Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Democracy Paradox
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Killian Clarke Warns Counterrevolution is a Threat to Nascent Democracies | 12 Nov 2025 | 00:51:54 | |
For democratic revolutions to survive counterrevolution, they have to make certain choices that can undermine the quality of their democracy. Killian Clarke Political 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 Highlights
Links Learn 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. | |||
| Amel Ahmed Says the Regime Question Has Returned | 29 Oct 2025 | 00:49:06 | |
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 Ahmed This 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 Highlights
Links Learn more about Javier Pérez Sandoval Learn more about Amel Ahmed Learn more about her book, The Regime Question: Foundations of Democratic Governance in Europe and the United States Learn more about the Kellogg Institute | |||
| Alexander Keyssar on Why We Still Have the Electoral College | 07 May 2024 | 00:50:20 | |
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 Keyssar
Key Links Democracy Paradox Podcast | |||
| Kim Lane Scheppele on Hungary, Viktor Orbán, and its Democratic Decline | 16 Aug 2022 | 00:48:49 | |
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 Scheppele 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 Highlights
Key Links Learn more about Kim Lane Scheppele "How Viktor Orbán Wins" by Kim Lane Scheppele in the Journal of Democracy 9/11 and the Rise of Global Anti-Terrorism Law: How the UN Security Council Rules the World edited by Kim Lane Scheppele and Arianna Vedaschi Democracy Paradox Podcast Moisés Naím on the New Dynamics of Political Power Stephan Haggard and Robert Kaufman on Democratic Backsliding More Episodes from the Podcast More Information Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Jessica Pisano on How Zelenskyy Changed Ukraine | 09 Aug 2022 | 00:34:47 | |
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 Pisano 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.
Learn more about Jessica Pisano "How Zelensky Changed Ukraine" by Jessica Pisano in the Journal of Democracy Staging Democracy: Political Performance in Ukraine, Russia, and Beyond by Jessica Pisano
Michael McFaul and Robert Person on Putin, Russia, and the War in Ukraine Lucan Way on Ukraine. Democracy in Hard Places. More Episodes from the Podcast
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Neil DeVotta on the Protests in Sri Lanka | 02 Aug 2022 | 00:38:08 | |
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 Devotta 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.
Learn 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 Democracy
Ashutosh Varshney on India. Democracy in Hard Places Mark Beissinger on Urban Civic Revolutions More Episodes from the Podcast
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Aynne Kokas on the Intersection Between Surveillance Capitalism and Chinese Sharp Power (or How Much Does the CCP Already Know About You?) | 26 Jul 2022 | 00:43:58 | |
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 Kokas 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.
Learn more about Aynne Kokas "How Beijing Runs the Show in Hollywood" by Aynne Kokas in the Journal of Democracy Visit the Miller Center at the University of Virginia
Mareike Ohlberg on the Global Influence of the Chinese Communist Party More Episodes from the Podcast
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Michael McFaul and Robert Person on Putin, Russia, and the War in Ukraine | 19 Jul 2022 | 00:34:27 | |
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 McFaul 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.
Learn more about Michael McFaul "What Putin Fears Most" by Robert Person and Michael McFaul in the Journal of Democracy From Cold War To Hot Peace: An American Ambassador in Putin's Russia by Michael McFaul Democracy Paradox Podcast Kathryn Stoner on How Putin’s War has Ruined Russia Marta Dyczok and Andriy Kulokov on the Media, Information Warriors, and the Future of Ukraine More Episodes from the Podcast More Information Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Scott Mainwaring on Argentina and a Final Reflection on Democracy in Hard Places | 12 Jul 2022 | 00:43:03 | |
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 Mainwaring 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.
Learn more about Scott Mainwaring "The Fates Of Third-Wave Democracies" by Scott Mainwaring and Fernando Bizarro in the Journal of Democracy Democracy in Hard Places edited by Scott Mainwaring and Tarek Masoud
Lucan Way on Ukraine. Democracy in Hard Places. Rachel Beatty Riedl on Benin. Democracy in Hard Places. More Episodes from the Podcast
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Lucan Way on Ukraine. Democracy in Hard Places | 05 Jul 2022 | 00:40:14 | |
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 Way 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.
