightA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Migration and Democracy: How Remittances Undermine Dictatorships  here.Joe Wright is a professor of political science at Pennsylvania State University. Abel Escribà-Folch is an associate professor of political science at Universitat Pompeu Fabra. They cowrote the book Migration and Democracy: How Remittances Undermine Dictatorships along with Covadonga Meseguer.Key HighlightsHow Remittances Break Clientelistic RelationshipsThe Size and Importance of Remittances in Developing EconomiesWhy Financial Remittances Facilitate Protest MovementsCan Remittances Really Contribute to DemocratizationImplications for Immigration PoliciesKey LinksMigration and Democracy: How Remittances Undermine Dictatorships by Abel Escribà-Folch, Joseph Wright, and Covadonga MeseguerLearn more about Joseph WrightLearn more about Abel Escribà-FolchDemocracy Paradox PodcastMichael Miller on the Unexpected Paths to DemocratizationBryn Rosenfeld on Middle Class Support for Dictators in Autocratic RegimesMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com.Follow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

So, the question is how do you respond to that? If you are the party that sees itself as being on the side of democracy and on the side of maintaining democratic norms and procedures and maintaining this kind of democratic accountability, how do you respond? Do you respond in kind? Do you respond with hardball tactics of your own?Robert LiebermanA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Democratic Resilience: Can the United States Withstand Rising Polarization?  here.Robert C. Lieberman is the Krieger-Eisenhower Professor of Political Science at Johns Hopkins University. Kenneth M. Roberts is the Richard J. Schwartz Professor of Government and Binenkorb Director of Latin American Studies at Cornell University. David A. Bateman is an associate professor in the Government Department at Cornell University. Robert and Kenneth (along with Suzanne Mettler) coedited the book Democratic Resilience: Can the United States Withstand Rising Polarization?  David is a contributor to the volume. His chapter is "Elections, Polarization, and Democratic Resilience."Key HighlightsWhy did polarization become so severe in the United States?When did pernicious polarization start in America?Is polarization the fault of just one party or both?Discussion on possible judicial reforms as a solutionCan America overcome this episode of severe polarization?Key LinksDemocratic Resilience: Can the United States Withstand Rising Polarization? by Suzanne Mettler, Robert C. Lieberman, and Kenneth M. RobertsFollow Robert C. Lieberman on Twitter @r_liebermanFollow David Bateman on Twitter @DavidAlexBatemaDemocracy Paradox PodcastCan America Preserve Democracy without Retreating from it? Robert C. Lieberman on the Four ThreatsThomas Carothers and Andrew O’Donohue are Worried About Severe PolarizationMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

It's this sort of persistent loss of wages, which causes things like loss of marriage, people not living with their kids anymore, disintegration of communities with all of the things in those communities whether it's churches or union halls or society, just friendship that used to be there. And those are the things that cause people to lose meaning or, if you like, lose hope in their lives.Angus DeatonA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism  here.Angus Deaton is the Dwight D. Eisenhower Professor of Economics and International Affairs Emeritus at Princeton University, winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Economics, and the coauthor (with Anne Case) of Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism.Key HightlightsWhat are deaths of despair and what causes themHow did the Pandemic and the Great Recession affect deaths of despairWhy does a four year college degree affect life expectancy in the United StatesHow has health care policy in the United States contributed to deaths of despairAre deaths of despair an inevitable consequence of capitalismKey LinksDeaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism by Angus Deaton and Anne CaseNobel PrizeNational Bureau of Economic ResearchDemocracy Paradox PodcastSheryl WuDunn Paints a Picture of Poverty in America and Offers Hope for SolutionsJacob Hacker and Paul Pierson on the Plutocratic Populism of the Republican PartyMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Science is never offering the whole truth. It may be offering us something accurate. Scientific findings may be reliable for now, but they are always incomplete.Zeynep PamukA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Politics and Expertise: How to Use Science in a Democratic Society  here.Zeynep Pamuk is an assistant professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego and the author of the book Politics and Expertise: How to Use Science in a Democratic Society.Key HighlightsWhy is there a tension between science and democracyThe limits of science for public policyThe Proposal for a Science CourtWays to provide greater democratic involvement in scientific fundingHow have experts performed in the pandemicKey LinksPolitics and Expertise: How to Use Science in a Democratic Society by Zeynep PamukLearn more about Zeynep Pamuk at scholar.harvard.edu/zpamukRead Zeynep Pamuk's article "The Contours of Ignorance," in Boston ReviewRelated ContentSusan Rose-Ackerman on the Role of the Executive in Four Different DemocraciesChris Bickerton Defines TechnopopulismMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Charismatic leaders who are intent on governing solely using their charismatic authority and subverting other things to their personal power are inherently bad for democracy and inherently illiberal. They're anti-pluralist. They don't want to share their power with others even within their own movement or their own party. They don't tolerate dissent.Caitlin Andrews-LeeA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of The Emergence and Revival of Charismatic Movements: Argentine Peronism and Venezuelan Chavismo  here.Caitlin Andrews-Lee is an Assistant Professor in Ryerson University’s Department of Politics and Public Administration. She is the author of the book, The Emergence and Revival of Charismatic Movements: Argentine Peronism and Venezuelan Chavismo.Key HighlightsA profile on Juan Perón, the prototypical charismatic leaderWhy has Peronism survived its founder?Why do the anointed successors of charismatic leaders fail?How do new personalist leaders arise out of charismatic movements?Is Donald Trump a harbinger of future charismatic leaders or was he an historical aberration?Key LinksThe Emergence and Revival of Charismatic Movements: Argentine Peronism and Venezuelan Chavismo by Caitlin Andrews-LeeLearn more about Caitlin Andrews-Lee at www.caitlinandrewslee.comFollow Caitlin Andrews-Lee on Twitter @caitlineandrewsRelated ContentStephan Haggard and Robert Kaufman on Democratic BackslidingJames Loxton Explains Why Authoritarian Successor Parties Succeed in DemocraciesMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

The way we conceive of democracy is being challenged by these regimes and, by that I mean, because the process of backsliding is so incremental, it's difficult to see where these boundaries are.Stephan HaggardA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Backsliding: Democratic Regress in the Contemporary World  here.Stephan Haggard and Robert Kaufman are the authors of the new book, Backsliding: Democratic Regress in the Contemporary World. Stephan is the Lawrence and Sallye Krause Distinguished Professor at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at the University of California, San Diego. Robert Kaufman is a distinguished professor of political science at Rutgers University. Key HighlightsDescribes democratic backslidingHow polarization contributes to backslidingThe role of legislatures in backsliding episodesWhat it means when authoritarians "reform" judiciariesHow can citizens reverse democratic backsliding?Key LinksBacksliding: Democratic Regress in the Contemporary World by Stephan Haggard and Robert KaufmanLearn more about Stephan Haggard at www.stephanhaggard.comLearn more about Robert Kaufman at https://fas-polisci.rutgers.edu/kaufman/ Related ContentFreedom House: Sarah Repucci Assesses Freedom in the WorldThomas Carothers and Andrew O’Donohue are Worried About Severe PolarizationMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

‘What would you prefer? Would you prefer that this boy, Vasya, die because he couldn't get dialysis? Would you prefer that this girl, Katya, die from her shrapnel wounds that she suffered during the war that was obviously not her fault? Right? Like would it be better if I held my nose and refuse to engage in these compromises so these kids died? Would you be sort of happier, so you could write about how awful the bloody Putin regime is?’Joshua Yaffa explaining the perspective of Russian humanitarian Elizaveta GlinkaA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin's Russia here.Joshua Yaffa joins the podcast to discuss his new book Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin's Russia. He is a correspondent for The New Yorker based primarily in Moscow, Russia.Key HighlightsWho was Dr. Liza?The types of compromises must Russians make with the state to pursue their dreamsThe role of the Russian state in the arts through the story of theater director Kirill SerebrennikovLegal challenges for business owners in Russia through the experience of zookeeper Oleg ZubkovThe limited space for human rights activism in Chechnya through the experience of Heda SaratovaKey LinksBetween Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin's Russia by Joshua YaffaLearn more about Joshua Yaffa at www.joshuayaffa.com.Follow Joshua Yaffa on Twitter @yaffaesqueRelated ContentTimothy Frye Says Putin is a Weak StrongmanBryn Rosenfeld on Middle Class Support for Dictators in Autocratic RegimesMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

The last time, and luckily this hasn't really happened since 1990, there was minimal resistance from the Kuwaiti and the Saudi forces. So, this obviously is 30 years ago, but there is little reason to believe that in spite of the hundreds of billions of dollars that is spent on armaments, this state of affairs has changed. Let me just put it this way. Nobody in Tehran is losing any sleep over the prowess of any of the Gulf militaries.Zoltan BaranyA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Armies of Arabia: Military Politics and Effectiveness in the Gulf here.Zoltan Barany is the Frank C. Erwin, Jr. Centennial Professor of Government at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of Armies of Arabia: Military Politics and Effectiveness in the Gulf. Key HighlightsWhat should be expected of the militaries of the Gulf countries?Would the Gulf countries be threatened without the American security guarantee?What types of military investments do the Gulf countries make?What has the Yemeni War taught us about armies of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries?How does the leadership of MBS differ from MBZ?Key LinksArmies of Arabia: Military Politics and Effectiveness in the Gulf by Zoltan BaranyRobert Strauss Center For International Security and LawCenter for Strategic & International StudiesDemocracy Paradox PodcastDaniel Brinks on the Politics of Institutional WeaknessElizabeth Nugent on Polarization, Democratization and the Arab SpringMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Indeed, the moderation of left-wing party’s economic policy proposals in the eighties and in the nineties and the decision to promote an unregulated capitalism with no kind of proper compensation and no tax harmonization leading to greater offshore wealth and rising inequality. All these decisions have played a role in leading the working class to take distance from these parties and, at the same time, enabling these new issues to take a growing importance.Amory GethinA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Political Cleavages and Social Inequalities: A Study of 50 Democracies, 1948-2020 here.Amory Gethin is a PhD candidate at the Paris School of Economics and a research fellow at the world Inequality Lab. He is a coeditor (along with Clara Martinez-Toledano and Thomas Piketty) of Political Cleavages and Social Inequalities: A Study of 50 Democracies, 1948-2020.Key Highlights IncludeWhy have multi-elite party systems emerged in Western democracies?Describes the divide between the "Brahmin Left" and "Merchant Right"How do party systems differ between Western and Non-Western democracies?Descriptions of party systems in India, Eastern Europe, and BrazilWhy have party systems changed?Key LinksPolitical Cleavages and Social Inequalities. A Study of 50 Democracies, 1948-2020 edited by Amory Gethin, Clara Martinez-Toledano and Thomas PikettyFollow Amory Gethin on Twitter @amorygethinLearn more about Amory Gethin at his personal websiteDemocracy Paradox PodcastJames Loxton Explains Why Authoritarian Successor Parties Succeed in DemocraciesJacob Hacker and Paul Pierson on the Plutocratic Populism of the Republican PartyMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

We don't think about institutions until they fail and we think of institutions as being really strong when maybe they've never been challenged. They've never really tried to do anything.Daniel BrinksA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of The Politics of Institutional Weakness in Latin America here.Daniel Brinks joins the podcast to discuss his new book The Politics of Institutional Weakness in Latin America. He is the coeditor along with Steven Levitsky and María Victoria Murillo. Dan is a professor of Government and of Law at the University of Texas at Austin and a Senior Researcher & Global Scholar of the Centre on Law and Social Transformation.Key HighlightsWhat is institutional weakness?How does it differ from state capacity?How does civil society affect political institutions?What is the role of constitutions?How do Presidential systems affect other political institutions?Key LinksThe Politics of Institutional Weakness in Latin America edited by Daniel M. Brinks, Steven Levitsky, and María Victoria MurilloDepartment of Government at The University of Texas at Austin where Daniel Brinks teachesCentre of Law and Social Transformation at the Christian Michelsen Institute in Norway where Daniel Brinks is a Senior Researcher & Global ScholarRelated ContentDonald Horowitz on the Formation of Democratic ConstitutionsWilliam G. Howell and Terry M. Moe on the PresidencyMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

What we are doing in this volume is blurring the boundaries between this older conception of top-down mobilized movements and this newer conception of bottom-up organic, spontaneous civil society propelled movements and discovering that there's an awful lot in the middle there.Elizabeth PerryA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Ruling by Other Means: State-Mobilized Movements here.Elizabeth Perry and Grzegorz Ekiert join the podcast to discuss their new book Ruling by Other Means: State-Mobilized Movements (coedited with Xiaojun Yan). Elizabeth is the Henry Rosovsky Professor of Government at Harvard University and Director of the Harvard-Yenching Institute. Grzegorz is the Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Government at Harvard University and Director of Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies.Key HighlightsWhat are state-mobilized movements?Why do authoritarian regimes mobilize supporters?The role of violence in state-mobilized movementsWhy do people mobilize to support dictators?What does it teach us about civil society? Key LinksRuling by Other Means: State-Mobilized Movements edited by Grzegorz Ekiert, Elizabeth J. Perry, and Yan XiaojunMinda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies Harvard-Yenching Institute Related ContentErica Chenoweth on Civil ResistanceJonathan Pinckney on Civil Resistance TransitionsMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Many of these things that you and I are talking about are simply initiatives put forward by the chief executive or maybe by a cabinet minister. Something they want to do and rather than something that they're required to do. And it seems to me that that's a rather fragile base on which to build a more effective participatory process, which doesn't give up on the role of technocracy and expertise.Susan Rose-AckermanA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Democracy and Executive Power: Policymaking Accountability in the US, the UK, Germany, and France here.Susan Rose-Ackerman joins the podcast to discuss her new book Democracy and Executive Power: Policymaking Accountability in the US, the UK, Germany, and France. Susan is the Henry R. Luce Professor Emeritus of Law and Political Science at Yale University.Key Highlights IncludeHow have executives handled the pandemicDifferences between the executives of Germany, France, UK and USHow different executives make rules to implement public statutesDescription of deliberative democracy used in France to create environmental policiesIs the administrative state democratic Key LinksDemocracy and Executive Power: Policymaking Accountability in the US, the UK, Germany, and France by Susan Rose-AckermanSusan Rose-Ackerman on WikipediaEPuM Interview with Susan Rose-Ackerman on YouTubeRelated ContentLee Drutman Makes the Case for Multiparty Democracy in AmericaWilliam G. Howell and Terry M. Moe on the PresidencyMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

