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

<a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-182613149/stock-vector-map-of-ukraine-subdivisions-of-ukraine-vector.html">Map of Ukraine</a> via Shutterstock

APR 23, 2014 Article

Ukraine: A Federalist Future?

One possibility of lowering tensions in Ukraine on a longer-term basis is the start of discussions on a federal-decentralized government structure that would not divide ...

<a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-165783677/stock-photo-kharkiv-ukraine-december-constitution-square-in-the-city-center-after-a-recent-overhaul-on.html">Constitution Square</a> in Kharkiv, Ukraine via Shutterstock

APR 23, 2014 Podcast

Report from Ukraine: The Crisis Moves East

David Speedie discusses with Dr. Nicolai Petro, currently a Fulbright Fellow in Odessa, the recent outbreaks of violence in pro-Russia majority regions of Eastern Ukraine, ...

Huang Yu-fen & Wei Yang of the Sunflower Movement

APR 23, 2014 Podcast

Taiwan's Student Sunflower Movement: Interview with Two of its Leaders

In an unprecedented event this Spring, the Sunflower Student Movement occupied Taiwan's Legislative Yuan for over three weeks. The students finally withdrew after the government ...

Detail from book cover.

APR 15, 2014 Podcast

Temptations of Power: Islamists and Illiberal Democracy in a New Middle East

What if a group decides democratically that they don't want to be liberal--that they want an "illiberal democracy"? Shadi Hamid argues that repression originally compelled ...

APR 10, 2014 Podcast

The Story of the Jews: Finding the Words (1000 BCE–1492)

Never at a loss for words, the inimitable, erudite, and very funny Simon Schama free-associates his way through Jewish history: the Old Testament, Jewish dancing ...

<a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=181796219">Russian and Ukrainian flags  </a> via Shutterstock

MAR 24, 2014 Podcast

Crisis in Ukraine: Ukraine and Russia Beyond Crimean Secession

Professor Nicolai Petro, currently in Odessa, Ukraine, discusses recent developments, including the secessionist vote in the Crimean peninsula and the subsequent annexation by Russia, outcomes ...

CREDIT: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WITNESS/photos/pb.67380435328.-2207520000.1395263854./10151132030365329/">WITNESS</a>.

MAR 19, 2014 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: Forced Evictions Defeat the Spirit of Big Sporting Events

The evicted residents of Rio demand to be included in the benefits and the legacies of big tournaments like the World Cup and Olympics.

CREDIT: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/19942094@N00/13107896725">Randy Le'Moine Photography</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">CC</a>).

MAR 18, 2014 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: Building Resilience

Now is the time for New York to take control of its aging infrastructure and set aside a fund for investing in and upgrading pipelines ...

<a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-157979030/stock-photo-ukraine-flag-waving-on-the-wind.html?src=iXvV-e5bPSLtxCyCHV4klA-1-0">Ukrainian flag</a> via Shutterstock

MAR 11, 2014 Article

Taking Effective and Practical Steps Regarding Ukraine

Putin's ultimate goal is to avoid having a Ukraine that is a Western outpost on his border. He needs to be shown that the policies ...

MAR 10, 2014 Podcast

The Struggle for Iraq's Future: How Corruption, Incompetence and Sectarianism Have Undermined Democracy

In this bleak and revealing talk, Iraqi lawyer Zaid al-Ali provides an insider's analysis of Iraq's many failures of governance, from creating a constitution to ...