Revolution and Dictatorship: The Violent Origins of Durable Authoritarianism by Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way Follow the Lucan Way on Twitter @LucanWay "The Rebirth of the Liberal World Order?" by Lucan Way in the Journal of Democracy Democracy in Hard Places edited by Scott Mainwaring and Tarek Masoud
Sarah Repucci from Freedom House with an Update on Freedom in the World Stephan Haggard and Robert Kaufman on Democratic Backsliding More Episodes from the Podcast
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Michael Coppedge on Why Democracies Emerge, Why They Decline, and Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) | 28 Jun 2022 | 00:34:44 | |
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 Coppedge 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.
Learn more about the Varieties of Democracy Project Follow the V-Dem Institute on Twitter @vdeminstitute Why Democracies Develop and Decline edited by Michael Coppedge, Amanda B. Edgell, Carl Henrik Knutsen and Staffan I. Lindberg
Sarah Repucci from Freedom House with an Update on Freedom in the World Stephan Haggard and Robert Kaufman on Democratic Backsliding More Episodes from the Podcast
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Rachel Beatty Riedl on Benin. Democracy in Hard Places. | 21 Jun 2022 | 00:46:04 | |
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 Riedl
Learn more about the Einaudi Center for International Studies Listen to the Ufahamu Podcast Follow Rachel Beatty Riedl on Twitter @BeattyRiedl Democracy in Hard Places edited by Scott Mainwaring and Tarek Masoud
Evan Lieberman on South Africa Christophe Jaffrelot on Narendra Modi and Hindu Nationalism More Episodes from the Podcast
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Ashutosh Varshney on India. Democracy in Hard Places | 14 Jun 2022 | 00:53:30 | |
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 Varshney
"Modi Consolidates Power: Electoral Vibrancy, Mounting Liberal Deficits" by Ashutosh Varshney in Journal of Democracy Learn more about Ashutosh Varshney at www.ashutoshvarshney.net Follow Ashutosh Varshney on Twitter @ProfVarshney Democracy in Hard Places edited by Scott Mainwaring and Tarek Masoud
Christophe Jaffrelot on Narendra Modi and Hindu Nationalism More Episodes from the Podcast
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Robert Kagan on the Threat of Antiliberalism | 30 Apr 2024 | 00:49:35 | |
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 Kagan
Key Links | |||
| Evan Lieberman on South Africa. Democracy in Hard Places | 07 Jun 2022 | 00:47:51 | |
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 Lieberman
Until 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 Democracy Learn more about Evan Lieberman at www.evanlieberman.org Follow Evan Lieberman on Twitter @evlieb Democracy in Hard Places edited by Scott Mainwaring and Tarek Masoud
Nic Cheeseman and Gabrielle Lynch on the Moral Economy of Elections in Africa More Episodes from the Podcast
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Dan Slater on Indonesia. Democracy in Hard Places | 31 May 2022 | 00:50:01 | |
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 Slater
From Development to Democracy: The Transformations of Modern Asia by Dan Slater and Joseph Wong Democracy in Hard Places edited by Scott Mainwaring and Tarek Masoud Follow Dan Slater on Twitter @SlaterPolitics
Donald Horowitz on the Formation of Democratic Constitutions Sebastian Strangio Explains the Relationship Between China and Southeast Asia More Episodes from the Podcast
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Kathryn Stoner on How Putin's War has Ruined Russia | 24 May 2022 | 00:39:37 | |
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 Stoner
"How Putin’s War in Ukraine Has Ruined Russia" by Kathryn Stoner in Journal of Democracy Russia Resurrected: Its Power and Purpose in a New Global Order by Kathryn Stoner Follow Kathryn Stoner on Twitter @kath_stoner
Moisés Naím on the New Dynamics of Political Power Kathryn Stoner on Russia’s Economy, Politics, and Foreign Policy More Episodes from the Podcast
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Scott Radnitz on Why Conspiracy Theories Thrive in Both Democracies and Autocracies | 17 May 2022 | 00:50:20 | |
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 Radnitz