At the end of the day, I am optimistic despite all the evidence. First of all, I think there are a lot of resources that democracies can use. A lot of areas of law, where as long as we recognize what it is we're fighting for, democracy is worth fighting for and have a common view as to what that means that we can advance it in many places, not just here but abroad. And this might sound a little hokey, but there really is a genuine human demand for freedom and that's not going away.Tom GinsburgA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Democracies and International Law here.Tom Ginsburg is a professor of international law and political science at the University of Chicago. He is the coauthor of How to Save a Constitutional Democracy with Aziz Huq and the author of Democracies and International Law.Key Highlights IncludeHow is international law made and enforced?How do democracies approach international law differently than authoritarian regimes?Is there a right to democracy?Differences and similarities between the approach of China and the United States towards international law.How do regional organizations support democratic norms?Key LinksDemocracies and International Law by Tom GinsburgFollow Tom Ginsburg on Twitter @tomginsburgHow to Save a Constitutional Democracy by Tom Ginsburg and Aziz HuqDemocracy Paradox PodcastCharles Kupchan on America's Tradition of IsolationismJohn Ikenberry on Liberal InternationalismMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

So, now I've developed a way of talking about revolution as an option that can't be exercised, but that still has present value and I've set up a mechanism for saying what that present value is. Namely the value of the liquidity premium that a democracy that consents to maintaining accumulated wealth can extract for guaranteeing that the wealth continues to accumulate.Robert MeisterA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Justice is an Option: A Democratic Theory of Finance for the Twenty-First Century  here.Robert Meister is the author of the new book Justice is an Option: A Democratic Theory of Finance for the Twenty-First Century and a Professor of Social and Political Thought in the History of Consciousness Department at the University of California Santa Cruz.Key Highlights IncludeWhat is historical justice?An overview of financial termsHow is justice an option?Is capitalism compatible with justice?Will historical justice happen or is it just an option?Key LinksJustice Is an Option: A Democratic Theory of Finance for the Twenty-First Century by Robert MeisterA Theory of Justice by John RawlsSpheres of Justice by Michael WalzerDemocracy Paradox PodcastSheryl WuDunn Paints a Picture of Poverty in America and Offers Hope for SolutionsJacob Hacker and Paul Pierson on the Plutocratic Populism of the Republican PartyMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Where you and I and, I think, many others start from an assumption that somehow there is a thing called democracy and we sort of know what it is. But the diversity within democracy is far larger than that. You know, there's clear big institutional temperamental differences between visions of representatives ruling, people ruling, and so on. All these sorts of things are different models of democracy and therefore the word democracy in some respects becomes rather meaningless.Martin ConwayA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Western Europe’s Democratic Age: 1945—1968  here.Martin Conway is the author of the new book Western Europe’s Democratic Age: 1945—1968 and a Professor of Contemporary European History at the University of Oxford.Key Highlights IncludeWhy Democracy Became Part of Western Europe's IdentityHow Democracy was a Process of Continual NegotiationThe Distinct Characteristics of Democracy in Western EuropeAn Account of the Transition from the Fourth to the Fifth Republic in FranceLessons for Democracy Today from Western Europe's PastKey LinksWestern Europe's Democratic Age: 1945-1968  by Martin ConwayLearn more about Martin Conway at Balliol College at the University of OxfordDemocracy and Dictatorship in Europe  by Sheri BermanDemocracy Paradox PodcastKurt Weyland Distinguishes Between Fascism and AuthoritarianismMichael Hughes on the History of Democracy in GermanyMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

The most beautiful thing that happened in Indonesia, by the way, which was a polarized society along religious lines more than anything else, was that by the end of the proceedings, everybody knew what everybody else's problems were, what everyone else's constituencies wanted. They knew if X noticed that Y was making a demand, before long X figured out what was behind the demand and why Y had to make it and whether it was a real demand or whether it was made just for the sake of being on record.Donald HorowitzA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Constitutional Processes and Democratic Commitment here.Donald Horowitz is the James B. Duke Professor of Law and Political Science Emeritus at Duke University. Key Highlights IncludeAccounts of constitutional formation in Tunisia, Indonesia, and MalaysiaThe role of consensusThe challenges of negotiated constitutionsThe need for an inclusive processWhy citizen participation is not always beneficialKey LinksConstitutional Processes and Democratic Commitment  by Donald Horowitz"Ethnic Power Sharing: Three Big Problems"  by Donald Horowitz in the Journal of DemocracyReconsidering Democratic Transitions Francis Fukuyama, Donald Horowitz, Larry Diamond on YouTubeDemocracy Paradox PodcastAldo Madariaga on Neoliberalism, Democratic Deficits, and ChileHélène Landemore on Democracy without ElectionsMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Up to today, since the Mexican government deployed the military in 2006 up to the present, Mexico has experienced close to 200,000 battle deaths. That's roughly the number of battle deaths that took place in the civil war in Guatemala. So, the 36 year old civil war in Guatemala that produced approximately 200,000 battle deaths. That's where Mexico is right now.Guillermo TrejoA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a brief primer on Mexican politics here.Guillermo Trejo is an Associate Professor at the University of Notre Dame. Sandra Ley is an Assistant Professor at CIDE’s Political Studies Division in Mexico City. They are the authors of Votes, Drugs, and Violence: The Political Logic of Criminal Wars in Mexico. Key Highlights IncludeA vivid description of the effects of the criminal wars in MexicoHow autocracy allows for the proliferation of organized crimeWhy Mexico remains an 'illiberal democracy'How polarization exacerbated criminal violence in MexicoThe importance of deeper degrees of democratizationKey LinksVotes, Drugs, and Violence: The Political Logic of Criminal Wars in Mexico by Guillermo Trejo and Sandra LeyFollow Guillermo Trejo on Twitter @Gtrejo29Follow Sandra Ley on Twitter @sjleygDemocracy Paradox PodcastMichael Miller on the Unexpected Paths to DemocratizationJames Loxton Explains Why Authoritarian Successor Parties Succeed in DemocraciesMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on Democracy Support the show

Chinese participation in the human rights regime probably was never really intended to alter human rights so much in China that it would jeopardize the Chinese Communist Party’s hold on power. I think China, even if it may have been open to some areas of human rights, I think that we have to keep in mind that the full implementation of human rights including all of the elements of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights would mean that political competition is allowed. And that's just not something I see the current Chinese regime allowing.Rana Siu InbodenA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a brief primer on the human rights regime here.Rana Siu Inboden  is a senior fellow with the Robert Strauss Center for International Security and Law at the University of Texas–Austin. Her new book is China and the International Human Rights Regime: 1982-2017.Key Highlights IncludeWhat is the Human Rights RegimeChina's Participation in the Human Rights RegimeHow Tiananmen Changed China's View on Human RightsWhat is the Like Minded GroupHow China Views Human RightsKey LinksChina and the International Human Rights Regime: 1982-2017 by Rana Siu InbodenChina at the UN: Choking Civil Society by Rana Siu Inboden in Journal of DemocracyUnited Nations Human Rights CouncilRelated ContentMareike Ohlberg on the Global Influence of the Chinese Communist PartyXiaoyu Pu on China's Global IdentitiesMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Putin in the past could claim to have won at least an honest plurality, if not an honest majority of votes given his approval. However, in the upcoming election this fall, in September, it looks like the Kremlin has so restricted political competition that it's going to be a difficult sell to the Russian public to show that these elections are even as legitimate as the elections held in 2016 or in 2011.Timothy FryeA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a brief primer on personalism here.Timothy Frye is a Professor of Post-Soviet Foreign Policy at Columbia University and a research director at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow.Key Highlights IncludeIs Putin's popularity real?Why Russia holds elections at allDescription of Russia as a personalist autocracyHow autocracy shapes Russia's foreign policyWhat are the prospects for democratization in RussiaKey LinksWeak Strongman: The Limits of Power in Putin's Russia by Timothy FryeRussia's Weak Strongman: The Perilous Bargains That Keep Putin in Power by Timothy Frye in Foreign AffairsFollow Timothy Frye on Twitter @timothymfryeRelated ContentKathryn Stoner on Russia's Economy, Politics, and Foreign PolicyFreedom House: Sarah Repucci Assesses Freedom in the WorldMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Biden's current policy is, you know, we want Putin to calm down, be stable for awhile and turn our focus to restraining China. I don't think that's going to happen. That's not in his interest to do that. So, I think taking our eye off Russia, underestimating it, is the biggest concern for the U.S. currently.Kathryn StonerA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a brief primer on Russia here.Kathryn Stoner is a professor of political science at Stanford University. Her new book is Russia Resurrected: Its Power and Purpose in a New Global Order.Key Highlights IncludeA description of Russia's economyAn account of Russia's military reformsWhy Russia is in the Middle EastExplanation of Russia's foreign policyIs a resurrected Russia a danger to the West?Key LinksRussia Resurrected: Its Power and Purpose in a New Global Order by Kathryn StonerThe Freeman Spogli Institute For International StudiesFollow Kathryn Stoner on Twitter @kath_stonerRelated ContentTimothy Frye Says Putin is a Weak StrongmanBryn Rosenfeld on Middle Class Support for Dictators in Autocratic RegimesMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on Democracy Support the show

It was an era in which lawmakers and office holders learned that imprecision could actually work to their benefit to allow them to do what they wanted to because there was unclear codification in the law. And so yes, everybody talks about, we have to revise this law or get rid of this law or replace this law. But I want to say, it's not about that. It's about what constitutes a legitimately written, voted upon law. And I think that's something we still haven't countered since 9/11.Karen GreenbergA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a brief primer on the War on Terror here.Karen Greenberg is the director of the Center on National Security at Fordham Law, a fellow at New America, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Her new book is Subtle Tools: The Dismantling of American Democracy from the War on Terror to Donald Trump.Key Highlights IncludeThe origin of the AUMF and the Department of Homeland SecurityKaren Greenberg describes the subtle toolsThe link between the War on Terror and President TrumpHow will history view the 2020 electionIs the United States an illiberal democracy?Key LinksSubtle Tools: The Dismantling of American Democracy from the War on Terror to Donald Trump by Karen GreenbergVital Interests Podcast with Karen GreenbergFollow Karen Greenberg on Twitter @KarenGreenberg3Related ContentCharles Kupchan on America's Tradition of IsolationismCan America Preserve Democracy without Retreating from it? Robert C. Lieberman on the Four ThreatsMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Beginning in the 1990s, and then really picking up after 9/11, the United States overreached ideologically by thinking it could turn Iraq and Afghanistan into Ohio. It overreached economically by throwing open the nation's doors and saying the more trade, the better. And suddenly, I think, Americans said to themselves and to their leaders, ‘Wait a minute. Too much world, not enough America.'Charles KupchanA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a brief primer on Isolationism here.Charles Kupchan is a professor of international relations at Georgetown University and a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is also the author of Isolationism: A History of America's Efforts to Shield Itself from the World.Key Highlights IncludeIsolationism's Place in America's National IdentityThe Relationship Between Isolationism and American ExceptionalismA Brief History of Isolationism in the United StatesSimilarities Between the Rise of China and the Early United StatesDonald Trump and the Reemergence of IsolationismKey LinksIsolationism: A History of America's Efforts to Shield Itself from the World by Charles KupchanLearn more about Charles Kupchan"The Home Front: Why an Internationalist Foreign Policy Needs a Stronger Domestic Foundation" an article by Charles Kupchan in Foreign AffairsRelated ContentJohn Ikenberry on Liberal InternationalismAlexander Cooley and Daniel Nexon on the End of American HegemonyMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

It's not just inequality of wealth. It is not just inequality of income, which is big. It's also inequality in terms of the geographical clustering of different strata of the population, of different people. It's inequality in life experiences. It's inequality in treatment. People felt mistreated by those in the upper echelons of society. So, it's not just money. It's also access to public goods, to certain spaces in the city, to education, unemployment benefits, and all sorts of things. But also, treatment.Aldo MadariagaA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a brief primer on Neoliberalism here.Aldo Madariaga is a Professor of Political Science at Universidad Diego Portales, and Associate Researcher at Center for Social Conflict and Cohesion Studies (COES). He is also the author of Neoliberal Resilience: Lessons in Democracy and Development from Latin America and Eastern Europe.Key Highlights IncludeAn Account of the Chilean Protests in 2019Description of Neoliberalism as a Political ProjectThe Role of the State in NeoliberalismHow does Neoliberalism Shield its Policies from DemocracyAre Neoliberal Policies Fundamentally Undemocratic?Key LinksNeoliberal Resilience: Lessons in Democracy and Development from Latin America and Eastern Europe by Aldo MadariagaLearn more about Aldo MadariagaFollow on Twitter @AldoMadariagaRelated ContentJames Loxton Explains Why Authoritarian Successor Parties Succeed in DemocraciesJacob Hacker and Paul Pierson on the Plutocratic Populism of the Republican PartyMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

I think this actually reflects why we've seen a coup now. Clearly, the coup has really brought serious economic devastation for the entire country and the military itself will also not benefit from this. And that to me is the key, because they're not primarily motivated just by economic incentives and spoils. As a systematic military institution, it is driven by their own identity. Their own perception of what the Myanmar modern nation state should look like.Roger Lee HuangA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a brief primer on Myanmar here.Roger Lee Huang is a lecturer in terrorism studies and political violence at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia and the author of The Paradox of Myanmar’s Regime Change.Key Highlights IncludeA brief history of modern Myanmar (Burma)Description of the TatmadawA portrait of Aung San Suu KyiWhy is the National League for Democracy (NLD) so popularWhat are the prospects for democracy in MyanmarKey LinksThe Paradox of Myanmar's Regime Change by Roger Lee HuangMyanmar’s Way to Genocide: The Rohingya Crisis in a Disciplined Democracy - Video Lecture by Roger Lee Huang"The Generals Strike Back" by Zoltan Barany from Journal of DemocracyRelated ContentMichael Miller on the Unexpected Paths to DemocratizationSebastian Strangio Explains the Relationship Between China and Southeast AsiaMore from the PodcastMyanmar: A Podcast PrimerMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Americans are expected to take on debt, because that's how we're expected to finance everything from basic needs to a college education. And that's a function of economic policy making. That doesn't happen by accident.Mallory SoRelleA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Mallory SoRelle is an assistant professor of public policy at Duke University and the author of Democracy Declined: The Failed Politics of Consumer Financial Protection.Key Highlights IncludeHow the American economy depends on creditA brief history of consumer credit in AmericaDetails why consumer debt is a systemic problemWhy financial consumers do not politically mobilize Explains how public policy shapes political behaviorKey LinksDemocracy Declined: The Failed Politics of Consumer Financial Protection by Mallory SoRelleLearn more about Mallory SoRelleConsumer Financial Protection BureauRelated ContentSheryl WuDunn Paints a Picture of Poverty in America and Offers Hope for SolutionsJacob Hacker and Paul Pierson on the Plutocratic Populism of the Republican PartyMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

