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/mafleen/466511076/">Mafleen</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en">CC</a>).

JAN 22, 2010 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Briefings: The Right to Move

A collection of essays from our joint Sophia University-Carnegie Council conference exploring the ethics of an international right to migration.

JAN 21, 2010 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: Precarious Lives

If existing refugee protection and international humanitarian regimes are already under serious strain, how can global cooperation be extended for the protection of vulnerable persons ...

JAN 20, 2010 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: Reconciling an Ethical Immigration Policy with the Nation-state Myth

Don't we, as collective owners and stewards of the Earth, have a basic right to move? Indeed, the right to move is necessary to realize ...

JAN 20, 2010 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: The Ethics of Language Choice in Immigration

Should language rights be understood as collective rights or individual rights? Do language rights entail active endorsement of immigrant languages on the part of the ...

JAN 15, 2010 Podcast

Is the American Dream Dead?

America's global future seems in doubt with a frozen political process, mountains of debt, stagnant exports, global military commitments, and less secure friendships. Is the ...

Taiwan Presidential Building<br>Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/letrainfalldown/3127713926/" target="_blank">letrainfalldown</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/deed.en" target="_blank">CC</a>)

DEC 22, 2009 Podcast

East Asian Security and Democracy: The Place of Taiwan

Taiwan has transformed itself into a prosperous, vibrant democracy, and recently tensions between Taiwan and China have lessened. As the balance of power between the ...

CREDIT: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/aktivioslo/4174350023/">aktivioslo</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en">CC</a>).

DEC 17, 2009 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: Ending War in Our Lifetimes?

President Obama will need to discard old foreign policy doctrines and steer with a more global moral compass to meet the vision of eradicating war ...

DEC 14, 2009 Podcast

Forces of Fortune: The Rise of the New Muslim Middle Class and What it Will Mean for Our World

The real key to bringing economic and political change to the Muslim world is capitalism, says Vali Nasr. Entrepreneurial middle classes the world over have ...

CREDIT: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/limonada/217721146/">Emilie Eagan (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en">CC</a>).

DEC 8, 2009 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Briefings: Building Sustainability for PlaNYC

If New York's Greener, Greater Buildings Plan becomes law this week it will be a significant step toward urban environmental sustainability. Can the policies transfer ...

DEC 4, 2009 Podcast

Civil Resistance and Power Politics: The Experience of Non-violent Action from Gandhi to the Present

Should civil resistance be seen as potentially replacing violence completely, or as a phenomenon that operates in conjunction with, and as a modification of, power ...