Democracy Paradox

So many cases of democratization start with these episodes and this period of elite political violence where the initial stages of it have nothing to do with democratization. People are not aiming for that. People are barely even thinking about it. It's all about this elite political struggle and out of that chaos a bit later you get democracy.

Michael Miller

A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.

Michael Miller is a professor of political science and international relations at George Washington University and the author of the forthcoming book Shock to the System: Coups, Elections, and War on the Road to Democratization.

Key Highlights Include

• How violent shocks like coups and civil wars create openings for democratization
• Why autocratic ruling parties continue to win elections in democracies
• The role for democratic activists in the democratization process
• Discussions on possibilities for democracy in China, Belarus, and Myanmar.
• Mike offers a blueprint for an unconventional approach for democracy promotion

 Key Links

Shock to the System: Coups, Elections, and War on the Road to Democratization by Michael K. Miller

Follow Michael on Twitter @mkmdem

Learn more about Michael's work

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The idea of a political system is not simply to be efficient. It's to have justice. It's to have the idea that anybody can come to the seat of power and say, 'Here are my grievances,' and that doesn't mean that by making that claim, they will get exactly what they want. But it does mean that they will get a hearing and in that notion, I think, lies again, a certain part of democracy that is not reduceable just to elections.

Daniel Carpenter

A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.

Dan Carpenter is the Allie S. Freed professor of Government at Harvard University and the author of Democracy by Petition: Popular Politics in Transformation, 1790-1870.

Key Highlights Include

• A history of petitions in the 19th century including an account of the gag rule.
• The role of petitions in the mobilization of women, Native Americans, the Whig Party, and the antislavery movement
• How did petitions contribute to democratization of America in the 19th century
• What would Congress look like if we still had 'petition days'
• What can we learn from the era of petition politics

Key Links

Democracy by Petition: Popular Politics in Transformation, 1790-1870 by Daniel Carpenter

"The Menthol Cigarette Ban Shows There Is No Democracy Without Petitions," by Daniel Carpenter, Boston Review

"Robust Claims of Vast Lawlessness" from Lapham's Quarterly by Daniel Carpenter

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Out of Order from the German Marshall Fund

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The experience of Western colonization has imprinted all of these nations in profound ways and it's tended to inculcate a sort of skepticism about Western invocations of democracy and the rule of law. China, of course, shares a similar skepticism. China was also not formerly colonized, or not fully colonized by Western powers, but it experienced what the Chinese communist party likes to term a century of humiliation.  And so, both regions share an abiding ambivalence about the current international order.

Sebastian Strangio

A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.

Sebastian Strangio is the Southeast Asia Editor at The Diplomat and the author of In the Dragon's Shadow: Southeast Asia in the Chinese Century.

Key Highlights Include

• Sebastian explains the economic, political, and cultural ties between China and Southeast Asia
• An overview of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
• An explanation of the South China Sea dispute
• Distinguishes between maritime and mainland nations in Southeast Asia
• China's approach to Southeast Asia under Xi Jinping

Key Links

In the Dragon's Shadow: Southeast Asia in the Chinese Century by Sebastian Strangio

www.thediplomat.com

www.sebastianstrangio.com

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Racism and racial conflict are always there, always a powerful and important part of American politics. But when they combine with polarization, with this kind of partisan antagonism, and when that becomes the dividing line between the parties, that's really dangerous. That's what happened in the 1850s. It led to civil war. That's what happened in the 1890s. It led to violent conflict and mass disenfranchisement. And it's happening again today.

Robert C. Lieberman

A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.

Key Highlights Include

• An account of the 1898 insurrection in Wilmington, North Carolina.
• Is polarization the fault of both sides or is one party responsible?
• How the election of 1896 affected American democracy.
• How polarization, conflicts over who belongs, rising economic inequality, and executive aggrandizement interact to threaten democracy in the United States.
• Does the preservation of democracy really require democratic backsliding?

Robert Lieberman is a professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University and  coauthored Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy with Suzanne Mettler.

Key Links

Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy by Robert C. Lieberman and Suzanne Mettler

"Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation" by John Lewis in The New York Times

Follow Rob Lieberman on Twitter @r_lieberman

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In the 19th century Europe had thought that they had moved towards liberalism, enlightenment, rationality, progress, that stuff like mass warfare was over and it wouldn't come back. And then you have four years of senseless, mass slaughter, they just totally destroyed or challenged those ideas of humankind getting better off, progress of humankind getting more civilized. In retrospect, it's hard to imagine the coincidence of deep challenges and crises that wrecked the interwar years.

Kurt Weyland

A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.

Key Highlights Include

• Kurt clarifies the concept of totalitarian fascism from conservative authoritarianism
• A description of the political environment of the interwar period
• Why did authoritarians disliked communism and fascism?
• Why did fascism emerge during this period?
• Is there a parallel between the interwar period to today?