This was not a phenomenon to one specific region. This was nothing that got invented in one place and at one time. It seems to have emerged independently in a wide, wide variety of human societies at different points in time. And to me, that sounds like something that occurs naturally.David StasavageA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.David Stasavage is the Dean of Social Sciences and a Professor of Politics at New York University. His latest book is called The Decline and Rise of Democracy.Key Highlights IncludeA description of early democracy with an example of the Huron peopleWhy autocracy arose through the example of Ancient ChinaHow bureaucracy and the state changed governanceHow English history shaped modern democracyWhat modern democracy can learn from early forms of democracyKey LinksThe Decline and Rise of Democracy by David StasavageLearn more about David StasavageFollow David on Twitter @stasavageRelated ContentDaniel Carpenter Revisits the Petition in 19th Century AmericaMichael Hughes on the History of Democracy in GermanyMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

The police is even acting directly against the minorities and the Delhi riots of 2020 showed that the police could be on their side in the street in their rioting activities. This is exactly the same in other BGP ruled states like Uttar Pradesh. Now you have indeed a kind of new shift, if you want. It's not only with the blessing of the state. It’s also with the active participation of the state.Christophe JaffrelotA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Christophe Jaffrelot is a director of research at Sciences Po and a professor of Indian politics and sociology at King’s College. His latest book is Modi's India: Hindu Nationalism and the Rise of Ethnic Democracy. Key Highlights IncludeDescription of Hindutva or Hindu NationalismA brief account of the RSSAn account of the Ayodhya Temple ControversyExplains how Narendra Modi came to powerProspects for the future of Indian democracyKey LinksModi's India: Hindu Nationalism and the Rise of Ethnic Democracy by Christophe Jaffrelot"Toward a Hindu State" by Christophe Jaffrelot in the Journal of DemocracyFollow Christophe on Twitter @jaffrelotcRelated ContentFreedom House: Sarah Repucci Assesses Freedom in the WorldKajri Jain Believes Democracy Unfolds through the AestheticMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

It really matters how you set up conflict and how you talk about the issue and above all how you talk about your adversary. That's where I see the decisive difference between those who tend to invoke the people, the common good and et cetera, in a way that is compatible with democracy and then those who talk in a way that, ultimately, is bound to be dangerous for democracy.Jan-Werner MüllerA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Jan is a professor of Social Sciences at Princeton University. He is the author of the books What is Populism? and Democracy Rules.Key Highlights IncludeWhat does it mean to be undemocratic in a democracyWhy populism threatens democracyRole of conflict in democracyWhat is militant democracy and is it democraticRole of the majority and opposition in democracy Key LinksDemocracy Rules by Jan-Werner MüllerWhat is Populism? by Jan-Werner Müller"False Flags" from Foreign Affairs by Jan-Werner MüllerRelated ContentChris Bickerton Defines TechnopopulismZizi Papacharissi Dreams of What Comes After DemocracyMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

They wanted the full array of rights. Political rights, yes, they were active in the suffrage movement, but they also wanted economic rights and social rights. They wanted to lessen inequalities. They also wanted the rights of mothers and of children advanced.Dorothy Sue CobbleA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Dorothy Sue Cobble is the Distinguished Professor of History and Labor Studies Emerita at Rutgers University and the author of For the Many: American Feminists and the Global Fight for Democratic Equality.Key Highlights IncludeDorothy explains who the full rights feminists were and what they advocated forProfiles of full rights feminists like Frances PerkinsHow full rights feminism influenced the New DealA brief history of the conflicts between full rights feminists and equal rights feminists over the Equal Rights AmendmentA profile of early Japanese feminist Tanaka TakaKey LinksFor the Many: American Feminists and the Global Fight for Democratic Equality by Dorothy Sue CobbleVisit Dorothy at www.dorothysuecobble.comLearn about the Triangle Shirtwaist Workers StrikeRelated ContentDerek W. Black Says Public Education Represents the Idea of America... Not its RealityBarbara Freese on Corporate DenialMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Democracy is about more than elections. Election day is very important, but what is happening in the country every other day is an integral part to what a democracy is and if you think about the fundamental freedoms that we think of in our own democracy: free speech, freedom of religion, freedom of association and assembly, also things like the independence of the judiciary, these are all things that are on the civil liberties side.Sarah RepucciA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Sarah Repucci is the Vice President of Research and Analysis at Freedom House and coauthor (alongside  Amy Slipowitz) of the executive summary of the report Freedom in the World 2021: Democracy Under Siege.* Note * Sarah's mic died early in the interview. The audio quality is not bad, but will sound different. Hopefully it does not take away from the quality of the interview.Key Highlights IncludeWhy democracy continues its steady declineThe influence of China and the U.S. on global democracyThe role of civil liberties in democracyImpact of the pandemic on democracyDiscussion of democracy in India, Kyrgyzstan, Sudan, and the United StatesKey LinksRead the landmark report from Freedom House Freedom in the World 2021: Democracy Under SiegeVisit Freedom House online at www.freedomhouse.orgFollow Freedom House on Twitter @freedomhouseRelated ContentMichael Miller on the Unexpected Paths to DemocratizationThomas Carothers and Andrew O'Donohue are Worried About Severe PolarizationMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

So many cases of democratization start with these episodes and this period of elite political violence where the initial stages of it have nothing to do with democratization. People are not aiming for that. People are barely even thinking about it. It's all about this elite political struggle and out of that chaos a bit later you get democracy.Michael MillerA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Michael Miller is a professor of political science and international relations at George Washington University and the author of the forthcoming book Shock to the System: Coups, Elections, and War on the Road to Democratization. Key Highlights IncludeHow violent shocks like coups and civil wars create openings for democratizationWhy autocratic ruling parties continue to win elections in democraciesThe role for democratic activists in the democratization processDiscussions on possibilities for democracy in China, Belarus, and Myanmar.Mike offers a blueprint for an unconventional approach for democracy promotion Key LinksShock to the System: Coups, Elections, and War on the Road to Democratization by Michael K. MillerFollow Michael on Twitter @mkmdemLearn more about Michael's workRelated ContentJames Loxton Explains Why Authoritarian Successor Parties Succeed in DemocraciesElizabeth Nugent on Polarization, Democratization and the Arab SpringMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

The idea of a political system is not simply to be efficient. It's to have justice. It's to have the idea that anybody can come to the seat of power and say, 'Here are my grievances,' and that doesn't mean that by making that claim, they will get exactly what they want. But it does mean that they will get a hearing and in that notion, I think, lies again, a certain part of democracy that is not reduceable just to elections.Daniel CarpenterA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Dan Carpenter is the Allie S. Freed professor of Government at Harvard University and the author of Democracy by Petition: Popular Politics in Transformation, 1790-1870.Key Highlights IncludeA history of petitions in the 19th century including an account of the gag rule.The role of petitions in the mobilization of women, Native Americans, the Whig Party, and the antislavery movementHow did petitions contribute to democratization of America in the 19th centuryWhat would Congress look like if we still had 'petition days'What can we learn from the era of petition politicsKey LinksDemocracy by Petition: Popular Politics in Transformation, 1790-1870 by Daniel Carpenter"The Menthol Cigarette Ban Shows There Is No Democracy Without Petitions," by Daniel Carpenter, Boston Review"Robust Claims of Vast Lawlessness" from Lapham's Quarterly by Daniel CarpenterRelated ContentCan America Preserve Democracy without Retreating from it? Robert C. Lieberman on the Four ThreatsDerek W. Black Says Public Education Represents the Idea of America... Not its RealityMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicOut of Order from the German Marshall FundEmail the show at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

The experience of Western colonization has imprinted all of these nations in profound ways and it's tended to inculcate a sort of skepticism about Western invocations of democracy and the rule of law. China, of course, shares a similar skepticism. China was also not formerly colonized, or not fully colonized by Western powers, but it experienced what the Chinese communist party likes to term a century of humiliation.  And so, both regions share an abiding ambivalence about the current international order.Sebastian StrangioA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Sebastian Strangio is the Southeast Asia Editor at The Diplomat and the author of In the Dragon's Shadow: Southeast Asia in the Chinese Century.Key Highlights IncludeSebastian explains the economic, political, and cultural ties between China and Southeast AsiaAn overview of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)An explanation of the South China Sea disputeDistinguishes between maritime and mainland nations in Southeast AsiaChina's approach to Southeast Asia under Xi JinpingKey LinksIn the Dragon's Shadow: Southeast Asia in the Chinese Century by Sebastian Strangiowww.thediplomat.comwww.sebastianstrangio.comRelated ContentMareike Ohlberg on the Global Influence of the Chinese Communist PartyXiaoyu Pu on China's Global IdentitiesMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicOn Opinion: The Parlia PodcastEmail the show at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Racism and racial conflict are always there, always a powerful and important part of American politics. But when they combine with polarization, with this kind of partisan antagonism, and when that becomes the dividing line between the parties, that's really dangerous. That's what happened in the 1850s. It led to civil war. That's what happened in the 1890s. It led to violent conflict and mass disenfranchisement. And it's happening again today.Robert C. LiebermanA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Key Highlights IncludeAn account of the 1898 insurrection in Wilmington, North Carolina.Is polarization the fault of both sides or is one party responsible?How the election of 1896 affected American democracy.How polarization, conflicts over who belongs, rising economic inequality, and executive aggrandizement interact to threaten democracy in the United States.Does the preservation of democracy really require democratic backsliding?Robert Lieberman is a professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University and  coauthored Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy with Suzanne Mettler.Key LinksFour Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy by Robert C. Lieberman and Suzanne Mettler"Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation" by John Lewis in The New York TimesFollow Rob Lieberman on Twitter @r_liebermanRelated ContentDerek W. Black Says Public Education Represents the Idea of America... Not its RealityJacob Hacker and Paul Pierson on the Plutocratic Populism of the Republican PartyMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicThe Science of PoliticsEmail the show at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

In the 19th century Europe had thought that they had moved towards liberalism, enlightenment, rationality, progress, that stuff like mass warfare was over and it wouldn't come back. And then you have four years of senseless, mass slaughter, they just totally destroyed or challenged those ideas of humankind getting better off, progress of humankind getting more civilized. In retrospect, it's hard to imagine the coincidence of deep challenges and crises that wrecked the interwar years.Kurt WeylandA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Key Highlights IncludeKurt clarifies the concept of totalitarian fascism from conservative authoritarianismA description of the political environment of the interwar periodWhy did authoritarians disliked communism and fascism?Why did fascism emerge during this period?Is there a parallel between the interwar period to today?Kurt Weyland is a professor of political science at the University of Texas at Austin and the author of the new book Assault on Democracy: Communism, Fascism, and Authoritarianism During the Interwar Years. Key LinksAssault on Democracy: Communism, Fascism, and Authoritarianism During the Interwar Years by Kurt Weyland"The Real Lessons of the Interwar Years" by Agnes Cornell, Jørgen Møller, Svend-Erik Skaaning in Journal of Democracy, July 2017Problems of Democratic Transition and Consolidation by Juan J. Linz and Alfred StepanRelated ContentAgnes Cornell and Svend-Erik Skaaning on the Interwar PeriodPaul Robinson on Russian ConservatismMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicAnother Way PodcastEmail the show at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

They really view their history as one of victimization, one of struggle and even martyrdom. ARENA had multiple leaders assassinated. Again, that version of history that I just told you, that's not necessarily my view. But I do actually believe that that is their sincere belief and it makes for a really compelling founding myth if you will. And I think that founding myth has helped to hold both parties together right up until the present day.James LoxtonA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Key Highlights IncludeWhy do voters elect leaders with ties to former dictators?Description of authoritarian successor partiesChallenges for conservative party formationA brief history of the UDI in Chile and ARENA in El SalvadorThe role of counterrevolutionary struggleKey LinksConservative Party-Building in Latin America: Authoritarian Inheritance and Counterrevolutionary Struggle by James Loxton"Authoritarian Successor Parties" by James Loxton in Journal of Democracy, July 2015Visit James at www.jamesloxton.netRelated ContentBryn Rosenfeld on Middle Class Support for Dictators in Autocratic RegimesAmy Erica Smith on Politics and Religion in BrazilMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicDemocracy Matters PodcastEmail the show at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

I find it hard to believe, without a lot more justification than they're offering that somehow that there's this new secret sauce to opportunity and equality and democracy that does not involve public education as the fundamental pillar. So you have people arguing that it's not. They're not saying we want to destroy democracy, but I'm saying, you as reader, you as listeners, need to think about the long-term consequences of shrinking the public education footprint and moving back into a siloed or a fiefdom or a private system that resembles our darkest days.Derek W. BlackA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Key Highlights IncludeDerek explains the case for a right to education.A brief history of public education in the United StatesHow the NAACP used the language of democracy in their litigation for school desegregationWhy vouchers and charter schools threaten public educationFinally, the intersection of public education and democracy runs throughout the conversationKey LinksSchoolhouse Burning: Public Education and the Assault on American Democracy by Derek W. BlackSan Antonio Independent School District et. al. v. RodriguezFollow Derek W. Black @DerekWBlackRelated ContentJacob Hacker and Paul Pierson on the Plutocratic Populism of the Republican PartyCarolyn Hendriks, Selen Ercan and John Boswell on Mending DemocracyMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicSwamp StoriesEmail the show at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

