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

CREDIT: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25195310@N02/2692782619/in/photostream/">Danielle Walquist Lynch </a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en">(CC)</a>

JAN 2, 2013 Article

Will 2013 Launch the Asian Century? Don’t Count on It

If an Asian Century means one in which Asian culture and politics dominate the globe, it won't be coming any time soon. Instead, for many ...

DEC 12, 2012 Podcast

Talibanistan: Negotiating the Borders Between Terror, Politics, and Religion

"Talibanistan" is the nickname for the embattled territory from Kandahar in Afghanistan to Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province and Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Two experts explode ...

Srdja Popovic

DEC 11, 2012 Podcast

Ethics Matter: Srdja Popovic on Creating Successful Nonviolent Movements

Successful nonviolent movements need three things: the cool factor, memorable branding, and humor, says Popovic. He cofounded the Serbian youth movement Otpor!, which played a ...

CREDIT: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/primeministergr/4135776484/">Prime Minister of Greece</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en">CC</a>).

DEC 10, 2012 Article

The Crisis in Greece, Democracy, and the EU

The sovereign-debt crisis in Greece made clear that the fate of Greece, the Eurozone, and the EU are irrevocably bound together. It sparked debates on ...

DEC 3, 2012 Podcast

Corey Brettschneider on Hate Speech

How should states deal with hate speech? In the U.S., the prevailing attitude is that hate speech should be protected. In other liberal democracies, ...

NOV 30, 2012 Podcast

On Saudi Arabia: Its People, Past, Religion, Fault Lines--and Future

Drawing on over 30 years of experience of reporting on Saudi Arabia, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Karen Elliott House takes us behind the scenes in this secretive ...

CREDIT: <A HREF="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sgustin/4113242724/">sgustin78</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en">CC</a>)

NOV 28, 2012 Article

Losing the Violence Monopoly

The poisonous cocktail of widespread police and military brutality, increasingly lethal inter-communal ethnic violence in several regions, the anxious countdown to the March 2013 presidential elections, ...

NOV 26, 2012 Podcast

Global Ethics Corner: Is It Too Soon to Normalize Relations with Burma?

As Burma begins to reform its government, the U.S. has been quick to begin normalizing relations with the Asian state. Are geostrategic considerations overshadowing ...

A microloan startup. CREDIT: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/magharebia/6022302164/">Magharebia</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en">CC</a>).

NOV 21, 2012 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Innovations: Fostering Social Entrepreneurship in the New Tunisia

With educated youth and a nation awakening to its social and political needs, the time is ripe for social entrepreneurs to flourish in post-revolutionary Tunisia.

CREDIT: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ehnmark/5036199542/">Jacob Ehnmark</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en">CC</a>).

NOV 20, 2012 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: As Asia Waltzes Forward on Two Right Feet, America Fixates on the Middle East

The United States can be effective in its pivot toward Asia by using its influence to help resolve territorial disputes and defuse the rightward lurch ...