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

MAR 11, 2009 Podcast

Political Futures Mar 09 Segment 5: The Fat Tail (8:51 mins)

How can the economic impact of political instabilities be predicted and managed? How well positioned is the United States to deal with shocks?

MAR 10, 2009 Podcast

Political Futures Mar 09 Segment 2: Obama (7:16 mins)

How is President Obama managing the country in an environment of fear and anger caused by the economic crisis?

MAR 10, 2009 Podcast

Ann Florini on Global Governance

Florini discusses the difference between "global government" and "global governance," intergovernmental organizations such as the UN, and the role and achievements of civil society and ...

FEB 27, 2009 Podcast

The Dictator's Shadow: Life Under Augusto Pinochet

In his first-hand account of the brutal Pinochet years and their aftermath, H.E. Mr. Heraldo Muñoz asks, "The agonizing question is: Was Pinochet ...

Obama's exclusive <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAnQASZS-70">Al Arabiya interview</a>.

FEB 18, 2009 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: The New Ethic of Public Diplomacy

With President Obama's choice for under secretary of public diplomacy still unknown, it's hard to gauge where strategic communications are headed. But in the era ...

JAN 27, 2009 Podcast

The Crisis of American Foreign Policy: Wilsonianism in the Twenty-First Century

Was George W. Bush the true heir of Woodrow Wilson, the architect of liberal internationalism? Was the Iraq War a result of liberal ideas about ...

DEC 16, 2008 Podcast

Devin Stewart Interviews Seth Kaplan on "Fixing Fragile States"

Seth Kaplan looks at how weak states can promote and leverage "social cohesion" to help build development from the bottom up.

CREDIT: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/windwaerts/7024073799/">Windwärts Energie GmbH</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en">CC</a>).

DEC 10, 2008 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Briefings: Germany Moves from Atoms to Photons

Predictions that Germany will be left dangling in the wind once its nuclear power plants are shut down may be premature. Pro-renewables policies have thus ...

DEC 4, 2008 Podcast

How East Asians View Democracy

Nathan and Chu report on surveys in five new democracies (Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Thailand, and Mongolia), one established one (Japan), and two nondemocracies (China ...

South Africa's Jacob Zuma. Photo by <br><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/albertbredenhann/2698881130/">Albert Bredenhann</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en">CC</a>).

DEC 1, 2008 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Briefings: Testing Democracy in South Africa

The sudden emergence of a challenger to the electoral dominance of the African National Congress could put stress on South Africa's young democracy.