That's why all Americans should care. Because the cost of poverty is not just the cost to that person who is in poverty. It's a cost to all of society. We're all paying for people being jailed. We're all paying for extra costs in the legal system, in the police force, in the healthcare system.Sheryl WuDunnA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Key Highlights IncludeStories of Poverty and Inequality in AmericaChallenges in America in Education, Health, and Well-BeingImpact of Poverty on Children with an Explanation of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)Collective Responsibility to Solve Social ProblemsRethinking of Social Programs as Investments Rather than OutlaysSheryl WuDunn is a pulitzer prize winning reporter, business executive, and the author of Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope (along with her husband Nicholas Kristof). Key LinksTightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope by Sheryl WuDunn and Nicholas KristofTightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope - PBS Documentary Presented by Show of ForceFollow Sheryl on Twitter @WuDunnRelated ContentJacob Hacker and Paul Pierson on the Plutocratic Populism of the Republican PartyZizi Papacharissi Dreams of What Comes After DemocracyMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Doctrine is actually often a lot looser and more subject to interpretation than we tend to assume and the way that the doctrine gets interpreted is often partially a function of group interests themselves. If you have a religious group in a given country that believes it would benefit from democracy, it's pretty likely that that group will find a way to interpret and frame its doctrine in a way that supports democracy.- Mike HoffmanA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Key Highlights IncludeRole of Religion in Identity FormationHow Communal Prayer Shapes Religious IdentityWays Group Interests Shape Perspectives on DemocracyDescription of Lebanon's Political SystemWhy Some Groups Oppose DemocracyMike Hoffman is a professor of political science at Notre Dame and the author of Faith in Numbers: Religion, Sectarianism, and Democracy.Key LinksFaith in Numbers: Religion, Sectarianism, and Democracy by Michael HoffmanEconomic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy by Daron Acemoglu and James RobinsonPatterns of Democracy by Arend LijphartRelated ContentElizabeth Nugent on Polarization, Democratization and the Arab SpringBryn Rosenfeld on Middle Class Support for Dictators in Autocratic RegimesMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicDemocracy WorksEmail the show at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Participatory budgeting is actually about connecting folks with the skills and resources to navigate and shape government. And so, for me, that is the most optimistic and the most important outcome of any participatory budgeting process.Shari DavisA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Key Highlights IncludeA walk through the process of participatory budgeting with an exampleThe history of participatory budgeting around the worldAn example of participatory budgeting in ChinaThe Role of Art in DemocracyNext steps for Participatory BudgetingShari Davis leads the Participatory Budget Project as its Executive Director. They have over 15 years working in local government beginning in high school. And not long ago they were honored as an Obama Fellow. Key LinksParticipatory Budgeting ProjectDemocracy Beyond Elections"Why is Democracy Performing so Poorly" by Francis FukuyamaRelated ContentHélène Landemore on Democracy without ElectionsCarolyn Hendriks, Selen Ercan and John Boswell on Mending DemocracyMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicHow Do We Fix It?Email the show at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

That tension between the politics of the whole and the politics of the part, that tension between the politics of generality and the politics of particularity, is really at the heart of party democracy. What we are sort of trying to capture, I suppose, with technopopulism is to think of a form of politics where that tension has simply gone.Chris BickertonA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Key Highlights Include- Chris describes Technopopulism through an explanation of the Five Star Movement in Italy- We discuss how populists and technologists consider expertise- How technopopulism is different from classic interest-based politics- We discuss ANO and the Pirate Party in the Czech Republic- Barak Obama is analyzed in the lens of technopopulism- Chris explains how he thinks we can move beyond technopopulismChris Bickerton is a reader of of Modern European Politics at the University of Cambridge. Alongside Carlo Invernizzi Accetti, he is the coauthor of Technopopulism: The New Logic of Democratic Politics.  He is also a frequent panelist on Talking Politics. More InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicLet's Find Common GroundKey LinksTechnopopulism: The New Logic of Democratic Politics by Christopher Bickerton and Carlo Invernizzi Accetti"Understanding the Illiberal Turn: Democratic Backsliding in the Czech Republic" by Seán Hanley and Milada Anna VachudovaFive Star Movement at WikipediaRelated ContentChad Alan Goldberg on the Wisconsin Idea and the Role of the Public University in a DemocracyThomas Carothers and Andrew O'Donohue are Worried About Severe PolarizationMore from the PodcastSupport the show

The legislature is one of several examples of our history of being independent which is why I think it was such an important story to tell of Nebraska becoming like baptized into Republican orthodoxy. Because seeing that shift. That it wasn't always that way. We founded Arbor day in this state, we settle a lot of refugees per capita, we increased minimum wage, and Medicaid through ballot measures recently. We do stuff like that.- Ross BenesA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Red states and blue states. Republicans and Democrats. Rural and urban. Polarization. It is a term often heard about American politics. Most states find their politics lean heavily toward one party or the other. And Nebraska is no different. It is a very conservative state so it makes sense for it to elect Republicans.But not too long ago Democrats competed for state offices. In fact, Nebraska had at least one Democratic Senator from 1977 until 2012. It’s really only been the last ten years where Democrats could not compete in the state. Of course, the Democrats it elected were about as conservative as many Republicans. But Nebraska also has a history of progressive reforms. In fact, it was often rural America who championed many of the progressive ideas in the early twentieth century. This realization has caused me to go through a variety of different counterfactuals. Like why are rural Americans conservative and urban Americans liberal? Is there a scenario where this is reversed? I’m not looking to rewrite history. I just want to understand how politics change over time. And maybe where it is going next. Because history shows some of the things we take for granted have not always been that way. My guest Ross Benes grew up in Nebraska before moving to New York City. He has the kind of expat perspective that has given so many writers both clarity and insight. His recent book is Rural Rebellion: How Nebraska Became a Republican Stronghold. Ross and I, we discuss why Democrats no longer compete in Nebraska. But I don’t want anyone to think Nebraska has to elect Democrats to prove their commitment to democracy. That’s not the point. Nebraska is one of many states with very little genuine competition between parties for statewide office. My concern is effective governance needs a range of perspectives to succeed. And this problem is not unique to Nebraska nor are many liberal states immune. More InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicOur Body PoliticKey LinksRural Rebellion: How Nebraska Became a Republican Stronghold by Ross BenesFighting Liberal by George NorrisThe Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott Walker by Katherine CramerRelated ContentChad Alan Goldberg on the Wisconsin Idea and the Role of the Public University in a DemocracyJacob Hacker and Paul Pierson on the Plutocratic Populism of the Republican PartyRural Consciousness as Political IdentitySupport the show

They had an obligation to take the knowledge that they were developing, to take their expertise and put it in the service of the community as a whole and the service of its elected leaders.Chad Alan GoldbergA Fulll Transcript is Available at www.democracyparadox.com.At the turn of the twentieth century, Wisconsin was at the forefront of the Progressive Movement. Wisconsin adopted the first modern state income tax. It initiated the first workers’ compensation plan. It enacted the first unemployment insurance program. Wisconsin even spearheaded important constitutional reforms like the direct election of Senators. UW Madison Professor Patrick Brenzel explains, “To say that Wisconsin was known nationally for transparent and egalitarian government is an understatement.”These reforms were the product of a relationship between the public university, legislators, and other stakeholders. It is known as the Wisconsin Idea. The Wisconsin Idea is a belief the public university has a role to contribute its research to the service of the state. A common motto is “The boundaries of the university are the boundaries of the state.” The Wisconsin Idea remains central to the mission of the University of Wisconsin system to this day, but has become the subject of attacks from conservatives in recent years. Among the many efforts by Scott Walker to dismantle the administrative state included an attempt to remove the Wisconsin Idea from the university charter. It failed, but it highlights how there is a genuine debate about the role of public universities. Chad Alan Goldberg has been at the forefront of the effort to defend the Wisconsin Idea in recent years. He is a professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin Madison and the editor of the volume Education for Democracy: Renewing the Wisconsin Idea. This book features chapters from many leading scholars in a variety of disciplines including Kathy Cramer. Our conversation discusses some of the history behind the Wisconsin Idea. But it is really about the role of the public university. How is a public university different from a private university? Why does the public support universities? And how does a public university help to shape democracy? These are important questions I never thought to ask, but will mean a lot as we work to renew democracy.More InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicPolitics in QuestionKey LinksEducation for Democracy: Renewing the Wisconsin IdeaThe Wisconsin Idea by Charles McCarthyThe Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott Walker by Katherine CramerRelated ContentRyan Salzman is an Evangelist for PlacemakingZizi Papacharissi Dreams of What Comes After DemocracyThoughts on John Dewey's Democracy and EducationSupport the show

The focus on the individual people involved in this moment and their preexisting relationships for me is a new way of thinking about democratic transitions. Because I think we see how much these personal relationships and personal histories matter for whether or not they can make these really big, important decisions at a moment of very high stress, very little information.Elizabeth NugentA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Elizabeth Nugent believes political polarization derailed Egyptian democratization, while the lack of severe polarization has allowed Tunisian democracy to survive. But what makes her work remarkable is she argues Egyptian polarization was the outcome of targeted repression under authoritarian rule. At the same time, Tunisia avoided polarization because repression was more widespread. Stop and think about this for a moment. Tunisian democracy succeeds today because of a legacy of widespread, indiscriminate repression. It affected everyone so opposition groups learned to work together and even sympathized with one another. This is a truly counterintuitive insight. But it makes so much sense at the same time. Liz Nugent’s new book is After Repression: How Polarization Derails Democratic Transition. She is an assistant professor at Yale University with a focus on Middle Eastern politics. Her book uses the cases of Egypt and Tunisia to explain her ideas, but her thoughts on polarization will make waves as they are used in other contexts. Our conversation discusses Tunisia and Egypt. We also talk about how polarization affects democratization. But I find it most interesting how Liz emphasizes the political process requires real relationships with real people. She reminds us a very human element is necessary for democracy and democratization. More InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicDemocracy in DangerKey LinksElizabeth Nugent's Home PageAfter Repression: How Polarization Derails Democratic TransitionYale MacMillan Center Council on Middle East StudiesRelated ContentThomas Carothers and Andrew O'Donohue are Worried About Severe PolarizationJonathan Pinckney on Civil Resistance TransitionsThoughts on Samuel Huntington's The Third WaveSupport the show

Like so many things we're coming to grips with now in the 21st century, we're realizing that the 20th century was the anomaly. We feel like what was happening in the first 20 years of the 21st century that that was the anomaly. But it's not. The 20th century was the anomaly. And there's a temptation among policymakers to say, ‘But this is how it's always been.’ No. Wrong.Ryan SalzmanA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.I live in Carmel, Indiana and in May The Farmers’ Market opens. It’s in a small public space between a concert hall called The Palladium and the Booth Tarkington Theatre. The Monon Bike Trail runs alongside it and there is bike parking sponsored by the Mayor’s Youth Council. Live bands play in the center of the market. In the winter, the same space is used for an n outdoor ice skating rink surrounded by a German Christkindlmarkt. This is what Ryan Salzman describes as placemaking. Placemaking does not just transform public spaces. It expands them. Placemaking changes how we experience our community and establishes new landmarks. And whether we want to admit it or not, this is political. Placemaking involves the creation and distribution of public goods. Local governments make decisions over whether to embrace or prevent placemaking. For example, teenagers can paint a beautiful mural on a public building. Elected officials will decide whether to send a thank you or a citation. Ryan Salzman has studied the phenomenon of placemaking in his home of Bellevue, Kentucky and in other communities across the United States. He is a professor of political science at Northern Kentucky University and the author of Pop-Up Civics in 21st Century America: Understanding the Political Potential of Placemaking. He has experienced placemaking as an academic, an elected city councilman, and an active participant. Ryan’s work caught my attention because it examines local engagement through a novel lens. It considers political behavior that the participants probably don’t realize is political. It moves beyond theories of deliberative and direct democracy to consider ways everyday citizens produce meaningful action. Ryan and I have a light hearted conversation. But I don’t want to overlook the significant implications of placemaking for political science and political theory. I am excited for Ryan to share his stories and ideas. So it’s about time I introduce you to Ryan Salzman…Key LinksPop-Up Civics in 21st Century America: Understanding the Political Potential of PlacemakingBlack Lives Matter Mural in Cincinnati, OhioArtPlace AmericaRelated ContentZizi Papacharissi Dreams of What Comes After DemocracyCarolyn Hendriks, Selen Ercan and John Boswell on Mending DemocracyThoughts on Robert Putnam's Bowling AloneMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicSupport the show

"We don’t pay enough attention to the sensory aspects of what it means to be equal. That’s what it fundamentally is. That’s the presupposition of democracy. Not the goal. The presupposition is that we are equal, but does our comportment reinforce that or does it re-institute hierarchies."Kajri JainA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.This week’s guest is Kajri Jain. She is an art historian from the University of Toronto and the author of Gods in the Time of Democracy. Her work is well known among scholars of contemporary Indian art. But I doubt many political scientists have come across her work.Our conversation explores politics in India through the construction of massive statues that are sometimes the size of the Statue of Liberty or taller. It’s a completely novel way to examine Hindu Nationalism, Dalit identity, and religion in India.But the conversation also explores the ways we communicate political ideas and create an inclusive democracy. Art is ultimately a form of communication, but it is largely neglected by scholars of democracy. We might discuss what people say about art, but rarely how the art interacts with us. This is a conversation I could only have with an art historian. But not just any art historian, but one who is also a philosopher and a religious scholar. An art historian who examines people affected by art more than the art itself. This is my conversation with Kajri Jain…Key LinksGods in the Time of DemocracyStatue of UnityKajri Jain at University of TorontoKey ContentThomas Carothers and Andrew O'Donohue are Worried About Severe PolarizationYael Tamir on NationalismThoughts on Jürgen Habermas' The Inclusion of the OtherMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicSupport the show

A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.It’s common for Westerners to lecture Africans about democracy. Most Africans will admit their different political systems have many problems. Money is exchanged for votes, elections are rigged, and sometimes violence even breaks out. But the challenges African countries face in the process of democratization are not absent in the rest of the world.The 2020 American Presidential Election exposed many problems in the United States. The storming of the American capital proved that even violence is possible in the world’s oldest democracy. My point here is not to disparage American democracy, but to recognize every nation has a lot to learn. Nic Cheeseman and Gabrielle Lynch along with Justin Willis offer us an opportunity to consider democracy in an unfamiliar context. Their examination of Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda allow us to identity universal aspirations and ideals citizens hold in very different settings. But it’s not the differences which I believe are important. It’s their similarities. Nic, Gabrielle, and Justin are the authors of the book The Moral Economy of Elections in Africa: Democracy, Voting, and Virtue. Nic is the kind of political science rock star who gets quoted in The Economist. He is among the foremost experts on democracy in Africa, a professor of political science and democracy at the University of Birmingham in the UK, and the co-editor of the website Democracy in Africa. Gabrielle Lynch is a professor of comparative politics at the University of Warwick. I invited Nic and Gabrielle to discuss their new book, because their research is always informative, not just because it exposes us to another part of the world, but because they are able to draw connections to larger ideas from their experiences. This is a conversation about Africa. This is a conversation about democracy. This is my conversation with Nic Cheeseman and Gabrielle Lynch…Music from Apes of the State.Key Contentwww.democracyinafrica.orgGhana: The Ebbing Power of IncumbencyThe Moral Economy of Elections in AfricaRelated ContentWinston Mano on Social Media and Politics in Africa... And what America can Learn from Africa about DemocracyThomas Carothers and Andrew O'Donohue are Worried About Severe PolarizationThoughts on Brian Klaas and Nic Cheeseman's How to Rig an ElectionSupport the show

