Democracy Paradox
228 episodes - English - Latest episode: 29 days ago -Is it possible for a democracy to govern undemocratically? Can the people elect an undemocratic leader? Is it possible for democracy to bring about authoritarianism? And if so, what does this say about democracy? My name is Justin Kempf. Every week I talk to the brightest minds on subjects like international relations, political theory, and history to explore democracy from every conceivable angle. Topics like civil resistance, authoritarian successor parties, and the autocratic middle class challenge our ideas about democracy. Join me as we unravel new topics every week.
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Episodes
The Last Episode. Elizabeth Saunders on How Democracies Wage War and Make Peace
June 11, 2024 07:00 - 52 minutes - 36.3 MBWe'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 Saunders Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu Proudly sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at...
When Democracy Breaks: Final Thoughts with Archon Fung, David Moss and Arne Westad
June 04, 2024 09:00 - 53 minutes - 36.4 MBI think we've seen democracies can be unstable. Autocracies are even more unstable. David Moss Made in partnership with the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation Get your copy of When Democracy Breaks or read it open access. Access Episodes Ad-Free on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu Proudly sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International...
When Democracy Breaks: Scott Mainwaring on Argentina
May 28, 2024 08:00 - 52 minutes - 35.7 MBMarch 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 Mainwaring Made in partnership with the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation Get your copy of When Democracy Breaks or read it open access. Access Episodes Ad-Free on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. P...
When Democracy Breaks: 1930s Japan with Louise Young
May 21, 2024 09:00 - 45 minutes - 31 MBThere'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 Young Made in partnership with the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation Get your copy of When Democracy Breaks or read it open access. Access Episodes Ad-Free on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu Proud...
When Democracy Breaks: Ancient Athens with Josiah Ober and Federica Carugati
May 14, 2024 09:00 - 51 minutes - 35.6 MBWhat strikes me about that period is that democracy was not inevitable. Federica Carugati Made in partnership with the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation Get your copy of When Democracy Breaks or read it open access. Access Episodes Ad-Free on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu Proudly sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peac...
Alexander Keyssar on Why We Still Have the Electoral College
May 07, 2024 09:00 - 50 minutes - 35.4 MBI 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 Keyssar Made in partnership with the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu Proudly sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for Internationa...
Robert Kagan on the Threat of Antiliberalism
April 30, 2024 09:00 - 49 minutes - 34.1 MBYou 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 Kagan Access Episodes Ad-Free on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu Proudly spons...
Rep Mikie Sherrill on Whether the Bipartisan Consensus on Foreign Policy Will Hold and on Threats to American Democracy
April 23, 2024 09:00 - 32 minutes - 22.5 MBPeople in Congress are leaders in their communities and people in some parts of this country are, in my opinion, being led astray. Rep. Mikie Sherrill This episode was made in partnership with the Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of Democracy Access Episodes Ad-Free on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu Proudly sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for Intern...
Saskia Brechenmacher on Promoting Gender Equality Through Democracy Assistance Aid
April 16, 2024 09:00 - 56 minutes - 38.6 MBWhat 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 Brechenmacher Access Episodes Ad-Free on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu Made in partnership with the Carnegie Endow...
Democracy in a Postmodern Era with Bruce Ackerman
April 09, 2024 09:00 - 47 minutes - 32.3 MBWe have to reconstruct the foundations of our democracy, building on the past, not repudiating everything we're building on it. Bruce Ackerman Access Episodes Ad-Free on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu Sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.org A full transcript is available at www.democracyparado...
Adam Casey on How Military Aid Can Stabilize and Destabilize Foreign Autocrats
April 02, 2024 09:00 - 51 minutes - 35.6 MBWe 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 Casey Access Episodes Ad-Free on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu Sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowm...
Disinformation is a Threat to Democracy Says Barbara McQuade
March 26, 2024 09:00 - 49 minutes - 33.7 MBWe have to care more about truth than tribe. We have to care more about each other than about profit. Barbara McQuade This episode was made in partnership with the Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of Democracy Access Episodes Ad-Free on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu Sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carn...
Grading Biden's Foreign Policy with Alexander Ward
March 19, 2024 09:00 - 52 minutes - 36.2 MBWhoever you vote for, Biden or Trump at this point, you are voting for a radically different vision of American foreign policy. Alexander Ward Access Episodes Ad-Free on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu Sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.org A full transcript is available at www.democracyparado...