"Why Democracy Fuels Conspiracy Theories" by Scott Radnitz in Journal of Democracy Revealing Schemes: The Politics of Conspiracy in Russia and the Post-Soviet Region by Scott Radnitz Enemies Within: The Global Politics of Fifth Columns edited by Harris Mylonas and Scott Radnitz
Moisés Naím on the New Dynamics of Political Power More Episodes from the Podcast
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Dan Banik is In Pursuit of Development | 13 May 2022 | 00:35:56 | |
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. Follow on Twitter @GlobalDevPod Follow Dan on Twitter @danbanik | |||
| Ronald Deibert from Citizen Lab on Cyber Surveillance, Digital Subversion, and Transnational Repression | 10 May 2022 | 00:50:43 | |
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 Deibert
Seymour 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 Democracy Democracy Paradox Podcast Can Democracy Survive the Internet? Nate Persily and Josh Tucker on Social Media and Democracy More Episodes from the Podcast More Information Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Thomas Piketty on Equality | 03 May 2022 | 00:30:20 | |
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 Piketty
A Brief History of Equality by Thomas Piketty Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty Follow Thomas Piketty on Twitter @PikettyLeMonde
Joseph Fishkin on the Constitution, American History, and Economic Inequality Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson on the Plutocratic Populism of the Republican Party More Episodes from the Podcast
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Marta Dyczok and Andriy Kulykov on the Media, Information Warriors, and the Future of Ukraine | 26 Apr 2022 | 00:53:03 | |
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 Kulykov
Ukraine Calling: A Kaleidoscope from Hromadske Radio 2016–2019 edited by Marta Dyczok Listen to the Ukraine Calling Podcast Learn more about Hromadske Radio
Between Russia and China: Anja Mihr on Central Asia Joshua Yaffa on Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin’s Russia More Episodes from the Podcast
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Yascha Mounk on the Great Experiment of Diverse Democracies | 19 Apr 2022 | 00:50:07 | |
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 Mounk
The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure by Yascha Mounk Read more from Yascha Mounk at Persuassion Follow Yascha Mounk @Yascha_Mounk
Elisabeth Ivarsflaten and Paul Sniderman on Inclusion and Respect of Muslim Minorities Sara Wallace Goodman on Citizen Responses to Democratic Threats More Episodes from the Podcast
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Mark Beissinger on Contemporary Urban Civic Revolutions | 12 Apr 2022 | 00:49:24 | |
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 Beissinger
The Revolutionary City: Urbanization and the Global Transformation of Rebellion by Mark Beissinger Learn more about Mark Beissinger at Princeton University Learn more about Mark Beissinger at Wikipedia Democracy Paradox Podcast Erica Chenoweth on Civil Resistance More Episodes from the Podcast More Information Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Rep Mikie Sherrill on Whether the Bipartisan Consensus on Foreign Policy Will Hold and on Threats to American Democracy | 23 Apr 2024 | 00:32:42 | |
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 Sherrill
Key Links | |||
| Craig Whitlock on the Lessons Learned in Afghanistan | 05 Apr 2022 | 00:58:13 | |
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 Whitlock
The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War by Craig Whitlock Afghanistan Papers Document Database at The Washington Post "At War With Truth" by Craig Whitlock Democracy Paradox Podcast Karen Greenberg on the War on Terror, Donald Trump, and American Democracy More Episodes from the Podcast More Information Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Miles Rapoport on How We Can Achieve Universal Voting | 29 Mar 2022 | 00:45:48 | |
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 Rapoport
100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting by Miles Rapoport and E.J. Dionne Learn about Miles Rapoport at Harvard University Lift Every Voice: The Urgency of Universal Civic Duty Voting Democracy Paradox Podcast Shari Davis Elevates Participatory Budgeting Lee Drutman Makes the Case for Multiparty Democracy in America More Episodes from the Podcast More Information Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Between Russia and China: Anja Mihr on Central Asia | 22 Mar 2022 | 00:52:02 | |