A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.My thoughts on polarization have changed over the past few years. On the one hand, polarization can be a danger to democracy. Milan Svolik among others have shown how strong ideological positions lead some voters to support leaders they know are undemocratic. Moreover, democracy depends on the willingness of both parties to make compromises to govern effectively. But on the other hand, there are issues where compromise itself is undemocratic. How do you compromise on the right to vote? Is it polarizing to refuse to waiver on issues of human rights? What about the rule of law? Sometimes compromise does not protect democracy, but endangers it.A lot of intelligent people have strong opinions about polarization. But few of them have thought deeply about the subject or read much of the literature. It’s a complicated subject. Last year Ezra Klein published a surprising book called Why We’re Polarized. It’s actually an impressive work of scholarship from someone who does not consider himself a scholar. But when he says “we’re polarized” he refers to an American experience. He largely ignores the polarization around the world in places like Venezuela, Poland, and India. So I reached out to Thomas Carothers and Andrew O’Donohue because I wanted to better understand polarization not just in the United States but as a wider global phenomenon. Tom and Andrew are the editors of s remarkable volume called Democracies Divided from 2019. Last year they published a supplement called Political Polarization in South and Southeast Asia: Old Divisions, New Dangers. Tom is the Senior Vice President for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He is a legendary scholar in the field of democracy promotion. Andrew is a nonresident assistant at Carnegie as well. He is also in the PhD program in Harvard’s Department of Government. Together they offer reflections on polarization in different contexts. They help explain how each is different and where they commonalities. Most of all this broader examination helps us think about polarization in very different ways.Email me at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @DemParadoxKey LinksDemocracies Divided: The Global Challenge of Political PolarizationPolitical Polarization in South and Southeast Asia: Old Divisions, New DangersRejuvenating Democracy PromotionRelated ContentCan Democracy Survive the Internet? Nate Persily and Josh Tucker on Social Media and DemocracyLee Drutman Makes the Case for Multiparty Democracy in AmericaThoughts on Chantal Mouffe's On the PoliticalSupport the show

A complete transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Over the past ten years social media has reshaped politics. Fake news and political disinformation have become a part of the political discourse. But social media has also brought about meaningful change through the #metoo and #blacklivesmatter movements. Social media has allowed dissident voices to express themselves in authoritarian regimes, but it has also given a platform to anti-democratic views in Western Nations. It has reawakened our sense of fairness, while it has brought to light some of our darkest demons. In the final analysis, social media is both a problem and an opportunity. And your outlook probably depends on the last headline you saw on Twitter or Facebook. Nate Persily and Josh Tucker are at the forefront of conversations on the role of social media in politics and its influence on democracy. Nate is a professor of law at Stanford, but also has a PhD in political science. He has long been an expert in election law, but has also become among the foremost scholars on the politics of social media and the internet. Among his many roles, he is the co-director of the Stanford Cyber Policy Center. Josh is a professor of political science at NYU. He specializes in post-communist politics and is the Director of NYU’s Jordan Center for Advanced Study of Russia. But he is also a faculty director at the Center for Social Media and Politics. Together Nate and Josh edited a volume called Social Media and Democracy: The State of the Field and Prospects for Reform. It is available to download on the Cambridge University Press website. I highly encourage policymakers, researchers, and anyone who is curious to take a look. It features important contributions from well-known scholars such as Francis Fukuyama and Pablo Barberá on a wide range of relevant topics. In this conversation you will learn why Nate and Josh are at the forefront of research on social media. They rattle off multiple studies their teams conducted that produced groundbreaking research. Now, I have read many articles about the ways social media influences politics, but this is my first podcast where I really grapple with the challenges of the internet. I was fortunate to do so with two of the field’s most important researchers today.Key Links"Can Democracy Survive the Internet?""From Liberation to Turmoil"Securing American Elections: Prescriptions for Enhancing the Integrity and Independence of the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election and BeyondRelated ContentZizi Papacharissi Dreams of What Comes After DemocracyWinston Mano on Social Media and Politics in Africa... And what America can Learn from Africa about DemocracyThoughts on Cristina Flesher Fominaya's Democracy ReloadedSupport the show

A transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Democracy depends on distinctions between political parties. Every election they offer clear choices on economic proposals. In recent years, cultural issues have added a new dimension to the polarization of American politics. But the 2020 election added a dangerous dimension to the political divide. The Republican Party has begun to question the integrity of elections and the value of democracy itself. It is not clear how far the Republican Party intends to widen this issue, but the ramifications are dangerous for constitutional government. So how did we get to this point? Has the Republican Party radically transformed after four years of Donald Trump or has this been the inevitable trajectory of Republican policies and ideology?Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson have studied the Republican Party for two decades. In their book Let them Eat Tweets: How the Right Rules in an Age of Extreme Inequality they consider how conservative economic policies have shifted the Republican Party further to the right on issues related to economics, race, and democracy itself. Jacob Hacker is a professor of political science at Yale University and Paul Pierson is a professor at the University of California at Berkeley. We discuss the relationship between inequality and democracy, American politics, and the possibilities for change in the Republican Party.Related ContentLee Drutman Makes the Case for Multiparty Democracy in AmericaWilliam G. Howell and Terry M. Moe on the PresidencyThoughts on Jonathan Hopkin's Anti-System Politics Support the show

A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Barrington Moore famously claimed, “No bourgeoisie. No democracy.” Many scholars before and after Moore have argued the middle class is necessary for successful democratization. But Moore had a specific image of the middle class. The bourgeoisie were not simply white-collar professionals. They were entrepreneurs who were independent of the landed aristocracy.Bryn Rosenfeld recognizes a new source for the growth of the middle class. Many authoritarian regimes have established a state dependent middle class. A professional class who relies on the state bureaucracy for employment and think differently about their relationship to the regime than the bourgeoisie Barrington Moore portrayed.Scholars have long recognized the heterogeneity of the middle class even while they described them as a homogenous group. The diverse interests and perspectives are part of what leads the middle class to demand democracy. But Bryn Rosenfeld finds there is also an autocratic middle class who rely on the state for their status and position. They view the process of democratization as a labyrinth of risk and uncertainty.Bryn Rosenfeld is an assistant professor in the department of government at Cornell University. She is the author of The Autocratic Middle Class: How State Dependency Reduces the Demand for Democracy. Bryn is part of a new generation of comparative political scientists who blend field research with rigorous quantitative research designs to produce new insights into political behavior.I have read my share of books on democracy published in 2020. Some are well-written. Others offer deep insights. So far, this is the most consequential book on democracy I have come across from last year. I do not doubt scholars will refer to its conclusions for years to come. It astonishes me this is Bryn’s first book. I expect to come across her name again in the future.Related ContentPaul Robinson on Russian ConservatismErica Chenoweth on Civil ResistanceThoughts on Barrington Moore's Social Origins of Dictatorship and DemocracySupport the show

Political theorist Takis Pappas has described the formation of liberal democracy as an elite project. Its creation was dependent on the decisions of political leaders rather than the public. But over the subsequent decades the space between politicians and their constituents has grown smaller. It is now unclear whether elected officials remain political leaders or whether they simply follow the opinions of their constituents. Democracy is in the process of a transformation. Politicians have abdicated responsibility for political power to the people, but the people do not share a sense of responsibility for this newfound political power. So, everyone blames each other for political conflict, but nobody accepts the responsibility to resolve it. It is not clear anyone completely understands what democracy is or what it will become. Robert Dahl imagined the possibility of a third transformation of democracy into something deeper, thicker, and richer. But he never explained how this new sense of democracy might manifest itself. Dahl thought more about democracy than anyone has before or since. So I have searched for the next incarnation of Robert Dahl but have failed to discover her or him. These conversations are my attempt to piece together the ideas from multiple perspectives about democracy to offer an updated theory of democratic governance. Populism, of course, is the great challenge for democracy today. Many scholars have offered institutional solutions as an antidote to populism. But the challenges democracy faces are not an American problem. They exist across the globe. They persist in Presidential and Parliamentary systems. It is a deeper challenge within the demos itself. I believe democracy will inevitably overcome the populist challenge. It will emerge from this crisis stronger and healthier. Fifty years from now democracy will be different than it is today. And in five hundred years, its institutions may even be unrecognizable. But I believe the answer exists.  Zizi Papacharissi has dared to imagine what our future may hold after democracy. The research for her remarkable book, After Democracy, took her around the world where she asked one hundred everyday citizens three simple questions:1.      What is democracy?2.      What is citizenship?3.      What might make democracy better?The answers she received helped her imagine what might come after democracy. Zizi offers us a dream. She explained to me that she “wanted the book to have a dream-like feel, like a dream many people were having together or a polyphonic story they were simultaneously telling and listening to.”Zizi Papacharissi is a professor of communication and political science at the University of Illinois-Chicago. She was among the first to study social media and has shaped the scholarship on political communication on the internet. Her name is a familiar sighting in the footnotes of many of the books and articles I read. Our conversation explores the ideas in her book from many different angles. We talk about the meaning of democracy and the role of citizens. We think about how democracy might be reimagined. And she invites you to dream of what might come after democracy. NotesWebsite:  www.democracyparadox.comMusic from Apes of the StateRelated ContentHélène Landemore on Democracy without ElectionsCarolyn Hendriks,Support the show

Recent events in the United States have shown how even the most established democracies have much to learn about democracy. But my guest Winston Mano does not like to talk about democracy. He prefers to talk about democratization because the process never ends. Our conversation focuses on Africa with many topics discussed including social media, decolonization, and, of course, democracy. It concludes with a complex question, “What can America learn about democracy from Africa?”When I ask this question, it is not intended to embarrass Americans, but to look for insights from abroad. Winston believes humility is critical in a successful democracy. Different parts of the globe have different lessons so there is always something to learn from others. But for those who believe democratization is a linear process, my question won’t make any sense at all. America is widely viewed as farther along this process than any African nation. But Winston points out how technologies develop out of necessity. Some cultures “leapfrog” steps to develop new technologies outside the traditional sequence. Africa has even done this before. For example, Africa never experienced a Bronze Age. It went immediately into an Iron Age. So, can Africa leapfrog America at this crossroads of democratization? I have no idea. But the current crisis of democracy requires a transformation in how it is both imagined and approached. So, the solutions may come from unlikely sources. Winston Mano is a reader at the University of Westminster. He is also the principal editor of the Journal of African Media Studies. Alongside Martin Ndella, he edited the recent two volume publication Social Media and Elections in Africa.Today’s conversation begins on the topic of social media in Africa. This is where I thought the conversation would remain. But recent events made it impossible to avoid a wider conversation on democracy. NotesWebsite:  www.democracyparadox.comMusic from Apes of the StateRelated ContentJonathan Pinckney on Civil Resistance TransitionsGeorge Lawson on RevolutionThoughts on Florence Brisset-Foucault's Talkative PolitySupport the show

The German Question haunted international relations for generations. Like China, it was a rising authoritarian power. But its successful democratization after the Second World War cast an amnesia upon the uncertainty and anxiety it had caused the international community. Today democracy in Germany is taken for granted. It is a force of democratic stability within Europe and in the world. Its journey from dictatorship to democracy is largely forgotten and its current challenges are often ignored. Some of those challenges have surfaced in recent years. Hessian politician, Walter Lübcke , was assassinated by a far right extremist on June 2nd, 2019 and in August The New York Times reported that Neo-Nazis have established a presence in the ranks of the military and police. Today’s guest Michael Hughes offers a helpful reminder, “Democracy may have prevailed in Germany… but conceptions remain contested… So, crucially, the story’s outcome cannot be an ending… for the process remains ongoing.” Michael is a professor of History at Wake Forest University. His research has focused on 19th and 20th Century German history. He is the author of the forthcoming book, Embracing Democracy in Modern Germany: Political Citizenship and Participation, 1871-2000. I liked Michael’s book because it approaches history like political science. It focuses on the development of democracy through political culture. It is a thicker conception of democracy that goes beyond constitutions and institutions to consider democratization as a process.My plan is to touch on the different regimes throughout Modern Germany’s history, but I also keep a focus on big picture trends. Don’t worry if you are not familiar with Germany. This is a good introduction, but more importantly this is about the process of democratization. The challenges and successes that countries face. This is how I chose to begin 2021. Looking back through history before we begin to move forward. NotesWebsite:  www.democracyparadox.comMusic from Apes of the StateRelated ContentPaul Robinson on Russian ConservatismYael Tamir on NationalismThoughts on Sheri Berman's Democracy and Dictatorship in Europe: From the Ancien Régime to the Present DaySupport the show

Madison’s Federalist 10 makes an unusual case. He argued the size and diversity of the United States is a critical safeguard against the dominance of any single faction. Of course, it is well-known that the Founding Fathers were wary of all factions, political parties and, most of all, the tyranny of the majority. The American constitution is even described as counter majoritarian, because multiple avenues exist for entrenched minorities to prevail in the legislative process. But Madison was different. While he is credited as the father of the constitution, he was among the most majoritarian of all the founding fathers.Still Madison was wary of strong, overwhelming majorities. He saw regional diversity as a check against majoritarianism. The size and diversity of the new nation meant any meaningful majority would be the result of significant compromise and deliberation.Unfortunately, the two-party system, as it exists today, has undermined the Madisonian vision in Federalist 10. The two political parties fight for overwhelming majorities, but the inability of either party to prevail causes gridlock rather than compromise. Necessary reforms are stalled or delayed as they become rallying cries in a never-ending campaign cycle. This was never Madison’s intention.Lee Drutman offers a solution to transform American democracy. His book Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop: The Case for Multiparty Democracy in America argues for proportional representation of the legislature and ranked-choice voting for the Presidency. But his intention is not about any one reform. Instead, his goal is to produce a multiparty democracy where no single party commands an absolute majority.You may recognize Lee Drutman from articles he has written in The New York Times, Vox, and Five Thirty-Eight. He is also a Senior Fellow in the Political Reform Program at New America and a cohost of the podcast Politics in Question alongside Julia Azari and James Wallner.The idea of multiparty democracy in the United States can seem radical, but like most reformers Drutman is a traditionalist at heart. He finds his inspiration in Madison’s vision of the American political system. Rather than designing something novel, Lee believes his reforms bring America closer to the original aims of the Founding Fathers. The United States has grown in its size and diversity. Nonetheless, the two political parties have reduced politics to a single dimension. Ultimately, Lee believes a more diverse party system is necessary to represent a diverse population. It’s a Madisonian case for the challenges of polarization and partisanship.Related ContentWilliam G. Howell and Terry M. Moe on the PresidencyDonald F. Kettl on FederalismThoughts on Suzanne Mettler and Robert Lieberman's Four ThreatsSupport the show

