Democracy IDEAs – Details, episodes & analysis

Democracy is on trial in the climate crisis. It is charged with having failed—and with continuing to fail—to prevent dangerous climate change. It is indicted on a fundamental breach of a key obligation of legitimate government—to ensure the safety and survival of the people to whom democracies owe their allegiance.”

Based on the report Climate Change and Democracy Insights from Asia and the Pacific, International IDEA's Climate Change and Democracy Adviser, David Rosén, talks to Professor Joo-Cheong Tham, Melbourne Law School, about the climate crisis and how democracies in Asia and the Pacific are responding to it. 

Guest: Professor Joo-Cheong Tham, Melbourne Law School.

Background Readings:

https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/climate-change-and-democracy-insights-asia-and-pacific

https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/imagining-democratic-futures-asia-and-pacific-foresight-report-2024

https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/deliberative-democracy-and-climate-change-exploring-potential-climate

En esta conversación con Marcela Ríos Tobar, directora regional para América Latina de IDEA Internacional, se explican las polémicas elecciones presidenciales en Venezuela, desde las irregularidades en el proceso hasta la represión actual, así como alternativas para lograr resultados más democráticos.

Invitada: Marcela Ríos Tobar, directora de IDEA Internacional para América Latina y el Caribe.
Anfitriona: Yasnaya Guibert, oficial de comunicaciones de IDEA Internacional.

Contenido relacionado: 

Evento: https://www.idea.int/es/events/venezuela-entre-las-amenazas-y-la-resiliencia-en-la-democracia

Noticia: https://www.idea.int/news/statement-elections-venezuela

The prevailing view is that with primarily human-generated content, democracy has suffered widespread erosion due to the proliferation of misinformation and the manipulation of specific narratives that enhance polarization. To what extent can the growth of massive content creation thanks to artificial intelligence (AI) deepen democracy erosion? What tools are at our disposal to protect democracy from AI threats? 

International IDEA's Communications Officer, Yasnaya Guibert, talks to Alberto Fernandez, Senior Advisor on Digitalization and Democracy of International IDEA about AI and democracy, from the basic concepts to creative proposals like a global constitutional AI.

Background reading: https://www.idea.int/es/news-media/news/es/chatgpt-y-democracia

A conversation between International IDEA's Secretary-General, Kevin Casas-Zamora and Martin Wolf, the author of the recently published book The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism.

Martin Wolf is chief economics commentator at the Financial Times, and one of the world’s most respected journalists, with his columns read eagerly by policymakers and the public around the world. He was awarded the Commander of the British Empire in 2000 “for services to financial journalism”. His latest book The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism was published this year to widespread acclaim and touches upon many issues at the heart of what we do at International IDEA.

Guest:

·       Martin Wolf, British journalist and writer.

In this joint International IDEA and Electoral Integrity Project episode on ‘Elections during Times of Crisis’, Therese Pearce-Laanela speaks with the authors of a new book ‘Elections during Emergencies and Crises: Lessons for Electoral Integrity from the Covid-19 Pandemic’. 

Guests: 

• Toby S. James, Professor of Politics and Public Policy, the University of East Anglia, UK. 
• Alistair Clark, Professor in Politics, the University of Newcastle, UK. 
• Erik Asplund, Senior Programme Officer, Electoral Processes Programme, International IDEA.

Host: Therese Pearce-Laanela 

Background Reading: Elections during Emergencies and crises: lessons for electoral integrity from the covid-19 pandemic

The ongoing 2023 constitution-building process in Chile, and its relationship with the failed 2021-2022 constitution-building process.

Guests

• Isabel Aninat: Dean of the Law School, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, and member of International IDEA´s Board of Advisors
• Javier Couso: Public Law Professor, Universidad Diego Portales, and Utrecht University

Background Reading: https://constitutionnet.org/country/constitutional-history-chile

A conversation between International IDEA's Head of Communications and Knowledge Management, Alistair Scrutton and the authors of the recently published report "The Constitution and Laws of the Taliban 1994-2001: Hints from the Past and Options for the Future", M. Bashir Mobasher, Shamshad Pasarlay and Mohammad Qadam Shah.

Guests:

• M. Bashir Mobasher, postdoctoral fellow at the American University’s Department of Sociology
• Shamshad Pasarlay is a visiting lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School
• Mohammad Qadam Shah, Assistant Professor of Global Development at the Seattle Pacific University School of Business, Government, and Economics

Read the report: https://doi.org/10.31752/idea.2022.54

Alison Anitawaru Cole, a lawyer in Aotearoa New Zealand, talks to International IDEA's Regional Communications Officer for the Asia and the Pacific, Billie Phillips, about the unique legal and constitutional responses to climate change in New Zealand and the influence of Māori perspectives on environmentalism and representation. 

Guest: Alison Anitawaru Cole - Kaiwhakahaere Matua Māori General Manager at the Climate Change Commission (New Zealand)

Background Reading: COP26 delegate: Treaty of Waitangi offers indigenous rights precedent

Calls to enfranchise people as young as sixteen are growing around the world, with some countries already adjusting the vote to align with the national age of employment, taxation, and military service. 

In Australia, common consensus is lagging but some experts believe it is only a matter of time. From the sidelines of the Australian National University’s APSA conference, Billie Phillips spoke to Professor Lisa Hill about the growing movement.

Guest: Professor Lisa Hill, University of Adelaide

Owen Gaffney talks to International IDEA's Head of Communications, Alistair Scrutton about  climate change, sustainability and the future of our planet, joining a lot of dotted lines between politics, technology and science.

Owen Gaffney is a writer, editor, and global sustainability analyst, co-author of the recently-published Earth For All: A Survival Guide for Humanity. He has formerly worked for the Stockholm Resilience Centre and Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, and has advised on BBC and Netflix series including EarthShot (2021) and Our Planet. As well as academic publications, he writes and edits articles, features, and speeches, and has produced for TED, World Economic Forum, and WWF.

Recommended reading:

• Earth For All: A Survival Guide for Humanity
• Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet