Democracy Paradox
Justin Kempf
Is it possible for a democracy to govern undemocratically? Can the people elect an undemocratic leader? Is it possible for democracy to bring about authoritarianism? And if so, what does this say about democracy? My name is Justin Kempf. Every week I talk to the brightest minds on subjects like international relations, political theory, and history to explore democracy from every conceivable angle. Topics like civil resistance, authoritarian successor parties, and the autocratic middle class challenge our ideas about democracy. Join me as we unravel new topics every week.
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Top 10 Democracy Paradox Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Democracy Paradox episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Democracy Paradox for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Democracy Paradox episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
04/16/24 • 56 min
What does it mean to empower women politically in a context in which the dominant party is engaged in democratic backsliding or other forms of illiberal and exclusionary politics? Would you still want more women to be part of that party?
Saskia Brechenmacher
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Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu
Made in partnership with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.org
A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.
Saskia Brechenmacher is a fellow in Carnegie’s Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program. Recently, she coauthored a new book with Katherine Mann called Aiding Empowerment: Democracy Promotion and Gender Equality in Politics.
Key Highlights
- Introduction - 0:20
- Democracy Promotion and Gender Equality - 3:13
- Gender Quotas - 12:38
- Challenges - 28:12
- New Ideas and Issues - 44:53
Key Links
Aiding Empowerment: Democracy Promotion and Gender Equality in Politics by Saskia Brechenmacher and Katherine Mann
Learn more about Saskia Brechenmacher at the Carnegie Endowment
Follow Saskia Brechenmacher on X @SaskiaBrech
Democracy Paradox Podcast
Marc Plattner Has Quite a Bit to Say About Democracy
Larry Diamond on Supporting Democracy in the World and at Home
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Apes of the State created all Music
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100 Books on Democracy
01/02/24 • 42 min
That's the point here. It's not there yet. But if electorally the BJP keeps winning, this is a prospect that must be faced.
Ashutosh Varshney
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Ashutosh Varshney is the Sol Goldman Professor of International Studies and the Social Sciences at Brown University. He is the author of many books and papers on India and its politics. His most recent article (coauthored with Connor Staggs), published in Journal of Democracy, is "Hindu Nationalism and the New Jim Crow."
Key Highlights
- Introduction - 1:31
- Hindu Nationalism - 3:48
- Jim Crow and India - 12:08
- Vigilantism - 23:53
- Solutions - 34:46
Key Links
"Hindu Nationalism and the New Jim Crow" by Ashutosh Varshney and Connor Staggs in Journal of Democracy
"India’s Democracy at 70: Growth, Inequality, and Nationalism" by Ashutosh Varshney in Journal of Democracy
Follow Ashutosh Varshney on X @ProfVarshney
Democracy Paradox Podcast
Ashutosh Varshney on India. Democracy in Hard Places
Is India Still a Democracy? Rahul Verma Emphatically Says Yes
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Apes of the State created all Music
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100 Books on Democracy
Who is Alexey Navalny? David Herszenhorn Paints a Picture
Democracy Paradox
11/14/23 • 60 min
It's impossible not to admire somebody who is willing to stand up for their country, for freedom and democracy, for the idea that Russians should be able to chart their own future and have a say in what their government looks like.
David Herszenhorn
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David Herszenhorn is the Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe editor at The Washington Post and was a correspondent for Politico Europe and The New York Times. He is the author The Dissident: Alexey Navalny: Profile of a Political Prisoner.
Key Highlights
- Introduction - 0:44
- Navalny as a Political Figure - 3:13
- Navalny and the State - 21:26
- Navalny and Russian Repression - 34:41
- Politician or Dissident? 42:45
Key Links
The Dissident: Alexey Navalny: Profile of a Political Prisoner by David Herszenhorn
"Alexey Navalny Never Wanted to Be a Dissident" in Politico by David Herszenhorn
"For Putin foe Alexey Navalny, Ukraine has long been a volatile issue" in The Washington Post by David Herszenhorn
Democracy Paradox Podcast
Olga Onuch and Henry Hale Describe the Zelensky Effect
Michael McFaul and Robert Person on Putin, Russia, and the War in Ukraine
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Apes of the State created all Music
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100 Books on Democracy
Learn more about the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at https://kellogg.nd.edu/
Cenk Uygur is Running an Unorthodox Campaign for President
Democracy Paradox
10/24/23 • 57 min
You could take that populism and turn it negative, which often happens... But populism could also be a wonderful thing where you're actually appealing to what the voters want instead of what the powerful want.
Cenk Uygur
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Cenk Uygur is a host of the show The Young Turks and the founder, president, and CEO of its parent company TYT. He is a Democratic Party candidate for President of the United States and the author of Justice Is Coming: How Progressives Are Going to Take Over the Country and America Is Going to Love It.
Key Highlights
- Introduction - 0:42
- Cenk's Presidential Campaign - 2:49
- Progressive Issues - 26:56
- Populism - 40:28
- Polarization - 49:17
Key Links
Justice Is Coming: How Progressives Are Going to Take Over the Country and America Is Going to Love It by Cenk Uygur
Support Cenk Uygur's campaign at cenkforamerica.com
Check out The Young Turks and other TYT programs at tyt.com
Democracy Paradox Podcast
Heather Cox Richardson on History, Conservatism, and the Awakening of American Democracy
Daniel Ziblatt on American Democracy, the Republican Party, and the Tyranny of the Minority
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Apes of the State created all Music
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100 Books on Democracy
Learn more about the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at https://kellogg.nd.edu/
Branko Milanovic on Different Visions of Inequality
Democracy Paradox
10/10/23 • 47 min
Writing a book like that makes you really think brutally about the past. It makes you really think about the current time and also how the future would look at you.
Branko Milanovic
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Branko Milanovic is a Research Professor at the City University of New York and a Senior Scholar at the Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality. He served as the lead economist in the World Bank’s Research Department for almost 20 years. His most recent book is Visions of Inequality: From the French Revolution to the End of the Cold War.
Key Highlights
- Introduction - 0:31
- Why Economic Inequality - 2:53
- Ideas Before 1820 - 13:26
- Marx and Socialism - 19:52
- Piketty and Modern Thought - 40:17
Key Links
Visions of Inequality: From the French Revolution to the End of the Cold War by Branko Milanovic
globalinequality blog by Branko Milanovic
Follow Branko Milanovic on X @BrankoMilan
Democracy Paradox Podcast
Thomas Piketty on Equality
Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson on the Plutocratic Populism of the Republican Party
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Apes of the State created all Music
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100 Books on Democracy
Learn more about the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at https://kellogg.nd.edu/
Is McKinsey and Company a Threat to Democracy? Michael Forsythe Shares His Reporting
Democracy Paradox
08/01/23 • 54 min
It's too simplistic to call it an evil company. There are certainly a lot of very good people that work there. It's just the system itself and the corporation itself and the system that it's embedded in is what causes the problems.
Michael Forsythe
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Michael Forsythe is a reporter on the investigations team at The New York Times. Until February 2017 he was a correspondent in the Hong Kong office, focusing on the intersection of money and politics in China. He is the author (along with Walt Bogdanich) of When McKinsey Comes to Town: the Hidden Influence of the World's Most Powerful Consulting Firm.
Key Highlights
- Introduction - 0:35
- Who is McKinsey & Company? - 3:14
- Is it Anti-Democratic? - 17:55
- Working with Autocrats - 34:17
- Can it Change? - 44:33
Key Links
When McKinsey Comes to Town: The Hidden Influence of the World's Most Powerful Consulting Firm by Walt Bogdanich and Michael Forsythe
"How McKinsey Lost Its Way in South Africa" in The New York Times by Walt Bogdanich and Michael Forsythe
Follow Michael Forsythe on Twitter @PekingMike
Democracy Paradox Podcast
Anne Applebaum on Autocracy, Inc
Samuel Woolley on Bots, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital Propaganda
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Democracy Group
Apes of the State created all Music
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100 Books on Democracy
Learn more about the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at https://kellogg.nd.edu/
Larry Bartels Says Democracy Erodes from the Top
Democracy Paradox
04/04/23 • 53 min
Democracy is a much more complicated thing than we often give it credit for and certainly speaking dichotomously about democracy being in crisis or not is an oversimplification.
Larry Bartels
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Larry Bartels is the May Werthan Shayne Chair of Public Policy and Social Science at Vanderbilt University and a Co-Director for the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions. His new book is called Democracy Erodes from the Top: Leaders, Citizens, and the Challenge of Populism in Europe.
Key Highlights
- Introduction - 0:34
- A Crisis of Democracy? 3:02
- Populism 23:20
- Political Restraint - 37:49
- What is Democracy? 44:51
Key Links
Democracy Erodes from the Top: Leaders, Citizens, and the Challenge of Populism in Europe by Larry Bartels
Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government by Christopher Achen and Larry Bartels
Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions
Democracy Paradox Podcast
Martin Wolf on the Crisis of Democratic Capitalism
Jason Brownlee Believes We Underestimate Democratic Resilience
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Democracy Group
Apes of the State created all Music
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100 Books on Democracy
Democracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.