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 Mihr
Between Peace and Conflict in the East and the West: Studies on Transformation and Development in the OSCE Region edited by Anja Mihr Follow Anja Mihr on Twitter @AnjaMihr Democracy Paradox Podcast Timothy Frye Says Putin is a Weak Strongman More Episodes from the Podcast More Information Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Moisés Naím on the New Dynamics of Political Power | 15 Mar 2022 | 00:36:34 | |
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 Naím
The Revenge of Power: How Autocrats Are Reinventing Politics for the 21st Century by Moisés Naím Follow Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili on Twitter @MoisesNaim
Sarah Repucci from Freedom House with an Update on Freedom in the World Caitlin Andrews-Lee on Charismatic Movements and Personalistic Leaders More Episodes from the Podcast
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili and Ilia Murtazashvili on Afghanistan, Local Institutions, and Self-Governance | 08 Mar 2022 | 00:47:41 | |
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 Murtazashvili
Land, the State, and War: Property Institutions and Political Order in Afghanistan by Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili and Ilia Murtazashvili Learn more about the Center for Governance and Markets Follow Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili on Twitter @jmurtazashvili Follow Ilia Murtazashvili on Twitter @IMurtazashvili
David Stasavage on Early Democracy and its Decline More Episodes from the Podcast
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Sarah Repucci from Freedom House with an Update on Freedom in the World | 01 Mar 2022 | 00:40:19 | |
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 Repucci
Freedom in the World 2022: The Global Expansion of Authoritarian Rule by Sarah Repucci and Amy Slipowitz Learn more about Freedom House Follow Freedom House on Twitter @freedomhouse
Freedom House: Sarah Repucci Assesses Freedom in the World Stephan Haggard and Robert Kaufman on Democratic Backsliding More Episodes from the Podcast
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Elisabeth Ivarsflaten and Paul Sniderman on the Inclusion and Respect of Muslim Minorities | 22 Feb 2022 | 00:45:06 | |
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 Sniderman
The Struggle for Inclusion: Muslim Minorities and the Democratic Ethos by Elisabeth Ivarsflaten and Paul Sniderman Learn more about the Digital Social Science Core Facility including The Norwegian Citizen Panel Learn more about Paul Sniderman
Sara Wallace Goodman on Citizen Responses to Democratic Threats Mike Hoffman on How Religious Identities Influence Support for or Opposition to Democracy More Episodes from the Podcast
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Debasish Roy Chowdhury and John Keane on the Decline of Indian Democracy | 15 Feb 2022 | 00:53:28 | |
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 Chowdhury
To Kill A Democracy: India's Passage to Despotism by Debasish Roy Chowdhury and John Keane Learn more about Debasish Roy Chowdhury Learn more about John Keane
Bilal Baloch on Indira Gandhi, India’s Emergency, and the Importance of Ideas in Politics Christophe Jaffrelot on Narendra Modi and Hindu Nationalism More Episodes from the Podcast
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Lisa Disch on Representation, Constituencies, and Political Leadership | 08 Feb 2022 | 00:49:11 | |
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 Disch
Making Constituencies: Representation as Mobilization in Mass Democracy by Lisa Jane Disch Learn about Lisa Disch at the University of Michigan
Sara Wallace Goodman on Citizen Responses to Democratic Threats Caitlin Andrews-Lee on Charismatic Movements and Personalistic Leaders More Episodes from the Podcast
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Joseph Fishkin on the Constitution, American History, and Economic Inequality | 01 Feb 2022 | 00:48:23 | |
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 Fishkin
The Anti-Oligarchy Constitution: Reconstructing the Economic Foundations of American Democracy by Joseph Fishkin and William E. Forbath Follow Joseph Fishkin on Twitter @joeyfishkin Learn more about Joseph Fishkin at UCLA Law Democracy Paradox Podcast Donald Horowitz on the Formation of Democratic Constitutions Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson on the Plutocratic Populism of the Republican Party More Episodes from the Podcast More Information Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Saskia Brechenmacher on Promoting Gender Equality Through Democracy Assistance Aid | 16 Apr 2024 | 00:56:15 | |
