Economist, professor and author Branko Milanović joins host Sanjay Ruparelia to discuss global economic inequality, the impact of globalization and the role of migration in addressing inequality.

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Show Notes:

Host Sanjay Ruparelia speaks with economist Branko Milanović about the structural forces driving economic inequality around the world. Milanović explains how globalization has narrowed income gaps between countries while widening them within nations. He reflects on the political consequences of these shifts, including the rise of plutocracies and the erosion of middle-class stability. The conversation explores proposals to reduce inequality—such as pre-distribution policies, changes to taxation, and rethinking access to education. It also examines the dilemmas surrounding global migration and the idea of the “citizenship premium.”

Host: Sanjay Ruparelia, Jarislowsky Democracy Chair and Associate Professor of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Guest: Branko Milanović, a leading scholar of global economic inequality. Milanović is a research professor at the City University of New York Graduate Center and a senior fellow at the Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality. He previously served as lead economist in the World Bank’s research department and has taught at institutions including the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University. His books include Global Inequality: A New Approach for the Age of Globalization (2016), Capitalism, Alone (2019), and most recently, Visions of Inequality: From the French Revolution to the End of the Cold War (2023). In 2018, he received the Leontief Prize for his work on measuring global income inequality. 

Background Reading: 

Branko Milanović’s Visions of Inequality: From the French Revolution to the End of the Cold War

Host Sanjay Ruparelia speaks with former Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin about the role of courts in upholding constitutional democracy. McLachlin reflects on fairness and moral intuition in making judgments. She also discusses the evolution of the “living tree” doctrine and efforts to build consensus and transparency at the Supreme Court. The conversation ends with a look at the balance of power among branches of government and the threats posed by leaders who challenge constitutional norms.

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Host: Sanjay Ruparelia, Jarislowsky Democracy Chair and Associate Professor of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Guest: The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin. Educated at the University of Alberta, where she studied philosophy and law, Beverley McLachlin was sworn in to the Supreme Court of Canada in 1989. She was appointed chief justice in 2000—a position she held until 2017—becoming the first woman to do so and the longest-serving chief justice to date. A recipient of more than 35 honorary degrees, McLachlin is a Companion of the Order of Canada and a Commander of the Légion d’honneur, among other awards. Her numerous publications include three bestselling novels—Full Disclosure, Denial and Proof—and a memoir, Truth Be Told, which won the Writers’ Trust Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing and the Ottawa Book Award for Non-fiction.

Background Reading: 

Beverley McLachlin’s Truth Be Told: The Story of My Life and My Fight for Equality

Host Sanjay Ruparelia and the Honourable Lloyd Axworthy sit to discuss Axworthy’s life in politics, which culminated in his role as Minister of Foreign Affairs under Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. Recorded just a day before the 2025 Ontario general election and eleven days ahead of the 2025 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election, they also discuss how Canada’s role on the global stage has evolved over the years and the future of Canadian politics. 

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Show Notes:

Host: Sanjay Ruparelia, Jarislowsky Democracy Chair and Associate Professor of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Guest: Lloyd Axworthy is a Canadian politician, elder statesman and academic. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. In 2000, he retired from politics, returning to western Canada, where he served as President of the University of Winnipeg for ten years. In December 2015 he was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada. He now chairs the World Refugee & Migration Council and lives with his wife Denise in Ottawa.

Background Reading: 

Lloyd Axworthy’s My Life in Politics

Host Sanjay Ruparelia and Anne Norton sit to discuss Norton’s book Wild Democracy: Anarchy, Courage, and Ruling the Law, which reimagines freedom and democracy as expansive and inclusive. They discuss how anarchy, rather than being chaotic, can be a nursery for democracy. Norton argues that authoritarianism is a greater threat than anarchy and examines the qualities necessary for a truly free and democratic society. Their conversation also touches on the nature of rights, the responsibility to resist unjust laws, the role of institutions, and why democracy must remain "wild" to allow space for dissent and change.

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Show Notes:

Host: Sanjay Ruparelia, Jarislowsky Democracy Chair and Associate Professor of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Guest: Anne Norton,a scholar of political theory and the inaugural Stacey and Henry Jackson President’s Distinguished Professor in Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. Norton is a Co-Founding Editor of the journal Theory and Event. 

Background Reading: 

Anne Norton’s Wild Democracy: Anarchy, Courage, and Ruling the Law

Host Sanjay Ruparelia sits with Carol Off to discuss her book, At a Loss for Words: Conversation in an Age of Rage, which explores the evolving meanings of political words like freedom, democracy, choice and truth. She argues that these words have been weaponized by the far right, emphasizing personal liberty over societal responsibility. Off critiques the rise of populism and demagoguery, highlighting the impact of billionaires on political discourse. She advocates for a return to rational language and transparency in journalism, stressing the importance of understanding historical context and the dangers of irrational debates.

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Show Notes

Host: Sanjay Ruparelia, Jarislowsky Democracy Chair and Associate Professor of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Guest: Carol Off, former co-host of CBC’s As It Happens. She has also covered news and current affairs in Canada and around the world. 