Learn more about the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at https://kellogg.nd.edu/
03/28/23 • 43 min
One of the things that we see happening online is sort of a democratization of propaganda.
Samuel Woolley
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Samuel Woolley is an assistant professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin and the project director for propaganda research at the Center for Media Engagement. His most recent book is Manufacturing Consensus: Understanding Propaganda in the Era of Automation and Anonymity.
Key Highlights
- Introduction - 0:43
- Background on Technology (including Bots) - 3:00
- Artificial Intelligence - 10:17
- Democratization of Propaganda - 20:44
- The Legitimation of Ideas - 30:48
Key Links
Manufacturing Consensus: Understanding Propaganda in the Era of Automation and Anonymity by Samuel Woolley
"Digital Propaganda: The Power of Influencers" in the Journal of Democracy by Samuel Woolley
Center for Media Engagement
Democracy Paradox Podcast
Richard Wike Asked Citizens in 19 Countries Whether Social Media is Good for Democracy
Ronald Deibert from Citizen Lab on Cyber Surveillance, Digital Subversion, and Transnational Repression
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Democracy Group
Apes of the State created all Music
Email the show at [email protected]
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100 Books on Democracy
Democracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.
Learn more about the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at https://kellogg.nd.edu/
Martin Wolf on the Crisis of Democratic Capitalism
Democracy Paradox
02/14/23 • 50 min
I think democracy and capitalism are individually in crisis in that they're not working very well and that the combination of the two in one political and economic system, which we have come to think of as the Western Way, is in crisis not only because the two component parts are in crisis, but because they're in crisis interactively.
Martin Wolf
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Martin Wolf is the chief economics commentator at the Financial Times. He has written many books, but his most recent is The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism.
Key Highlights
- Introduction - 0:51
- The Link Between Democracy and Capitalism - 3:10
- Does Capitalism Reinforce Democracy? 16:50
- Status Anxiety - 26:13
- Populism- 38:55
Key Links
The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism by Martin Wolf
Read Martin Wolf's writings at the Financial TimesFollow Martin Wolf on Twitter @martinwolf_
Democracy Paradox Podcast
Francis Fukuyama Responds to Liberalism’s Discontents
Larry Diamond on Supporting Democracy in the World and at Home
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Democracy Group
Apes of the State created all Music
Email the show at [email protected]
Follow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast
100 Books on Democracy
Democracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.
Learn more about the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at https://kellogg.nd.edu/
Alexander Keyssar on Why We Still Have the Electoral College
Democracy Paradox
05/07/24 • 50 min
I think that if you got rid of the Electoral College, in the short run, there would be losers. But it hasn't always been the same group and it hasn't always been the same party.
Alexander Keyssar
Made in partnership with the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation
Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.
Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu
Proudly sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.org
A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.
Alexander Keyssar is the Matthew W. Stirling Jr. Professor of History and Social Policy at Harvard University and the author of the book Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College?
Key Highlights
- Introduction - 0:20
- Origin of the Electoral College - 3:05
- Proportional or District Electoral Votes - 17:37
- Race and Civil Rights - 27:02
- Why No Reform - 41:44
Key Links
Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College? by Alexander Keyssar
Watch Electoral College Symposium: What’s to be Done?
Follow Alexander Keyssar on X @AlexKeyssar
Democracy Paradox Podcast
Heather Cox Richardson on History, Conservatism, and the Awakening of American Democracy
Daniel Ziblatt on American Democracy, the Republican Party, and the Tyranny of the Minority
More Episodes from the Podcast
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Apes of the State created all Music
Email the show at [email protected]
Follow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast
100 Books on Democracy
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FAQ
How many episodes does Democracy Paradox have?
Democracy Paradox currently has 211 episodes available.
What topics does Democracy Paradox cover?
The podcast is about News, Human Rights, Political Science, Constitution, Democracy, Podcasts, Philosophy, Politics and Government.
What is the most popular episode on Democracy Paradox?
The episode title 'Saskia Brechenmacher on Promoting Gender Equality Through Democracy Assistance Aid' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Democracy Paradox?
The average episode length on Democracy Paradox is 50 minutes.
How often are episodes of Democracy Paradox released?
Episodes of Democracy Paradox are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Democracy Paradox?
The first episode of Democracy Paradox was released on Jun 21, 2020.
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