Kurt Weyland is a professor of political science at the University of Texas at Austin and the author of the new book Assault on Democracy: Communism, Fascism, and Authoritarianism During the Interwar Years.

Key Links

Assault on Democracy: Communism, Fascism, and Authoritarianism During the Interwar Years by Kurt Weyland

"The Real Lessons of the Interwar Years" by Agnes Cornell, Jørgen Møller, Svend-Erik Skaaning in Journal of Democracy, July 2017

Problems of Democratic Transition and Consolidation by Juan J. Linz and Alfred Stepan

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They really view their history as one of victimization, one of struggle and even martyrdom. ARENA had multiple leaders assassinated. Again, that version of history that I just told you, that's not necessarily my view. But I do actually believe that that is their sincere belief and it makes for a really compelling founding myth if you will. And I think that founding myth has helped to hold both parties together right up until the present day.

James Loxton

A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.

Key Highlights Include

• Why do voters elect leaders with ties to former dictators?
• Description of authoritarian successor parties
• Challenges for conservative party formation
• A brief history of the UDI in Chile and ARENA in El Salvador
• The role of counterrevolutionary struggle

Key Links

Conservative Party-Building in Latin America: Authoritarian Inheritance and Counterrevolutionary Struggle by James Loxton

"Authoritarian Successor Parties" by James Loxton in Journal of Democracy, July 2015

Visit James at www.jamesloxton.net

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I find it hard to believe, without a lot more justification than they're offering that somehow that there's this new secret sauce to opportunity and equality and democracy that does not involve public education as the fundamental pillar. So you have people arguing that it's not. They're not saying we want to destroy democracy, but I'm saying, you as reader, you as listeners, need to think about the long-term consequences of shrinking the public education footprint and moving back into a siloed or a fiefdom or a private system that resembles our darkest days.

Derek W. Black

A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.

Key Highlights Include

• Derek explains the case for a right to education.
• A brief history of public education in the United States
• How the NAACP used the language of democracy in their litigation for school desegregation
• Why vouchers and charter schools threaten public education
• Finally, the intersection of public education and democracy runs throughout the conversation

Key Links

Schoolhouse Burning: Public Education and the Assault on American Democracy by Derek W. Black

San Antonio Independent School District et. al. v. Rodriguez

Follow Derek W. Black @DerekWBlack

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That's why all Americans should care. Because the cost of poverty is not just the cost to that person who is in poverty. It's a cost to all of society. We're all paying for people being jailed. We're all paying for extra costs in the legal system, in the police force, in the healthcare system.

Sheryl WuDunn

A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.

Key Highlights Include

• Stories of Poverty and Inequality in America
• Challenges in America in Education, Health, and Well-Being
• Impact of Poverty on Children with an Explanation of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
• Collective Responsibility to Solve Social Problems
• Rethinking of Social Programs as Investments Rather than Outlays

Sheryl WuDunn is a pulitzer prize winning reporter, business executive, and the author of Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope (along with her husband Nicholas Kristof).

Key Links

Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope by Sheryl WuDunn and Nicholas Kristof

Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope - PBS Documentary Presented by Show of Force

Follow Sheryl on Twitter @WuDunn

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Doctrine is actually often a lot looser and more subject to interpretation than we tend to assume and the way that the doctrine gets interpreted is often partially a function of group interests themselves. If you have a religious group in a given country that believes it would benefit from democracy, it's pretty likely that that group will find a way to interpret and frame its doctrine in a way that supports democracy.

- Mike Hoffman

A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.

Key Highlights Include

• Role of Religion in Identity Formation
• How Communal Prayer Shapes Religious Identity
• Ways Group Interests Shape Perspectives on Democracy
• Description of Lebanon's Political System
• Why Some Groups Oppose Democracy

Mike Hoffman is a professor of political science at Notre Dame and the author of Faith in Numbers: Religion, Sectarianism, and Democracy.

Key Links

Faith in Numbers: Religion, Sectarianism, and Democracy by Michael Hoffman

Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson

Patterns of Democracy by Arend Lijphart

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Participatory budgeting is actually about connecting folks with the skills and resources to navigate and shape government. And so, for me, that is the most optimistic and the most important outcome of any participatory budgeting process.

Shari Davis

A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.

Key Highlights Include

• A walk through the process of participatory budgeting with an example
• The history of participatory budgeting around the world
• An example of participatory budgeting in China
• The Role of Art in Democracy
• Next steps for Participatory Budgeting

Shari Davis leads the Participatory Budget Project as its Executive Director. They have over 15 years working in local government beginning in high school. And not long ago they were honored as an Obama Fellow.

Key Links

Participatory Budgeting Project

Democracy Beyond Elections

"Why is Democracy Performing so Poorly" by Francis Fukuyama

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