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

Human Rights Watch World Report 2012 - Events of 2011

APR 17, 2012 Podcast

Human Rights Watch World Report 2012

How have governments responded to the recent events in Libya, Syria, Egypt, and other countries such as Bahrain?  Ken Roth of Human Rights Watch gives ...

APR 9, 2012 Podcast

No One's World: The West, the Rising Rest, and the Coming Global Turn

How do we manage a world where no one power is dominant, and emerging powers have their own views about how to organize political, social, ...

Power, Inc.: The Epic Rivalry Between Big Business and Government--and the Reckoning That Lies Ahead

MAR 19, 2012 Podcast

Power, Inc.: The Epic Rivalry Between Big Business and Government--and the Reckoning That Lies Ahead

David Rothkopf issues a wake-up call to Americans:  We have to drop our knee-jerk, partisan attitudes and ask, "What will produce the kind of society ...

CREDIT: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldbank/6171874433/">World Bank</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en">CC</a>).

MAR 12, 2012 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Innovations: Do World Bank Country Classifications Hurt the Poor?

The incoming World Bank president should create a more sophisticated system for classifying countries as low or middle income, using broad development indicators.

The Oil Curse: How Petroleum Wealth Shapes the Development of Nations

MAR 12, 2012 Podcast

The Oil Curse: How Petroleum Wealth Shapes the Development of Nations

According to Michael Ross, it's no coincidence that major oil-producing countries have less democracy, fewer opportunities for women, more frequent civil wars, and more volatile ...

Vladimir Putin. CREDIT: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldeconomicforum/3488070937/" target=_blank">World Economic Forum, 2009</a>

MAR 9, 2012 Article

Russia Bulletin (2012): Russia Bulletin, Issue 4

What's the real deal on the elections? What of Kremlin attacks on election monitors and protestors? How will the United States and the West best ...

Image of the book cover Redeemers: Ideas and Power in Latin America

FEB 29, 2012 Podcast

Redeemers: Ideas and Power in Latin America

Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, Gabriel Marcia Marquez, Octavio Paz, and many more: Krauze discusses Latin America's intellectual, literary, and political figures who were inspired by ...

FEB 24, 2012 Podcast

Global Ethics Corner: China on the Rise: Is China's Political Model Superior?

With economic malaise and political stalemates commonplace across the U.S. and Europe, some are beginning to look to China for answers. Is democracy, with ...

A protester in Cairo, February 2011. <br>CREDIT: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ramyraoof/5416807660/" target="_blank">RamyRaoof</a>

FEB 8, 2012 Article

The Varieties of Protest Experience: How Accountability Gaps Link the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street

Can the recent eruption of protests be interpreted as a single phenomenon, even though spread out across great distances and separated by barriers of language ...

FEB 3, 2012 Podcast

Global Ethics Corner: The Arab Spring Turns One Year Old: What Next?

As the Arab Spring celebrates its one-year anniversary, the West is cautiously awaiting the next step. Will democracy flourish in the Middle East and North ...