Peter Pomerantsev on Winning an Information War
March 12, 2024 09:00 - 48 minutes - 34 MBAll 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 Pomerantsev Access Episodes Ad-Free on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu Sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.or...
Is Democracy Still in Decline? Yana Gorokhovskaia on the Freedom in the World Report
March 05, 2024 10:00 - 46 minutes - 31.6 MBWithout 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 Gorokhovskaia Access Episodes Ad-Free on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International S...
When We Misread Dictators... Steve Coll on Saddam Hussein and the American Invasion of Iraq
February 27, 2024 10:00 - 57 minutes - 39.6 MBAs 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 Coll Access Episodes Ad-Free on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu Read Justin Kempf's essay "The Revolution Will Be Podcasted." A full transcript is available...
Why is the Immigration System Broken? Jonathan Blitzer on How American Foreign Policy in Central America Created a Crisis
February 20, 2024 10:00 - 54 minutes - 37.6 MBWritten 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 Blitzer This 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.edu Access Episodes Ad-Free on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. Read Justin Ke...
The Surveillance State in China Began With Mao Says Minxin Pei
February 13, 2024 10:00 - 43 minutes - 29.6 MBI 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 Pei Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu Access Episodes Ad-Free on Patreon Make 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 ...
After a Coup, Can the Constitutional Order Be Repaired? Adem Abebe on Rebuilding Constitutions in West Africa
February 06, 2024 10:00 - 54 minutes - 37.5 MBAs 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 Abebe This episode was made in partnership with the Constitution Building Programme at International IDEA Access Episodes Ad-Free on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https...
Can Poland Repair its Constitutional Democracy? Tomás Daly Believes it Can
January 30, 2024 10:00 - 51 minutes - 36 MBPoland will be showing us the endless ingenuity of constitutional thinkers who are genuinely committed to democracy in its many forms. Tomás Daly This episode was made in partnership with the Constitution Building Programme at International IDEA Access Episodes Ad-Free on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu Read Justin Kempf's essay "The Revolution Will Be Podca...
Simon Shuster on Zelensky in War and Peace
January 23, 2024 10:00 - 49 minutes - 34 MBI 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 Shuster Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu Access Episodes Ad-Free on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. A full transcrip...
Marcela Rios Tobar on the Failed Constitutional Process in Chile
January 16, 2024 10:00 - 50 minutes - 34.7 MBWhen politics has to solve the problems that it has caused, how can politics do that? Marcela Rios Tobar This 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.edu Access Episodes Ad-Free on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com. Marcela Rios Tobar is the Director...
Kurt Weyland on the Resilience of Democracy
January 09, 2024 10:00 - 52 minutes - 36.1 MBPopulist leaders want polarization. They start polarization. They confront. Kurt Weyland Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu Access Episodes Ad-Free on Patreon Make 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: Cou...
Is a New Jim Crow Emerging in India? Ashutosh Varshney Gives a Warning
January 02, 2024 05:00 - 42 minutes - 29 MBThat'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 Varshney Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu Listen ad-free for just a $5/month on Patreon Make 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 ...
Does Democracy Rely on a Civic Bargain? Josiah Ober Makes the Case
December 26, 2023 10:00 - 52 minutes - 36 MBWhat 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 Ober Support the podcast on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com. ...
Is Islamism Democratic? Sebnem Gumuscu on Islamist Parties in Egypt, Tunisia, and Turkey
December 19, 2023 10:00 - 44 minutes - 30.5 MBIf 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 Gumuscu Support the podcast on Patreon Make 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...
Can America Fight Back Against the Authoritarian Economic Statecraft of China? Bethany Allen Believes We Can
December 12, 2023 10:00 - 53 minutes - 36.7 MBIn 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 Allen Support the podcast on Patreon Make 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 Highlights I...
Does Democracy Die in Darkness? Katlyn Carter on Transparency and Secrecy in Early Representative Governments
December 05, 2023 10:00 - 47 minutes - 32.8 MBIf 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 Carter Support the podcast on Patreon Make 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 N...
How Can Democracy Survive in an Age of Discontent? Rachel Navarre and Matthew Rhodes-Purdy on Populism and Political Extremism
November 28, 2023 10:00 - 47 minutes - 32.6 MBI 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-Purdy Support the podcast on Patreon Make 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 Publi...
