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

Image of Book cover - Torture and Democracy

APR 4, 2008 Podcast

Torture and Democracy

In his exhaustive study, Rejali traces the history of torture through the ages. "It's not so much that torture never works," he says. "The point ...

Photo By <a href="http://www.sxc.hu/photo/651780">Rodolfo Clix</a> (<a href="http://www.sxc.hu/info.phtml?f=help&s=8_2">SXC</a>).

MAR 18, 2008 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Briefings: Watching the Government Watch You

A growing movement is using the Internet to expose government problems and protect rights and privacy.

CREDIT: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eneas/8281241815/">Eneas De Troya</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en">CC</a>).

MAR 12, 2008 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: Waging Peace through Commerce

Prosperity has the potential to strengthen democracies and enhance security, but only in a global atmosphere of nonaggression.

CREDIT: <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/jdlasica/982369179/">J. D. Lasica</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/deed.en">CC</a>).

MAR 3, 2008 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Innovations: A League of Democracies

John McCain introduced the idea of global democracy during his 2008 U.S. presidential election campaign. The idea is worth exploring, and perhaps further than McCain ...

Democratic presidential debate televised <br>by CNN. Photo by <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/sea-turtle/2211794606/">sea turtle</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en">CC</a>).

MAR 3, 2008 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Briefings: Let's Make a New Deal

Have the Democratic candidates pandered to voter perceptions with their calls to renegotiate NAFTA?

Raila Odinga. CREDIT: <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/44222307@N00/1515386451/in/set-72157603901033502/">DEMOSH</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en">CC</a>).

FEB 26, 2008 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: Genuine Power Sharing

In states such as Kenya with a tenuous concept of nationhood, institutions need to distribute resources equitably if they are to foster stability and growth.

Freedom House Map of Freedom 2008

FEB 15, 2008 Podcast

Freedom in Retreat

Freedom House representatives and Larry Diamond discuss the findings of the FH annual survey, "Freedom in the World 2008," which shines a light on the decline ...

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

FEB 13, 2008 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Innovations: In Pursuit of a Carbon-Free Economy

The climate crisis requires better tools to compare the true environmental value of greenhouse gas reduction versus sequestration, so that we know whether to invest ...

The vicious spiral of partisanship. Photo <br>by <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/victoriabush/42274451/">Victoria Bush</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en">CC</a>).

JAN 23, 2008 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Briefings: Partisanship and U.S. Trade Policy

U.S. trade policy has become increasingly partisan, but progress on trade issues during an election year is unlikely.

Pro-Bhutto graffiti in San Francisco. <br>Photo by <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/dav/2150774458/">Dav Yaginuma</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en">CC</a>).

JAN 9, 2008 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Briefings: Pakistan's Simmering Unrest

Since taking power in a 1999 military coup, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has struggled with the same question as his predecessors: How to keep a tangled ...