Democracy

Framing ethical perspectives

Democracy is a form of government in which political control is given to the people, whether directly or through the election of governing officials. Currently, large numbers of people have lost faith in this form of government and some elected officials have been working to dismantle democratic institutions. Our programs, events, and experts strive to better understand this development.

Featured Democracy Resources

State of global democracy, U.S. global engagement, and more

JUN 9, 2021 Podcast

Illiberal Democracy on the Rise: Examining Brazil, Hungary, & India

APR 19, 2022 Podcast

Why Democracy vs. Autocracy Misses the Point, with Jean-Marie Guéhenno

Senior Fellow Anja Kapsersen is joined by Professor Jean-Marie Guéhenno for a conversation about virtual communities and the advent of the age of data.

FEB 23, 2024 Article

What Do We Mean When We Talk About "AI Democratization"?

With numerous parties calling for "AI democratization," Elizabeth Seger, director of the CASM digital policy research hub at Demos, discusses four meanings of the term.

Explore Our Democracy Resources

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. CREDIT: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/134562672@N08/27544317025">Julia Berezovska/Press office NBU</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">(CC)</a>

MAY 30, 2014 Podcast

Ukraine Update: The Presidential Elections and Beyond

David Speedie discusses the election of new Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko with University of Rhode Island's Nicolai Petro and University of Kent's Richard Sakwa, both ...

MAY 30, 2014 Podcast

A Conversation with Ezekiel Emanuel on Health Care Reform

A doctor, a former advisor to the Obama administration, and a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, Emanuel has spent a generation advocating on health ...

YouTube screenshot of "Happy" Iranians.

MAY 30, 2014 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: A Dangerous Dance in Modern Iran

Any stirring of excitement about change in Iran needs to be tempered by the reality that change will never come from the current leadership.

Now I Know Who My Comrades Are: Voices from the Internet Underground

MAY 20, 2014 Podcast

Now I Know Who My Comrades Are: Voices from the Internet Underground

Authoritarian governments try to isolate individuals from one another, but in the age of social media this is impossible to do. Online, people discover that ...

MAY 14, 2014 Podcast

Moral Imagination

David Bromwich draws upon thinkers such as Burke, Lincoln, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr. to show that it is moral imagination which allows us ...

CREDIT: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/narendramodiofficial/12231286173/">Narendra Modi</a> (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">CC</a>).

MAY 14, 2014 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: Islamophobia Is Not Just a Western Problem

The success of nationalists in India's election shows how easily an intricate social fabric can be rent for political purposes.

MAY 13, 2014 Podcast

Attacks on the Press: Journalism on the Front Lines

Journalists have always faced attacks on their freedom to report stories and often on their physical safety as well. Now they face a new threat: ...

MAY 13, 2014 Podcast

The Rise of the New Far Right in Europe and Implications for European Parliament Elections

This panel gives an excellent overview of the complexities of the rise of right-wing populism across Europe, focusing in particular on France, the UK, and ...

<a href="http://shutr.bz/1fRHuEW">Odessa's opera house</a> and the <a href="http://shutr.bz/QidLsI">May 2 riots</a> via Shutterstock

MAY 9, 2014 Podcast

Ukraine Update: Report from Odessa

With the deadly conflict in Ukraine spreading to this hitherto calm southern city, David Speedie speaks again with Dr. Nicolai Petro, professor of international relations ...

<a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-179838182/stock-photo-ukraine-united-states-america-russia-flag-grunge-vintage-retro-style.html">Russian, Ukrainian, American flags</a> via Shutterstock

APR 24, 2014 Podcast

Ukraine and U.S.-Russian Relations

With balance and objectivity, seasoned Russian policy expert Tom Graham tackles the thorny question of Ukraine and the wider scope of U.S.-Russia relations ...