The origin of the third wave of democratization is commonly dated to the Carnation Revolution in Portugal in 1974. The fall of the Soviet Union accelerated this process until about 2005 when the pace began to slow and it even began to reverse. But Robert Dahl thought about waves of democratization differently. He believed a democratic wave was more like a transformation. It was an intensification rather than a proliferation of democracy.Dahl allows us to interpret the current rise of populism around the world not as a rejection of democracy, but as a challenge as democratic governance and ideals continue to evolve and transform. Or as Hélène Landemore puts it, “What you call the “crisis” of democracy can also be read as the growing pains of a system trying to adjust to the constraints of a globalized economy, an interconnected world, and rising democratic expectations.”Hélène Landemore offers an alternative approach to imagine democratic governance. It is a democracy without elections or politicians. She calls it an Open Democracy. It relies on representative assemblies where members are selected through lottery kind of like a jury. Her approach encourages deliberation among ordinary citizens who better represent their communities and societies.Many advocates have already embraced this novel approach. and it has already used in limited ways. We talk quite a bit about political theory, but also some real-world applications of these ideas. Indeed, Landemore has found inspiration in many of these examples like the constitutional assembly in Iceland or France’s citizen assembly on climate change. So these mini publics offer a novel way to consider the possibilities for democratic government without elections.Hélène Landemore is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Yale University. She is the author of the book Open Democracy: Reinventing Popular Rule for the Twenty-First Century. Her research reconsiders the meaning of representation and legitimacy.Robert Dahl was unclear of what the next transformation of democracy would become. I feel the same uncertainty. But I believe Hélène Landemore challenges us to consider new experiments in democracy happening right now. So perhaps a third transformation of democracy has already begun.Related ContentCarolyn Hendriks, Selen Ercan and John Boswell on Mending DemocracyJohn Gastil and Katherine Knobloch on Citizen Initiative ReviewThoughts on Cristina Flesher Fominaya's Democracy ReloadedSupport the show

This week America discovered some startling news. Russians hacked into the email systems of the Commerce and Treasury Departments. The information age has brought about a new era of intelligence and espionage. This was a blatant act of theft, but more subtle forms of espionage are available. Globalization has left many institutions vulnerable to foreign manipulation. I invited Glenn Tiffert from the Hoover Institution to shed light on this phenomenon through a discussion of two of his recent publications. He is the editor of Global Engagement: Rethinking Risk in the Research Enterprise. It is an examination of the ways academic collaboration with China exposes vulnerabilities in our National Defense. It features a forward from former National Security Advisor, H.R. McMaster, and an introduction from icon of democracy scholarship, Larry Diamond. The second publication is a report from the National Endowment for Democracy. It is titled, “Compromising the Knowledge Economy: Authoritarian Challenges to Independent Intellectual Inquiry.” This report explains how authoritarian regimes use sharp power to influence academic institutions. Universities are the heart of political discourse in free societies. E.B. White once wrote, “The reading room of a college library is the very temple of democracy.” When foreign governments manipulate Western academia, it challenges an important source of democratic legitimacy. Larry Diamond explains, “This is more than a national security threat: It is an existential challenge to the entire global liberal order.”Globalization has not simply brought about economic interdependence. It has extended the boundaries of political influence. The United States has long had the advantage of soft power to inspire people around the world. China has now found a form of sharp power to influence the United States in turn. The global order continues to change and evolve so it is incumbent on us to strengthen liberalism and democracy to overcome these challenges. This conversation shares themes with recent episodes that featured John Ikenberry on liberal internationalism and Mareike Ohlberg on the Chinese Communist Party. This is a topic with multiple dimensions. It combines elements of national security with cornerstone values such as liberalism and democracy. Related ContentMareike Ohlberg on the Global Influence of the Chinese Communist PartyJohn Ikenberry on Liberal InternationalismOn the Global Ascendance of ChinaMore from Glenn TiffertGlobal Engagement: Rethinking Risk in the Research EnterpriseCompromising the Knowledge Economy: Authoritarian Challenges to Independent Intellectual InquiryThe Authoritarian Assault on KnowledgeSupport the show

There is a book that was written in 1989 called Democracy and its Critics. The renowned Robert Dahl is the author. In the book, he answers objections to critiques of democracy through a series of dialogues. One of them has stuck with me because I hear it so often: The problem with democracy is it is not democratic enough. Many of the scholars who are featured on the Democracy Paradox have ideas or plans to make democracy more democratic. Many books, articles, and podcasts focus on ways to reform or redesign institutions so they can become more democratic. For example, Ezra Klein has a popular podcast. Every week he advocates for the Senate to drop the filibuster. Sure. Let’s do it. But we are delusional if we believe democracy is one reform away from perfection. I invited Carolyn Hendriks, Selen Ercan, and John Boswell to join me because they examine democracy reform through a multidimensional lens. Rather than offering a single blueprint to redesign our institutions, they suggest we should continue to mend the damage in our existing framework. It is an achievable call to action where they raise the profile of some everyday heroes who have made positive contributions to repair the connections vital to democracy. Carolyn is an Associate Professor of Public Policy and Governance at Australian National University, Selen is an Associate Professor of Politics at the University of Canberra, and John is an Associate Professor of Politics at the University of Southampton. They are the authors of Mending Democracy: Democratic Repair in Disconnected Times.It’s always interesting when my guests are in Australia because it works best for me to call in the afternoon or evening so they can be reached the morning of the next day. This conversation had an extra wrinkle because John is in the UK so we coordinated this call across three time zones on three continents. Whenever this many people are on a podcast, it can become difficult to know who says what. For that I apologize. But it was necessary. Their work was a collaborative effort. Indeed, a work like theirs cannot be anything but collaborative. Their research is, in many ways, about collaboration. Our conversation will introduce some important concepts and theories about deliberative democracy. But it also offers some real-world examples. I cannot wait for you to learn about the Knitting Nanas Against Gas. They call themselves KNAG. There is so much I want to share right now. But it’s best if I relax and just let you listen. NotesWebsite:  www.democracyparadox.comMusic from Apes of the StateRelevant Past EpisodesJohn Gastil and Katherine Knobloch on Citizen Initiative ReviewJill Long Thompson on Character in a DemocracyRelevant Articles on Democracy ParadoxThoughts on Adam Przeworski's Crises of DemocracyThoughts on E.B. White's On DemocracyThoughts on Florence Brisset-Foucault's Talkative PolitySupport the show

Last October Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey shook the sports world with a tweet. It said, “Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong.” Pretty simple. Not controversial…. at least, not controversial in the United States. But China was offended. They cut off all economic ties with the Rockets and demanded an apology from the National Basketball Association. And they got one. China uses its economic clout to shape the public discourse in business, academia, politics, and even sports. Its authoritarian impulse has no boundaries. Even citizens of liberal democracies are subject to its influence. This is the third part of “Liberalism, Capitalism, Communism” about the global ascendance of China. My conversation with Mareike Ohlberg, a Senior Fellow at the German Marshall Fund, explores how the Communist Party of China extends its influence beyond its borders. She recently authored the book Hidden Hand: Exposing How the Chinese Communist Party is Reshaping the World with Clive Hamilton. They write in the opening lines of the first chapter, “The Chinese Communist Party is determined to transform the international order, to shape the world in its own image, without a shot being fired.”China is imagined as a powerful, authoritarian state. Francis Fukuyama has described it as a strong state with weak rule of law. I disagree. China is a weak state with a strong party. Xi Jinping is described as the President of China, but his real power comes from his role as the Chairman of the Communist Party. The power of the CCP is neither subtle nor indirect. For example, the military is not a part of the government. It is a branch of the CCP. China’s global ascendance is the ascendance of China’s Communist Party. It does not matter whether the CCP is committed to Marxism or Communism. The reality is it has always been authoritarian. It has never been supportive of liberalism nor democracy. Recently, The Economist observed, “The achievement of the Trump administration was to recognize the authoritarian threat from China. The task of the Biden administration will be to work out what to do about it.” There is a bipartisan consensus in the US that China represents a threat to America. Something must be done. We just need to figure out what that “something” is. Thanks to Apes of the State for permission to use their tracks "The Internet Song" and "Bill Collector's Theme Song." You can find their music on Spotify or their Bandcamp.Please visit my blog at www.democracyparadox.com. I have written 80 reviews of both classic and contemporary works of political science with an emphasis on democracy. This week I reviewed Michel de Certeau's classic  The Practice of Everyday Life. Please visit the website and read my book reviews. And don't forget to subscribe to keep up with future episodes.Support the show

China is a nation of contradictions. It is a developing economy that is an economic powerhouse. It is a rising power that is already a great power. It is a communist state that has embraced capitalism. The dualism of yin and yang is not simply an element of Chinese philosophy. It is a source of modern Chinese identity. This is part two of “Liberalism, Capitalism, Communism” about the global ascendance of China. Last week was about liberal internationalism. Next week will focus on the global influence of the Chinese Communist Party. Part 1 was about liberalism. Part 3 is about communism. This is Part 2 but it is not about capitalism. This week will explore how China’s different sources of identity shape its foreign policy. It is about how an illiberal state adapts to a liberal world order. I want to convey the nuance and complexity of modern China as it exists today. So this week is not about capitalism but the juxtaposition of capitalism and communism. It is about the reconciliation of its many contradictions. And it is about the challenges for China to continue to evolve and transform.The contradictions and complexities intrinsic to Chinese identity are present in its foreign policy. Xiaoyu Pu writes, “China’s grand strategy has no coherent blueprint, and there are competing visions for its emerging roles on the world stage. This is not to argue that Beijing has no grand strategy but rather that Beijing’s grand strategy includes contradictory elements.”Xiaoyu is an Associate Professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Reno and the author of Rebranding China: Contested Status Signaling in the Changing Global Order. There is a lot to worry about China’s global ascendance. But Xiaoyu believes much of the alarm is overblown. Let me restate that he does not believe there is no cause for concern, but he does offer an alternative perspective. Our conversation explores topics as diverse as the domestic politics in China to an analysis of its use of sharp power. We discuss not just China’s prospects for democratization, but whether China must democratize to become a dominant hegemonic power. Thanks to Apes of the State for permission to use their tracks "The Internet Song" and "Bill Collector's Theme Song." You can find their music on Spotify or their Bandcamp.Please visit my blog at www.democracyparadox.com. I have written 80 reviews of both classic and contemporary works of political science with an emphasis on democracy. This week I reviewed John Dewey's classic Democracy and Education. Please visit the website and read my book reviews. And don't forget to subscribe to keep up with future episodes.Support the show

Democracy is often imagined at its purest at a micro level. Town hall meetings are sometimes imagined as a simpler form of democratic governance, so international relations can feel as though it is miles away from democracy. Andy yet, it is the international liberal order which has brought about the vast proliferation of democracy around the world. My guest, John Ikenberry, notes “Liberal democracy was both a national and an international project… Its institutions and ideals were premised on an expanding world of trade, exchange, and community.” Scholars talk about liberal democracy. Sometimes it is not clear whether liberalism depends on democracy or democracy depends on liberalism. It’s easy to assume liberalism is necessary to limit the dangers of democracy, but one of my favorite scholars, Sheri Berman, explains, “Liberalism unchecked by democracy can easily deteriorate into oligarchy or technocracy.” The two are linked. G. John Ikenberry has written about liberal internationalism since the 1980s. He is a giant in the field of international relations. He is a Professor of Politics and International Relations at Princeton University and the author of the new book A World Safe for Democracy: Liberal Internationalism and the Crisis of Global Order. Our conversation explores political theory and international theory, but also American history and current events. This is the first of my three-part episode arc about the global ascendance of China called “Liberalism, Capitalism, Communism.” We do not discuss China until the end of the conversation. This is not by accident. The purpose of this episode is to offer context. It’s impossible to grasp the impact of China until we explain the liberal international order and its importance. My hope is you will have a stronger sense of what is at stake as we discuss China with two different scholars who have very different perspectives. This is a great conversation and a wonderful introduction for the next two weeks. Thanks to Apes of the State for permission to use their tracks "The Internet Song" and "Bill Collector's Theme Song." You can find their music on Spotify or their Bandcamp.Please visit my blog at www.democracyparadox.com. I have written 80 reviews of both classic and contemporary works of political science with an emphasis on democracy. This week I reviewed Mark Beissinger's Nationalist Mobilization and the Collapse of the Soviet State. Please visit the website and read my book reviews. And don't forget to subscribe to keep up with future episodes.Support the show

Political Scientist Seymour Martin Lipset wrote, “A person who knows only one country doesn't know any country because you're not sensitized to what is unique, what is different, what is special about your country.” Brazil offers a parallel to the United States because it has a populist President who is active on social media and has been indifferent to the pandemic and hostile to the environment. But it also has differences in culture, development, and religion. The past week has largely been about the American Presidential Election for me. Like most of you my attention was focused on the results until this past weekend when Joe Biden was officially declared the winner. But now I am exhausted talking about American politics, so I invited Amy Erica Smith to discuss politics in Brazil. She is the author of Religion and Brazilian Democracy: Mobilizing the People of God and a Professor of Political Science at Iowa State University. My conversation with Amy Erica is about Brazil, but in many ways, it is illuminating about the United States. Everyone will have theories about American politics after a consequential election. But an examination of other countries tests those assumptions in different contexts. Populist leaders have found success in many parts of the world, but Jair Bolsonaro feels eerily similar to Trump in so many ways. And yet, “Bolsonaro is a Brazilian invention.” Brian Winter writes in Foreign Affairs, “He is a product of the singularly awful economic and political crisis the country has endured over the last decade and, just as important, of Brazil’s long tradition of being ruled by conservative white men of military background.”The most striking of those similarities and differences is the way religion has interacted with politics in Brazil. Amy Erica’s research is amazing. She is a political scientist’s political scientist but also part of a new generation of scholars who combine field research with statistical analysis to give anecdotal observations new meaning.We cover a lot of ground in our conversation. We talk about Jair Bolsonaro. We discuss the Workers’ Party. We talk about Catholics, Evangelicals, and Pentecostals and... you really just need to listen. This episode marks the start of my second season. Each episode stands alone so there is no theme or topic for each season. But I do feel the podcast has grown in its production and sophistication over the past 20 episodes. And the new election gives me a chance to mark this growth with a new season of episodes. Next week begins the three part series "Liberalism, Capitalism, Communism" about the global ascendance of China. Stay tuned!Thanks to Apes of the State for permission to use their tracks "The Internet Song" and "Bill Collector's Theme Song." You can find their music on Spotify or their Bandcamp.Please visit my blog at www.democracyparadox.com. I have written 80 reviews of both classic and contemporary works of political science with an emphasis on democracy. This week I reviewed Tom Ginsburg's Judicial Review in New Democracies. Please visit the website and read my book reviews. And don't forget to subscribe to keep up with future episodes.Support the show

Millions of Americans are voting for the President of the United States. Some of you will hear this episode before the election is over. Others will likely listen after the election is over. I hope my conversation with William Howell and Terry Moe will have relevance no matter when you listen. William is Chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Chicago. Terry is a Professor of Political Science at Stanford University and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. Our conversation explores their book Presidents, Populism, and the Crisis of Democracy. These are familiar topics for regular listeners of Democracy Paradox. William and Terry break from many critics of Donald Trump in their defense of the Presidency as an institution. They have tremendous faith in the Presidency to deliver effective governance.Many ideas have been considered as an antidote to populism. William and Terry believe effective government is the solution to the populist backlash. There is some truth in their argument. But more importantly, democracy must always strive for effective governance. Because unless democratic governance is synonymous with effectiveness, authoritarians have a justification for their rule. Thanks to Apes of the State for permission to use their tracks "The Internet Song" and "Bill Collector's Theme Song." You can find their music on Spotify or their Bandcamp.Please visit my blog at www.democracyparadox.com. I have written 80 reviews of both classic and contemporary works of political science with an emphasis on democracy. This week I reviewed Karl Marx's third volume of Capital. Please visit the website and read my book reviews. And don't forget to subscribe to keep up with future episodes.Support the show

Democratic values are about more than politics. They permeate throughout society and into the economy. Barbara Freese has examined how corporate leaders have not lived up to these values. She offers examples like the tobacco industry, the use of lead in gasoline, and global warming to demonstrate how they have avoided not just accountability but any sense of responsibility for behavior with catastrophic consequences. Barbara calls this phenomenon corporate denial and explains, “We should study corporate denial because corporations dominate our economy and shape our democracy, and for a huge proportion of Americans, corporate incentives, pressures, norms, and culture govern our work lives.” This is really a conversation about citizenship. We work hard to compartmentalize different parts of our life. Our behavior at work is not supposed to impact our neighbors or our community, but it can and often does. Ultimately, corporate denials do not come from corporations. They come from people viewed as leaders. And they erode the trust necessary for democratic governance. But we can restore that trust through honesty. Honesty with each other and honesty with ourselves. Barbara Freese is the author of Industrial Strength Denial: Eight Stories of Corporations Defending the Indefensible from the Slave Trade to Climate Change. She is an environmental attorney and a former Minnesota assistant attorney general. Her interest in corporate denial was sparked by cross-examining coal industry witnesses disputing the science of climate change. She lives in St. Paul.Thanks to Apes of the State for permission to use their tracks "The Internet Song" and "Bill Collector's Theme Song." You can find their music on Spotify or their Bandcamp. Please visit my blog at www.democracyparadox.com. I have written 70 reviews of both classic and contemporary works of political science with an emphasis on democracy. This week I reviewed The Concept of the Political by Carl Schmitt. Please visit the website and read my book reviews. And don't forget to subscribe to keep up with future episodes.Support the show

The Russian interference in the 2016 American Presidential election brought Russia to the forefront of conversations about international relations. But it has also given us a one-dimensional view of this complex country. Today’s conversation is about Russian Conservatism with historian Paul Robinson. We talk about conservatism as an ideology, we talk about its history, and we talk about the many dimensions of Russian Conservatism today that offer a complex and nuanced view.Our conversation is not an endorsement of Russian Conservatism. It is a largely undemocratic and anti-liberal school of thought. But even this statement is misleading because there are elements of democracy and liberalism in the ideas of some Russian Conservatives. Consider how your views on Russia change throughout its history. Today, it is largely considered conservative at least socially or culturally. But not long ago, it was Communist and associated with the far left. The reality is few of us have thought much about Russian political thought beyond broad generalizations. This podcast will scratch the surface on a particular political tradition but hopefully it offers a broader context as Russia becomes a topic in Western politics in the 2020 election and beyond. Paul Robinson is Professor of History of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa and the author of Russian Conservatism. He is author of several books, including The White Russian Army in Exile, 1920–1941, and co-author of Aiding Afghanistan.Thanks to Apes of the State for permission to use their tracks "The Internet Song" and "Bill Collector's Theme Song." You can find their music on Spotify or their Bandcamp. Thanks to Cornell University Press for providing a copy of Russian Conservatism.Please visit my blog at www.democracyparadox.com. I have written 70 reviews of both classic and contemporary works of political science with an emphasis on democracy. This week I reviewed Crises of Democracy by Adam Przeworski. Please visit the website and read my book reviews. And don't forget to subscribe to keep up with future episodes.Support the show

The United States has a long tradition of direct democracy through referendums dating back to the early years of the republic. Nearly every state today has some form of referendums or ballot initiatives. Yet the United States has never had a national referendum. John Matsusaka points out that from a comparative perspective, this is unusual. Nearly all other democracies have held national referendums, and many have made them a regular part of their political process. Matsusaka emphasizes tradition should not be an obstacle. He writes, “American democracy is not a static system created by the Founders, but a work in progress, an evolving set of practices that each generation has updated, largely by extending the scope of popular participation.” I share an optimistic conversation with John Matsusaka about the possibilities for direct democracy. There is a little bit of talk about Brexit and a few other countries like Switzerland are mentioned, but we mainly focus on the United States. John thinks the time is past due to introduce direct democracy on the national level. He writes in his book, “Although the Founders got some things wrong, they got many things right. We would like to know if omitting direct democracy was one of the things they got right, or one of their mistakes.”John Matsusaka is the Charles F. Sexton Chair in American Enterprise at the University of Southern California and the author of Let the People Rule: How Direct Democracy Can Meet the Populist Challenge. An economist by training, he works on topics related to political economy, direct democracy, corporate finance, and corporate governance. His article, “Corporate Diversification, Value Maximization, and Organizational Capabilities,” was awarded the Merton Miller Prize for most significant paper by the Journal of Business; and his article "Ballot Order Effects in Direct Democracy Elections" received the Duncan Black Prize for best paper in Public Choice.Thanks to Apes of the State for permission to use their tracks "The Internet Song" and "Bill Collector's Theme Song." You can find their music on Spotify or their Bandcamp. Thanks to James Schneider at Princeton University Press for my copy of Let the People Rule: How Direct Democracy Can Meet the Populist Challenge and for an introduction to John Matsusaka.Please visit my blog at www.democracyparadox.com. I have written 70 reviews of both classic and contemporary works of political science with an emphasis on democracy. This week I reviewed On the Political by Chantal Mouffe. Please visit the website and read my book reviews. And don't forget to subscribe to keep up with future episodes.Support the show

Federalism has become marginalized in academic literature. Everybody knows the United States depends on a federal system, but few talk about it. The nationalization of politics makes federalism feel esoteric and obsolete. My conversation with Donald Kettl explains why federalism remains vibrant and relevant. And it is necessary to understand American politics today as much as it has ever been.Listeners will find we talk about equality almost as much as federalism. Don writes in his book, The Divided States of America, “Federalism, instead of bridging the gaps in the polarization and inequality of the new century, fed and accelerated them.” He explains why federalism has failed to deliver and how it can be reimagined once again.This is a wide ranging conversation that spans history and current events. We discuss important topics like healthcare, environmental policy, and the pandemic. These issues all touch on different aspects of federalism. Donald Kettl is the Sid Richardson Professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, Austin and the author of The Divided States of America: Why Federalism Doesn't Work. Don has twice won the Louis Brownlow Book Award of the National Academy of Public Administration for The Transformation of Governance (2002); and System Under Stress: Homeland Security and American Politics (2005). His book, Escaping Jurassic Government: How to Recover America's Lost Commitment to Competence, won the 2016 award for book of the year from the American Society for Public Administration.Thanks to Apes of the State for permission to use their tracks "The Internet Song" and "Bill Collector's Theme Song." You can find their music on Spotify or their Bandcamp. Thanks to James Schneider at Princeton University Press for my copy of The Divided States of America: Why Federalism Doesn't Work and for an introduction to Donald Kettl. Please visit my blog at www.democracyparadox.com. I have written 70 reviews of both classic and contemporary works of political science with an emphasis on democracy. This week I reviewed Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy by Suzanne Mettler and Robert C. Lieberman. Please visit the website and read my book reviews. And don't forget to subscribe to keep up with future episodes.Support the show

Jenna Spinelle, co-host of Democracy Works, joins the Democracy Paradox as a guest host as Justin recaps the three-part episode arc "Resistance, Revolution, Democracy." The tables are turned as Justin is interviewed about his background, thoughts on democracy, and final ideas about the past three episodes. Jenna conducts the interviews for the award-winning podcast, Democracy Works. The McCourtney Institute of Democracy at Penn State University sponsors Democracy Works. It has been a fixture of those engaged in conversations about Democracy since 2018. Look for them wherever you listen to Democracy Paradox. Thanks to Apes of the State for permission to use their tracks "The Internet Song" and "Bill Collector's Theme Song." You can find their music on Spotify or their Bandcamp.Look for tomorrow's conversation with Donald Kettl about his book The Divided States of America: Why Federalism Doesn't Work and look for the recent review of The Four Threats at www.democracyparadox.com. Support the show

Jonathan Pinckney is a program office with the Program on Nonviolent Action at the United States Institute of Peace and the author of From Dissent to Democracy: The Promise and Perils of Civil Resistance Transitions. This is the third part of a three episode arc called, "Resistance, Revolution, Democracy." My conversation with Erica Chenoweth explored the idea of civil resistance. The next week I was able to discuss revolutions with George Lawson. This conversation pulls these ideas together to consider how regime transitions can produce sustainable democracies. A few different regime transitions are discussed from around the world and throughout recent history. Towards the end we briefly discuss the United States Institute of Peace. I know many PhDs who struggle to break into academia. There are opportunities outside of universities. Jonathan offers a compelling option for some who are looking to establish a career in political science. Thanks to Apes of the State for permission to use their tracks "The Internet Song" and "Bill Collector's Theme Song." You can find their music on Spotify or their Bandcamp.Please visit my blog at www.democracyparadox.com. I have written 70 reviews of both classic and contemporary works of political science with an emphasis on democracy. This week I reviewed Friedrich Nietzsche's On the Genealogy of Morality. Please visit the website and read my book reviews. And don't forget to subscribe to keep up with future episodes.Support the show

This is the second part of the three episode arc called "Resistance, Revolution, Democracy." George Lawson joins to discuss revolutions. His book, Anatomies of Revolution, offers both a historical framework to understand revolutions, but also analyzes them in their own unique context. We talk about all kinds of revolutions from history and current events. George brings up famous revolutions like the French and American Revolutions, but is also comfortable discussing the protests in Belarus or Tunisia and the Arab Spring. Last week's episode introduced the idea of civil resistance. Erica Chenoweth explained how nonviolent campaigns were more likely than violent uprisings to overthrow authoritarian regimes. But George Lawson recognizes revolutions face a second challenge in how they choose to govern. Contemporary civil resistance campaigns find this next challenge particularly difficult because they represent broad coalitions with diverse options. This is a fun conversation that is wide ranging. But there is no clear solution for how to transition from a successful revolution to successful governance. The next episode with Jonathan Pinckney offers a blueprint for how civil resistance campaigns can transition From Dissent to Democracy.George Lawson is a Professor of International Relations at the Australian National University. He was previously Associate Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science. His work is oriented around the relationship between history and theory, with a particular interest in global historical sociology.Thanks to Apes of the State for permission to use their tracks "The Internet Song" and "Bill Collector's Theme Song." You can find their music on Spotify or their Bandcamp. Please visit my blog at www.democracyparadox.com. I have written 70 reviews of both classic and contemporary works of political science with an emphasis on democracy. This week I reviewed From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology. Please visit the website and read my book reviews. And don't forget to subscribe to keep up with future episodes.Support the show

This is the first conversation in a three part episode arc called "Resistance, Revolution, Democracy." In this interview, Erica Chenoweth explains why civil resistance is more effective than violent resistance, why it is more likely to bring about democracy, and the strengths and challenges every campaign faces. This interview sets the stage for the next two episodes. It explains some of the concepts and ideas of civil resistance scholars before the podcast moves on to ideas about revolutions (George Lawson) and transitions to democracy (Jonathan Pinckney). Erica Chenoweth is best known for her groundbreaking empirical studies which demonstrate how nonviolent resistance is more effective than violent resistance in bringing about regime change. This insight requires a paradigm shift in political strategy that transforms how we consider revolutions and democratization. The Democracy Paradox will dive even deeper into these ideas over the next two episodes.Erica is the Berthold Beitz Professor in Human Rights and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School and a Susan S. and Kenneth L. Wallach Professor at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Chenoweth directs the Nonviolent Action Lab at Harvard’s Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, where they study political violence and its alternatives. Foreign Policy magazine ranked Chenoweth among the Top 100 Global Thinkers in 2013 for their efforts to promote the empirical study of nonviolent resistance. Her forthcoming book is Civil Resistance: What Everyone Needs to Know.Thanks to Apes of the State for permission to use their tracks "The Internet Song" and "Bill Collector's Theme Song." You can find their music on Spotify or their Bandcamp. Thanks to Oxford University Press for my copy of Civil Resistance: What Everyone Needs to Know. It is scheduled for publication on February 1, 2021.Please visit my blog at www.democracyparadox.com. I have written 70 reviews of both classic and contemporary works of political science with an emphasis on democracy. This week I reviewed John Maynard Keynes' The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money. Please visit the website and read my book reviews. And don't forget to subscribe to keep up with future episodes.Support the show

When there are no choices left, people resist. Resistance brings revolution. And sometimes a revolution brings about democracy. Over the next three weeks the Democracy Paradox will interview scholars to explore these topics. Erica Chenoweth will discuss Civil Resistance. George Lawson explains his research on Revolutions. And Jonathan Pinckney helps us understand the transformation from dissent to democracy. This three episode arc is called Resistance, Revolution, Democracy. The first is available September 16th. Available on the Democracy Paradox podcast. Subscribe today. September 16th - Erica Chenoweth, author of the forthcoming Civil Resistance: What Everyone Needs to KnowSeptember 22nd - George Lawson author of Anatomies of RevolutionSeptember 28th - Jonathan Pinckney author of From Dissent to DemocracyYou can learn more about different ideas about democracy and other political thought at www.democracyparadox.com. This three episode arc is a part of the first season of the Democracy Paradox podcast. Support the show