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 Brechenmacher
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| Bilal Baloch on Indira Gandhi, India's Emergency, and the Importance of Ideas in Politics | 25 Jan 2022 | 00:45:08 | |
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 Baloch
When Ideas Matter: Democracy and Corruption in India by Bilal Baloch Follow Bilal Baloch on Twitter @bilalabaloch Learn more about his company Enquire
Christophe Jaffrelot on Narendra Modi and Hindu Nationalism Kajri Jain Believes Democracy Unfolds through the Aesthetic More Episodes from the Podcast
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Sara Wallace Goodman on Citizen Responses to Democratic Threats | 18 Jan 2022 | 00:42:23 | |
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 Goodman
Citizenship in Hard Times: How Ordinary People Respond to Democratic Threat by Sara Wallace Goodman Learn about Sara Wallace Goodman from Wikipedia Follow Sara Wallace Goodman on Twitter @ThatSaraGoodman Stephan Haggard and Robert Kaufman on Democratic Backsliding Jan-Werner Müller on Democracy Rules More Episodes from the Podcast
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Joseph Wright and Abel Escribà-Folch on Migration's Potential to Topple Dictatorships | 11 Jan 2022 | 00:45:31 | |
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 Wright
Key Links Migration and Democracy: How Remittances Undermine Dictatorships by Abel Escribà-Folch, Joseph Wright, and Covadonga Meseguer Learn more about Joseph Wright Learn more about Abel Escribà-Folch
Michael Miller on the Unexpected Paths to Democratization Bryn Rosenfeld on Middle Class Support for Dictators in Autocratic Regimes More Episodes from the Podcast
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com. Follow on Twitter @DemParadox Follow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast | |||
| Robert Lieberman, Kenneth Roberts, and David Bateman on Democratic Resilience and Political Polarization in the United States | 04 Jan 2022 | 00:57:09 | |
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 Lieberman
Democratic Resilience: Can the United States Withstand Rising Polarization? by Suzanne Mettler, Robert C. Lieberman, and Kenneth M. Roberts Follow Robert C. Lieberman on Twitter @r_lieberman Follow David Bateman on Twitter @DavidAlexBatema
Can America Preserve Democracy without Retreating from it? Robert C. Lieberman on the Four Threats Thomas Carothers and Andrew O’Donohue are Worried About Severe Polarization More Episodes from the Podcast
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox | |||
| Angus Deaton on Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism | 28 Dec 2021 | 00:46:16 | |
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 Deaton
Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism by Angus Deaton and Anne Case National Bureau of Economic Research
Sheryl WuDunn Paints a Picture of Poverty in America and Offers Hope for Solutions Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson on the Plutocratic Populism of the Republican Party More Episodes from the Podcast
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox Follow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast | |||
| Zeynep Pamuk on the Role of Science and Expertise in a Democracy | 21 Dec 2021 | 00:52:42 | |
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 Pamuk
Politics and Expertise: How to Use Science in a Democratic Society by Zeynep Pamuk Learn more about Zeynep Pamuk at scholar.harvard.edu/zpamuk Read Zeynep Pamuk's article "The Contours of Ignorance," in Boston Review
Susan Rose-Ackerman on the Role of the Executive in Four Different Democracies Chris Bickerton Defines Technopopulism
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox Follow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast | |||
| Caitlin Andrews-Lee on Charismatic Movements and Personalist Leaders | 14 Dec 2021 | 00:49:53 | |
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-Lee
The Emergence and Revival of Charismatic Movements: Argentine Peronism and Venezuelan Chavismo by Caitlin Andrews-Lee Learn more about Caitlin Andrews-Lee at www.caitlinandrewslee.com Follow Caitlin Andrews-Lee on Twitter @caitlineandrews
