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

Boris Yeltsin in Moscow 1989.<br>Credit: <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boris_Yeltsin_1_February_1989-1.jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a>

AUG 5, 2011 Transcript

Thomas E. Graham on the End of the Cold War and Beyond

Graham discusses the turbulent period of the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s in Russia, including the relationship between Yeltsin and Gorbachev and the role ...

Yeltsin speaking near the Council of Ministers building, <br>August 19, 1991. CREDIT:  <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Boris_Yeltsin_19_August_1991-1.jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a>

AUG 1, 2011 Transcript

Gennady Burbulis on the Dissolution of the USSR

Burbulis was one of the drafters and signers of the 1991 Belavezha Accords, which declared the Soviet Union effectively dissolved. In this interview he discusses the ...

CREDIT: Rebecca Blackwell/Oxfam America. © 2010 Rebecca Blackwell.

JUL 18, 2011 Article

Legislating Transparency in the Extractive Sector: Will the Securities and Exchange Commission Take the Lead?

The SEC has an opportunity to demonstrate that the United States takes transparency and accountability seriously and intends to act as a global leader in ...

CREDIT: Rebecca Blackwell/Oxfam America. &copy; 2010 Rebecca Blackwell.

JUL 12, 2011 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Innovations: Legislating Transparency in the Extractive Sector

The SEC has an opportunity to demonstrate that the United States takes transparency and accountability seriously and intends to act as a global leader in ...

JUN 24, 2011 Podcast

Global Ethics Corner: "To Kill a Mockingbird" and Justice

In "To Kill a Mockingbird" an innocent man is wrongfully sentenced. The author argues that all we can do in the face of injustice is ...

<a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boris_Yeltsin_22_August_1991-1.jpg" target=_blank">Boris Yeltsin, August 22, 1991</a>. CREDIT: <a href="http://www.kremlin.ru "target=_blank">www.kremlin.ru</a>

JUN 14, 2011 Transcript

Alexandr Urmanov on Democratic Elections and Campaigning for Yeltsin

Urmanov recalls his relationship with Yeltsin--he directed his presidential campaign in 1989/1990--and with the Krieble Institute, which trained Russians in election techniques. Urmanov brought Institute ...

JUN 10, 2011 Podcast

John Brademas and Mickey Edwards: Civility in Politics

Two distinguished former politicians, one Democrat and one Republican, agree on concrete proposals for improving U.S. politics. They include campaign finance reform; abolishing gerrymandering; ...

Moscow's Red Square. CREDIT: <ahref="http://www.flickr.com/photos/javisitges/3659272667/" target=_blank">Giikah</a>

JUN 10, 2011 Podcast

Mikhail Reznikov on Working to Bring Democracy to Russia

When Krieble Institute representatives from the U.S. first visited Russia, it was "like a collision of civilizations," recalls Reznikov. He got involved in Russian ...

MAY 27, 2011 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Briefings: The Art of Inconclusiveness

The new film ANPO: Art X War tells the story of U.S.-Japan relations through the lives of artists who were influenced by the 1960...

Moscow City Hall by <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mosdumanew.jpg" target=_blank>Alexei Troshin</a>

MAY 19, 2011 Transcript

Interview with Gavriil Popov, First Democratically Elected Mayor of Moscow

Gavriil Popov was mayor of Moscow in the turbulent days of the early 1990s, and his key appointees played crucial roles in bringing about the ...