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

NOV 19, 2012 Podcast

America in the 21st Century: A View from America

"Why is it that the political system today seems so gridlocked? Why is the issue of brinkmanship in America so incredibly debilitating and so very ...

Tapestry map by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/centralasian/5458355464/">Alighiero Boetti</a>.

NOV 5, 2012 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Innovations: Forecasting the Future of Countries

Measuring how countries develop is all the rage, but are these indicators examining the most appropriate data? Seth Kaplan says it's time we start looking ...

CREDIT: &copy; 2012 <a href="http://janekratochvil.photoshelter.com/">Jane Kratochvil Photography</a>.

NOV 1, 2012 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: The Energy of Society: What's at Stake this Election

This election gives us a choice between two clearly different paths. Will we take the first halting steps toward developing a sustainable civilization, or will ...

OCT 27, 2012 Podcast

Exit the Colonel: The Hidden History of the Libyan Revolution

The real story of the Libyan Revolution began not with the Arab Spring, but in 2003, when anti-Qaddafi sanctions were lifted. Former U.S. diplomat Ethan ...

Image of book cover entitled Syria: The Fall of the House of Assad

OCT 23, 2012 Podcast

Syria: The Fall of the House of Assad

David W. Lesch has traveled to Syria repeatedly since 1989 and met President Bashar al-Assad several times in the mid-2000s. He discusses the conflict in ...

OCT 16, 2012 Podcast

Public Affairs: America in the 21st Century: A View from Asia

The good, the bad, and the ugly: distinguished Singaporean Kishore Mahbubani politely but firmly tells Americans how Asians see them, and warns, "the world that ...

OCT 15, 2012 Podcast

Ethics Matter: Environmentalist Bill McKibben on Climate Change

McKibben, one of the world's leading environmentalist, believes our best hope lies not in appealing to our wallets, but in appealing to our ethics, our ...

OCT 12, 2012 Podcast

Senator Richard Lugar on Nuclear Weapons Reduction

Senator Lugar tells the dramatic story of his bipartisan work on the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program (also known as Nunn–Lugar), which provides funding and ...

Waging War on Corruption by Frank Vogl

OCT 10, 2012 Podcast

Frank Vogl on Corruption

Corruption is not a victimless crime, as many believe. Transparency International's Frank Vogl discusses the global, grass-roots fight against this age-old problem.

CREDIT: <a href="https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/id.html">CIA - The World Factbook</a>

SEP 28, 2012 Article

Indonesia's Lessons for the Middle East and North Africa and other Emerging Democracies

Over the past decade, Indonesia has accomplished one of the most successful processes of democratization among developing countries. What were the critical decisions that made ...