Rachel Schwartz on How Guatemala Rose Up Against Democratic Backsliding
November 21, 2023 10:00 - 45 minutes - 31.5 MBThis was an election that was meant to cement authoritarian rule and it became a democratic breakthrough. Rachel Schwartz Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make 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." S...
Who is Alexey Navalny? David Herszenhorn Paints a Picture
November 14, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 41.3 MBIt'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 Herszenhorn Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make 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 ...
Leadership is Not a Formula Says Moshik Temkin
November 07, 2023 10:00 - 52 minutes - 35.9 MBLeadership 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 Temkin Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make 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...
Patricia Evangelista Says The Philippines is an Example of What Happens When Autocrats and Dictators Rise and We Let Them
October 31, 2023 09:00 - 48 minutes - 33.6 MBFor 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 Evangelista Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make 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 th...
Cenk Uygur is Running an Unorthodox Campaign for President
October 24, 2023 09:00 - 57 minutes - 39.5 MBYou 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 Uygur Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make 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...
Shadi Hamid on Democracy, Liberalism, and the Middle East
October 17, 2023 09:00 - 51 minutes - 35.1 MBAutocracy 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 Hamid Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make 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 o...
Branko Milanovic on Different Visions of Inequality
October 10, 2023 09:00 - 47 minutes - 32.4 MBWriting 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 Milanovic Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make 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 ...
Yascha Mounk Warns Against a Misguided New Ideology
October 03, 2023 09:00 - 50 minutes - 34.9 MBI 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 Mounk Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make 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 Aff...
Heather Cox Richardson on History, Conservatism, and the Awakening of American Democracy
September 26, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 43 MBIt 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 Richardson Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make 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 ...
Daniel Ziblatt on American Democracy, the Republican Party, and the Tyranny of the Minority
September 19, 2023 09:00 - 47 minutes - 32.9 MBI think one of the greatest barriers to reform is thinking that reform is impossible. Daniel Ziblatt Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make 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 Tyran...
Is Reunification Still Possible? Victor Cha and Ramon Pacheco Pardo on Korea
September 12, 2023 09:00 - 55 minutes - 38.3 MBNorth 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 Cha Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make 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 f...
Deng Xiaoping is Not Who You Think He is. Joseph Torigian on Leadership Transitions in China and the Soviet Unio
September 05, 2023 09:00 - 47 minutes - 32.7 MBPeople 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 Torigian Access Bon...
Robert Kaplan on the Politics of the Past and Future of the Greater Middle East
August 29, 2023 09:00 - 52 minutes - 36 MBGreat 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 Kaplan Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com. Robert r...
Is India Still a Democracy? Rahul Verma Emphatically Says Yes
August 22, 2023 09:00 - 40 minutes - 27.8 MBIndia should be understood as a test case of democracy outside the Western world. Rahul Verma Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make 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 o...
Cass Sunstein on Interpreting the US Constitution
August 15, 2023 09:00 - 50 minutes - 34.5 MBIt 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 Sunstein Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make 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 ...
Marc Plattner Has Quite a Bit to Say About Democracy
August 08, 2023 09:00 - 43 minutes - 29.8 MBI think we have a more complex notion of what democracy is. - Marc Plattner Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make 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...
Is McKinsey and Company a Threat to Democracy? Michael Forsythe Shares His Reporting
August 01, 2023 07:00 - 54 minutes - 37.2 MBIt'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 Forsythe Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make 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 h...
Sergei Guriev Revisits Spin Dictators
July 25, 2023 09:00 - 52 minutes - 36 MBSpin 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 Guriev Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make 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 Developmen...
Berk Esen and Sebnem Gumuscu on the Disappointing Elections in Turkey... or How Democratic (or Autocratic) is Turkey Really?
July 18, 2023 09:00 - 58 minutes - 40 MBElections 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 Gumuscu Support Democracy Paradox on Podurama. Listen here. Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make 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 associa...
Hal Brands Thinks China is a Declining Power... Here's Why that's a Problem
July 11, 2023 09:00 - 54 minutes - 37.7 MBThe 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 Brands Access Bonus Episodes on Pa...
Natasha Wheatley Raises Some Really Difficult Questions About Sovereignty
July 04, 2023 09:00 - 51 minutes - 35.7 MBMy 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 Wheatley Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com. Natasha Wheatley is an assi...