Stephan Haggard and Robert Kaufman on Democratic Backsliding James Loxton Explains Why Authoritarian Successor Parties Succeed in Democracies
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox Follow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast | |||
| Stephan Haggard and Robert Kaufman on Democratic Backsliding | 07 Dec 2021 | 00:44:28 | |
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 Haggard
Backsliding: Democratic Regress in the Contemporary World by Stephan Haggard and Robert Kaufman Learn more about Stephan Haggard at www.stephanhaggard.com Learn more about Robert Kaufman at https://fas-polisci.rutgers.edu/kaufman/
Related Content Freedom House: Sarah Repucci Assesses Freedom in the World Thomas Carothers and Andrew O’Donohue are Worried About Severe Polarization
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox Follow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast | |||
| Joshua Yaffa on Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin's Russia | 30 Nov 2021 | 00:48:43 | |
‘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 Glinka
Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin's Russia by Joshua Yaffa Learn more about Joshua Yaffa at www.joshuayaffa.com. Follow Joshua Yaffa on Twitter @yaffaesque Related Content Timothy Frye Says Putin is a Weak Strongman Bryn Rosenfeld on Middle Class Support for Dictators in Autocratic Regimes More Information Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox Follow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast | |||
| Zoltan Barany on the Ineffectiveness of the Gulf Militaries | 23 Nov 2021 | 00:51:33 | |
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 Barany
Armies of Arabia: Military Politics and Effectiveness in the Gulf by Zoltan Barany Robert Strauss Center For International Security and Law Center for Strategic & International Studies
Daniel Brinks on the Politics of Institutional Weakness Elizabeth Nugent on Polarization, Democratization and the Arab Spring More Episodes from the Podcast
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox Follow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast | |||
| Democracy in a Postmodern Era with Bruce Ackerman | 09 Apr 2024 | 00:47:01 | |
We have to reconstruct the foundations of our democracy, building on the past, not repudiating everything we're building on it. Bruce Ackerman
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| Amory Gethin on Political Cleavages, Inequality, and Party Systems in 50 Democracies | 16 Nov 2021 | 00:52:29 | |
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.
Political Cleavages and Social Inequalities. A Study of 50 Democracies, 1948-2020 edited by Amory Gethin, Clara Martinez-Toledano and Thomas Piketty Follow Amory Gethin on Twitter @amorygethin Learn more about Amory Gethin at his personal website
James Loxton Explains Why Authoritarian Successor Parties Succeed in Democracies Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson on the Plutocratic Populism of the Republican Party More Episodes from the Podcast
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox Follow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast | |||
| Daniel Brinks on the Politics of Institutional Weakness | 09 Nov 2021 | 00:52:37 | |
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 Brinks
Key Links The Politics of Institutional Weakness in Latin America edited by Daniel M. Brinks, Steven Levitsky, and María Victoria Murillo Department of Government at The University of Texas at Austin where Daniel Brinks teaches Centre of Law and Social Transformation at the Christian Michelsen Institute in Norway where Daniel Brinks is a Senior Researcher & Global Scholar Related Content Donald Horowitz on the Formation of Democratic Constitutions William G. Howell and Terry M. Moe on the Presidency More Information Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox Follow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast | |||
| Elizabeth Perry and Grzegorz Ekiert on State-Mobilized Movements | 02 Nov 2021 | 00:50:09 | |
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 Perry
Ruling by Other Means: State-Mobilized Movements edited by Grzegorz Ekiert, Elizabeth J. Perry, and Yan Xiaojun Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies
Erica Chenoweth on Civil Resistance Jonathan Pinckney on Civil Resistance Transitions
Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox Follow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast | |||