Democracy Nerd

There are potential democracy reform models that exist which would be more representative than our current "winner takes all" approach. As the Executive Director for the Center of Election Science, Aaron Hamlin is an advocate for "approval voting." Aaron joins Democracy Nerd to explain approval voting, and how it measures up to compare and contrast against other models of democracy reform.

Congressional party cohesion--on both sides of the aisle--is at its highest level in decades. Does this have any impact Congress's ability to pass legislation, or have no impact at all? Professors James Curry and Frances E. Lee join Democracy Nerd to discuss their book "The Limits of Party: Congress and Lawmaking in a Polarized Era," pointing out that contrary to popular belief, Congress actually operates in a bipartisan fashion.

The Supreme Court ended its term with a series of radical decisions with cataclysmic consequences, including the rolling back of rights enjoyed by previous generations. Law professor Andrew Koppelman discusses the various decisions on abortion rights, guns, and public prayer, explaining how the Roberts Court is the most activist court in the 230+ year history of the Supreme Court.

Longtime Capitol Hill vet and author Ira Shapiro joins the podcast to discuss how Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republicans have thumbed their nose at institutional norms and reneged on their duty as public servants to help create our current bitterly divided United States of America.

With electoral rights and bodily autonomy being degraded, democracy is experiencing a backsliding in the United States. How can organizations push back against this backsliding? After leading a campaign to pass independent redistricting in the state of Michigan, Katie Fahey is the Executive Director of The People, an organization committed to the pursuit of shared American values. Katie joins the podcast to talk about The People, and explain what role her organization will play in the upcoming 2022 elections.

If a country backslides from democracy, is there no future hope for democracy. Lee Drutman from New America believes it's possible for democracy to revive itself in countries that otherwise preferred authoritarianism. Drutman describes what a potential revival of American democracy would look like, and also offers his policy proposal to save American democracy.

Billionaires increasingly control online shopping, access to news, and even "the world's town square" with Elon Musk's recent purchase of Twitter. Is there any other way to push back against this amassed capital--and its influence on our daily lives--then with a countervailing pushback from other capital? Morris Pearl is the chair of Patriotic Millionaires, formed in 2010 to roll back George W. Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy. Morris joins the podcast to discuss Patriotic Millionaires' continued effort to promote economic fairness, underlying their message that increasing taxes on the wealthy would both help fund society and reduce economic inequality.

Episode 54 - Justin Kempf, host of the "Democracy Paradox" podcast joins Democracy Nerd to discuss various theories about democracy, how to make democracy more engaging, and practical efforts to prevent the backsliding of global democracy.

At a time when global democracy is backsliding into authoritarianism, Chile is currently engaged in the process to draft a new constitution, one that is more representative of indigenous people and other marginalized communities. Very rarely do we get to see "democracy operate in real time." Returning to the podcast to provide an update on the drafting of Chile's new Constitution are noted Latin American experts Jennifer Piscopo, Professor at Occidental College, and Peter Siavelis, Professor at Wake Forest University, who provide first-hand insights of the process to draft Chile's constitution.

At a time when global democracy is backsliding into authoritarianism, Chile is currently engaged in the process to draft a new constitution, one that is more representative of indigenous people and other marginalized communities. Very rarely do we get to see "democracy operate in real time." Returning to the podcast to provide an update on the drafting of Chile's new Constitution are noted Latin American experts Jennifer Piscopo, Professor at Occidental College, and Peter Siavelis, Professor at Wake Forest University, who provide first-hand insights of the process to draft Chile's constitution.