How to Fix Democracy

What does it mean to be a citizen, not simply in a legal sense, but as an active member of the community? Andrew Keen speaks with Eric Liu, CEO of Citizen University and author of Live Like a Citizen, about what citizenship requires in an era of polarization and declining trust in democratic institutions.

Liu argues that resilient democracy depends not only on politics and institutions, but on the everyday habits, relationships, and choices of citizens themselves. He outlines eight essential practices: seeing, listening, feeling, joining, fighting, changing, imagining, and committing. They discuss the corrosive effects of social media, the importance of local communities and civic participation, the relationship between economic inequality and democracy, and why rebuilding democratic culture starts from the ground up.

At the heart of the conversation is a simple idea: democracy is not something we inherit and take for granted. We practice it and have to keep practicing it together.

What can Canada teach us about building resilient democracies? In this episode of How to Fix Democracy , Andrew Keen speaks with Canadian award-winning essayist and novelist John Ralston Saul about the country's long democratic tradition, the role of dialogue and negotiation in managing differences, and the importance of embracing Canada's complexity. They also discuss Canada's evolving relationship with the United States, the Arctic, and the role middle powers can play in a changing world. Saul argues that sometimes the seemingly "boring" work of talking, negotiating, and finding compromises is precisely what keeps democracy together.

What makes democracy resilient? Former Minneapolis mayor and current Minneapolis Foundation CEO R.T. Rybak argues that the answer starts at the local level. Drawing on decades of experience in public services, journalism and philantrophy, he explores how civic participation, local leadership, and strong communities can strengthen democracies in times of crisis. From responding to authoritarian pressures to fostering long-term civic engagement, this conversation examines why democracy is never finished, it is something citizens build together every day.

After more than a decade of Viktor Orban's rule, Hungary has entered a new political chapter. In this episode, Andrew Keen speaks with cultural anthropologist Marc Loustau about how Orban built an illiberal state, why his political project ultimately faltered, and what Hungary's experience can teach democracies around the world about resisting authoritarianism. From the role of the European Union to the importance of broad democratic coalitions, this conversation explores both the vulnerabilities and resilience of democratic institutions.

Can democracies become more resilient by being bolder? In this episode of How to Fix Democracy, Andrew Keen speaks with journalist, author and foreign affairs commentator John Kampfner about his new book Brave New World. Drawing on research from countries as diverse as Finland, Estonia, Taiwan, Morocco, Canada and Romania, Kampfner argues that democracy's greatest challenge is not a lack of ideas but a lack of political courage. Together, they explore why resilience, imagination, and courageous leadership are essential to tackling today's biggest challenges, from housing and healthcare to digital government, education, and climate policy. Rather than dwelling on democratic decline, this conversation offers practical examples of governments that are daring to think differently, and asks what other democracies can learn from them.

What role do schools play in strengthening democracy? In this episode, award-winning author James Traub argues that civic education remains one of the most important tools for building democratic resilience. From declining attention spans and digital distractions to respectful disagreement and civic engagement, Traub reflects on what he learned from classrooms across America and what it takes to prepare the next generation of citizens.

What would the Founding Fathers make of America today? In this episode host Andrew Keen talks with constitutional historian Jeffrey Rosen about the centuries-old struggle between liberty and executive power. From Hamilton and Jefferson to Donald Trump and AI, Rosen traces how America's constitutional system has drifted from the Founders' orginal vision, and why restoring democratic resilience may require rethinking the balance between Congress, the presidency, the courts, and the public itself.

In this episode of How to Fix Democracy, we turn to Turkey to explore what democratic resilience like over the long arc of history. Joined by the political scientist Soli Oezel, the conversation traces more than a century of "bouts of freedom" punctuated by military interventions, constitutional resets, and shifting balances between state authority and popular will.

From the late Ottoman period to the present, Oezel examines how Turkey's political system has repeated oscillated between openness and control, highlighting the military's historical role as both guardian and disruptor of democracy, and the more recent shift toward a fully civilian, yet increasingly liberal, political order. Despite these tensions, one constant remains: the enduring importance of elections and the deep-rooted expectation among citizens that their voices should count.

The episode also probes deeper structural questions. Why have liberal democratic norms struggled to take hold? How do state-centric traditions, nationalism, and unresolved identity questions, particularly around the Kurdish issue, shape political life? And what explains the persistence of democratic aspirations even under pressure?

At its core, this conversation challenges a common assumption: that democracy's resilience is primarly institutional or cultural. Instead, Oezel argues that it hinges on something more tangible, whether democratic systems deliver economic security, opportunity, and a sense of fairness. When they do, they build legitimacy; when they don't, they risk erosion from within.

Poland's story is often told as a triumph of democracy, but it's far from over. In this episode, author, activist and journalist, Konstanty Gebert reflects on a lifetime spent confronting authoritarianism, from underground activism in the 1970s to the rise of Solidarity and the fall of communism.

But victory brought new challenges: how do you transition from unity against oppression to the compromises democracy requires?

This episode examines the paradox at the heart of democratic resilience: the same forces that unite people in resistance can later divide them in freedom. As new threats emerge, from populism at home to Russia abroad, Poland's experience offers urgent lessons for democracies everywhere.

As trust in political institutions fades, who really holds power in democracy? Helene Landemore argues that elite decision-making has left democracies less responsive and less resilient. In this episode she joins Andrew Keen to explore how citizen assemblies, broader participation, and new approaches to governance could reshape the future of democratic life.