A few fun disclaimers. I am a graduate of the Kelley School of Business MBA program where Jill Long Thompson teaches. My wife is a graduate of the Master's program at the School of Public and Environmental Affaits (SPEA) where Jill also works. And yet, we did not know each other before I reached out to her about the podcast. But I did know of her because she is widely known in Indiana for a long record of distinguished public service. She served three terms in Congress representing Indiana’s fourth district. She has been a nominee of the Democratic Party for Senate and Governor. She served as the Under Secretary of Agriculture under Bill Clinton and as the CEO of the Farm Credit Administration under Barak Obama. More recently, she teaches at Indiana University and is the author of The Character of American Democracy: Preserving Our Past, Protecting Our Future.The conversation focuses on the way character and ethics are fundamental for democratic governance. We talk a bit about the ways character and ethics are important for leaders. It is interesting to hear how she believes character and ethics are not independent of public policy. The kind of character leaders have influences the policies they recommend and the performance of governance. But we also discuss the importance of character for citizens.This is an episode with practical importance and real world applications. Jill gives a few insights from her time in public service including a personal account of the Honorable John Lewis at the end of the episode. This is an important conversation for those in leadership positions in the public or private sector. Thanks to Apes of the State for permission to use their tracks "The Internet Song" and "Plate Glass Apology." You can find their music on Spotify or their Bandcamp. Thanks to Indiana University Press for my copy of The Character of American Democracy.Please visit my blog at www.democracyparadox.com. I have written 70 reviews of both classic and contemporary works of political science with an emphasis on democracy. This week I reviewed E.B. White's On Democracy. It is a great companion to reflect on the role of character in a democracy. Please visit the website and read my book reviews. And don't forget to subscribe to keep up with future episodes.Support the show

My conversation with Juliet explores what is called the sharing economy. Uber, Lyft, and Airbnb have transformed the economy and reshaped what it means to work. We discuss her book After The Gig: How the Sharing Economy got Hijacked and How to Win it Back. It explores the impacts of these platforms on society. The discussion delves into topics like race, class, and the ways good intentions so often produce the wrong results. This is not necessarily an episode about politics. But my blog has long explored economics, sociology, and other disciplines to better understand different aspects of democracy. Platforms like Uber and Airbnb are not simply organizations. They have become institutions that change our relationships to work and each other. Juliet and I never explicitly discuss democracy, but I have long argued any change in institutions has repercussions on democracy. Juliet Schor is a New York Times-bestselling author. She is currently Professor of Sociology at Boston College. Before joining Boston College she taught in the Department of Economics at Harvard University. Schor is an internationally known scholar of labor, consumption, and environment. She is a former Guggenheim and Radcliffe Institute Fellow, recipient of the Leontief Prize in Economics, and the Public Understanding of Sociology Award from the American Sociology Association. She is the Chair of the Board of the Better Future Project.Thanks to Apes of the State for permission to use their tracks "The Internet Song" and "Plate Glass Apology. You can find their music on Spotify or their Bandcamp. Thanks to Brianne Kane who took the time to introduce me to Juliet.Please visit my blog at www.democracyparadox.com. I have written 70 reviews of both classic and contemporary works of political science with an emphasis on democracy. This week I reviewed Niccolò Machiavelli's Discourses on Livy. Please visit the website and read my book reviews. And don't forget to subscribe to keep up with future episodes.Support the show

Many scholars use the interwar period as a cautionary tale of democratic breakdown and collapse, but it was also a period of remarkable democratic stability in an age of crisis. Agnes Cornell and Svend-Eric Skaaning join your host, Justin Kempf, to discuss the first era of widespread democratization, the interwar period. The conversation focuses on their research and discusses some specific examples from this period including Denmark, Uruguay, and Czechoslovakia. Political science typically aims to make sense of recent world events. But there are many scholars who approach historical events from a perspective of comparative politics. The book Democratic Stability in an Age of Crisis: Reassessing the Interwar Period is a work of comparative politics, but it will capture the imagination of historians and political scientists alike because the lessons from this period help make sense of events in our own time. Agnes Cornell is Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Gothenburg. Svend-Eric Skaaning is Professor of Political Science, Aarhus University. Along with Jørgen Møller they are the authors of Democratic Stability in an Age of Crisis: Reassessing the Interwar Period from Oxford University Press. Thanks to Apes of the State for permission to use their tracks "The Internet Song" and "Plate Glass Apology. You can find their music on Spotify or their Bandcamp. Thanks to Oxford University Press who has made many volumes available to me during the pandemic.Take the time to visit my blog at www.democracyparadox.com. I have written 70 reviews of both classic and contemporary works of political science with an emphasis on democracy. This week I reviewed Carl Schmitt's The Crisis of Parliamentary Democracy. It is a great companion to understand the political thought during the interwar period. Please visit the website and read my book reviews. And don't forget to subscribe to keep up with future episodes.Support the show

The ninth episode revisits the initiative referendum except it introduces an important twist. John Gastil and Katherine Knobloch are the authors of Hope for Democracy: How Citizens Can Bring Reason Back into Politics. They consider how the idea of deliberative democracy was able to influence initiative referendums through a new institution called the Citizens' Initiative Review (CIR). This was a reform brought to life in Oregon a few years ago. John and Katie help us understand this specific reform but also discuss the broader idea of deliberative democracy. It is easy to get lost in the details of any specific reform initiative for democracy. But this discussion brings to life how ordinary people have been able to bring ideas to life and make a small difference in how democracy is shaped. This is a good sequel for the episode with Joshua Dyck and Edward Lascher. They were pessimistic about initiative referendums. This episode offers a path to soften some of those concerns. But as we discuss near the end, the idea of deliberative democracy has been introduced into many avenues of government, education, and even private enterprise. John Gastil (PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison) is a professor in the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences and Political Science at the Pennsylvania State University, where he is a senior scholar at the McCourtney Institute for Democracy. Gastil’s research focuses on the theory and practice of deliberative democracy, especially how small groups of people make decisions on public issues. The National Science Foundation has supported his research on the Oregon Citizens’ Initiative Review, the Australian Citizens’ Parliament, jury deliberation, and cultural cognition. His other recent books include Legislature by Lot and his debut novel, Gray Matters. He was born in San Diego, California, where his father ran for US Congress in 1976 and his mother followed suit in 1992-94. Raised as a Quaker, it’s fitting that he now lives in State College, Pennsylvania.Katherine R. Knobloch is an assistant professor and the associate director of the Center for Public Deliberation (CPD) in the Department of Communication Studies at Colorado State University. At the CPD Knobloch trains undergraduates in civic engagement and facilitation and works with community partners to design and implement public forums. She studies the development, evaluation, and impact of deliberative public processes, with a focus on how the emergence of deliberative institutions alters communities and individuals. Her research has appeared in numerous academic publications, including Politics, American Politics Research, and the Journal of Applied Communication Research. She received her doctoral degree from the University of Washington and her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Louisiana State University. She was born and raised in the bayou region of Southern Louisiana and developed her interest in political structures while watching her father and grandfather navigate small-town electoral politics. She currently lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with her husband and two young children.Thanks to Apes of the State for permission to use their tracks "The Internet Song" and "Plate Glass Apology. You can find their music on Spotify or their Bandcamp. Thanks to Oxford University Press who has made many volumes available to me during the pandemic. Take the timeSupport the show

The eighth episode of the Democracy Paradox features Israeli scholar Yael Tamir as we discuss her recent book Why Nationalism. Yael Tamir offers a refreshing look at nationalism as she looks to reclaim the concept from conservatives. We delve into some of the important concepts of her book but also apply these ideas to current events including the pandemic, Catalan separatism, and the Black Lives Matter movement. Tamir studied under the intellectual giant Isaiah Berlin at Oxford. She explains how Berlin became her mentor because nobody else was interested in her dissertation on nationalism!!! We discuss some of Berlin's ideas and his influence on her ideas near the end of the podcast. Thanks to Apes of the State for permission to use their tracks "The Internet Song" and "Plate Glass Apology. You can find their music on Spotify or their Bandcamp. Thanks to James Schneider and Princeton University Press for helping me connect with Yael Tamir. They also provided me a review copy of her book. Take the time to visit my blog at www.democracyparadox.com. I have written 70 reviews of both classic and contemporary works of political science with an emphasis on democracy. This week I reviewed Isaiah Berlin's Against the Current. It is a great companion to Tamir's work Why Nationalism. Please visit the website and read my book reviews. And don't forget to subscribe to keep up with future episodes.Support the show

The seventh episode of the Democracy Paradox focuses on the secondary effects of direct democracy with Joshua (Josh) J. Dyck and Edward (Ted) L. Lascher, Jr. Their recent book Initiatives without Engagement: A Realistic Appraisal of Direct Democracy’s Secondary Effects. Typically, initiative referendums are discussed as a philosophical component of direct democracy. Josh and Ted focus on empirical data to show how initiatives have secondary effects with negative consequences. It is a distinct look at a topic many of us (falsely) believe we fully comprehend. The podcast examines the three key findings of their research in the book, but extends to many larger big picture topics. We discuss Brexit, Switzerland (including their failure to extend the franchise to women until 1971), and I even find a way sneak Robert Dahl into the conversation. Our conversation engages with core issues of politics including democracy, institutions, and even the rights of minorities. Take the time to visit my blog at www.democracyparadox.com. I have written 70 reviews of both classic and contemporary works of political science with an emphasis on democracy. This week I reviewed Antonio Gramsci's Selections from Political Writings 1921-1926. Please visit the website and read my book reviews. And don't forget to subscribe to keep up with future episodes.Support the show

This episode features William S. Smith, author of Democracy and Imperialism: Irving Babbitt and Warlike Democracies. Irving Babbitt is an underappreciated political theorist. He wrote the classic Democracy and Leadership in 1924 before the Behavioralist Revolution of the 1950s so his work is often overlooked by contemporary political scientists. Babbitt has an enormous influence on conservative political theory and philosophy. His ideas about democracy, leadership and imperialism are as relevant for discussion today than ever before. His focus on character and virtue in political leaders has never been more salient than it has been during the global pandemic. The podcast discusses many important theorists of political thought and philosophy including Rousseau, Huntington and Hobbes. We discuss how some of Babbitt's thought applies to current and historical events. We discuss the Iraq War, Ukraine and touch on Trump's own style of leadership. Take the time to visit my blog at www.democracyparadox.com. I have written 70 reviews of both classic and contemporary works of political science with an emphasis on democracy. This week I reviewed Campaigns and Voters in Developing Democracies: Argentina in Comparative Perspective. Please visit the website and read my book reviews. And don't forget to subscribe to keep up with future episodes.Support the show

Takis Pappas is the author of Populism and Liberal Democracy: A Comparative and Theoretical Analysis. We have an hour long conversation about populism, liberalism and democracy. The interview lays out some of these key concepts but also includes some discussion of specific examples including Orban, Trump and Greece. We talk quite a bit about the concept of charismatic leadership. Takis gives a broad overview of populism that is ideal for undergraduates, but also interesting for those with a strong background in the study of populism. Take the time to visit my blog at www.democracyparadox.com. I have written 70 reviews of both classic and contemporary works of political science with an emphasis on democracy. This week I reviewed Karl Marx's second volume Capital. Please visit the website and read my book reviews. And don't forget to subscribe to keep up with future episodes.Support the show

Alexander Cooley and Daniel Nexon are the authors of Exit from Hegemony: The Unraveling of the American Global Order. We had a 90 minute conversation on some important topics for the study of international relations. The first part discusses some key concepts in their book like "hegemony" and the "liberal world order." Dan and Alex both give a great overview that is ideal for beginners but also informative for those who have a strong background in the topic. The rest of the podcast explores a number of topics. We discuss Russia and China, kleptocracy, Viktor Orbán and, of course, Donald Trump. This podcast is ideal not just for those immersed in conversations about foreign affairs, but also undergraduate students or those with a genuine interest in foreign policy. The discussion brings together current events with broader concepts of theory in a lively conversation.Take the time to visit my blog at www.democracyparadox.com. I have written over 60 reviews of classics and recent works of political science with an emphasis on democracy. This week I reviewed The Orbán Regime: Plebiscitary Leader Democracy in the Making by András Körösényi, Gábor Illés, and Attila Gyulai. Please visit the website and read my book reviews. And don't forget to subscribe to keep up with future episodes. Support the show

Luis Cabrera is the author of The Humble Cosmopolitan: Rights, Diversity, and Trans-state Democracy. He is Associate Professor in the Griffith Asia Institute and the School of Government and International Relations at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia. His research focuses on global citizenship, human rights, and justice. The interview explores the political thought of Ambedkar, Dalit rights in India, and the implications of global citizenship. Luis Cabrera gives his thoughts on the need for international and regional institutions designed to protect the rights of minorities, but also elaborates on some important interrelated concepts like humility-arrogance and rights-duties. This is the third episode of the Democracy Paradox Podcast. Expect a new episode every week. I continue to publish a new book review every Saturday at www.democracyparadox.com. This week's review was on the classic work of political philosophy, Hegemony and Socialist Strategy by Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe. Please subscribe to learn more from scholars as they elaborate on ideas about rights, institutions, and democracy. Future episodes will feature Alexander Cooley and Daniel Nexon, Takis Pappas, William Smith, and Joshua Dyck. Support the show

Marlene Mauk is the author of Citizen Support for Democratic and Autocratic Regimes. Support for autocratic regimes is a neglected topic up until the last few years. We discuss why citizens support autocracies, democracies and what this means for advocates of democracy. We have an interesting discussion about the potential for democracy in Africa. Mauk finds Sub-Saharan Africa has significant support for democracy and enormous potential for further democratization and consolidation. We discuss some of the giants of political theory including Lipset, Dahl and Lijphart. Mauk has a firm background on traditional political science theory so it's a great discussion.This is my first interview. My microphone must have been turned off because the audio was picked up through the webcam. But the conversation is strong. Hopefully listeners look past some of the minor technical problems as I begin to launch this podcast!Support the show

Episode 1: The inaugural episode explores Hannah Arendt's book The Origins of Totalitarianism.  This is the only monologue in the series. Every other episode features a guest interview. It focuses on the distinction between the law and the state. Arendt loosely defines totalitarianism as the presence of the state in absence of law.  Support the show