Background Reading: 

Carol Off’s At A Loss For Words: Conversation In An Age of Rage 

Carol Off’s Toronto Star column – I hosted one of Canada’s most popular radio shows for 16 years. I’ve watched us descend into conflicting realities — here’s how we get out

Host Sanjay Ruparelia and Samuel Moyn discuss the evolution of liberalism, particularly during the Cold War. Moyn says that Cold War liberalism betrayed the emancipatory ideals of earlier liberals by focusing on negative liberty over positive liberty. He also highlights the contradictions in Cold War liberal thought, such as their pessimism about global freedom and their support for Israel. He also suggests that modern liberalism must reinvent itself to address current challenges, including rising inequalities and authoritarian populism, by revisiting and reviving the emancipatory ideals of historical liberalism.

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Host: Sanjay Ruparelia, Jarislowsky Democracy Chair and Associate Professor of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Guest: Samuel Moyn, the Chancellor Kent Professor of Law and History at Yale University. He has written many books analyzing the history of human rights and international law including his latest, Liberalism Against Itself: Cold War Intellectuals and the Making of Our Times.

Background Reading: 

Samuel Moyn’s Liberalism Against Itself: Cold War Intellectuals and the Making of Our Times

Samuel Moyn’s The Last Utopia: Human Rights in History

Samuel Moyn’s Not Enough: Human Rights in an Unequal World

In this week’s episode, we speak with Astra Taylor, a critically acclaimed writer, filmmaker and organizer about practicing solidarity in an age of insecurity. Taylor discusses insecurity as a structural feature of capitalism and advocates for solidarity, which fosters collective responsibility and mutual obligation.

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Show Notes:

Host Sanjay Ruparelia and Astra Taylor discuss the practice of solidarity in an age of insecurity. Taylor distinguishes between existential and manufactured insecurity, emphasizing that insecurity is a structural feature of capitalism. She also contrasts solidarity with unity and fraternity, highlighting solidarity's relational and transformative nature. She advocates for a "solidarity state,” which fosters collective responsibility and mutual obligation. Taylor also addresses the challenges of achieving global solidarity, noting the debt Western nations owe to the Global South due to historical injustices. She emphasizes the need for international cooperation to address crises like climate change and pandemics.

Host: Sanjay Ruparelia, Jarislowsky Democracy Chair and Associate Professor of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Guest: Astra Taylor, co-founder of the Debt Collective, documentary director, author and frequent contributor to publications including Dissent, The New Yorker and n+1. Her most recent book, co-authored with Leah Hunt-Hendrix, is Solidarity: The Past, Present, and Future of a World-Changing Idea. 

Background Reading: 

Yogendra Yadav’s Making Sense of Indian Democracy: Theory in Practice

Suhas Palshikar, K.C. Suri and Yogendra Yadav’s Party Competition in Indian States: Electoral Politics in Post-Congress Polity 

Alfred Stepan, Juan J. Linz and Yogendra Yadav’s Crafting State-Nations: India and Other Multinational Democracies

Astra Taylor’s The Age of Insecurity: Coming Together as Things Fall Apart

Leah Hunt-Hendrix and Astra Taylor’s Solidarity: The Past, Present, and Future of a World-Changing Idea

In this week’s episode, we speak with renowned public intellectual and political activist Yogendra Yadav about India’s 2024 national election. We’ll discuss the BJP’s surprising losses, the continued dominance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the shifting political landscape, including the rise of lower caste support for Hindu nationalism. Yogendra shares his thoughts on the erosion of Indian democracy and how a new form of republican politics can help revive its original constitutional values.

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Show Notes: 

Host Sanjay Ruparelia sits down with Yogendra Yadav to discuss the political shifts that have defined India leading up to the 2024 Indian national election. Despite predictions of a sweeping victory, Narendra Modi’s BJP experienced significant losses, forcing it to form a coalition government. Yadav discusses Modi’s continued popularity despite setbacks over the past decade and shifts in voter concerns from national issues to local ones. The episode breaks down what the election means for the future of Indian democracy. 

Host: Sanjay Ruparelia, Jarislowsky Democracy Chair and Associate Professor of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Guest: Yogendra Yadav, a public intellectual and political activist. He is currently the national convener of the Bharat Jodo Abhiyan, a campaign to protect and promote constitutional values and democratic institutions in India. 

Background Reading: 

Yogendra Yadav’s Making Sense of Indian Democracy: Theory in Practice

Suhas Palshikar, K.C. Suri and Yogendra Yadav’s Party Competition in Indian States: Electoral Politics in Post-Congress Polity 

Alfred Stepan, Juan J. Linz and Yogendra Yadav’s Crafting State-Nations: India and Other Multinational Democracies

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Sithembile Mbete and Professor Lawrence Hamilton to shine a light on South Africa’s political landscape following the 2024 elections. While the ANC achieved political freedom thirty years ago, it failed to secure economic justice for the majority. We discuss why many in the Born Free generation view Mandela’s compromises as a betrayal and explore a critical take on the 1996 constitution.

We also dive into the 2024 elections, the ANC’s declining popularity, and the rise of offshoot parties. How does political instability, alongside the challenges of inequality, corruption, and gender representation, shape South Africa’s future? Join us to find out more. 

Host Sanjay Ruparelia sat down with Kaya Genç, a scholar, writer and journalist and the Istanbul correspondent for the Los Angeles Review of Books. His latest book, The Lion and the Nightingale: A Journey Through Modern Turkey, weaves a narrative of the current political climate in Turkey after the terror events and failed coup in 2016 through the personal stories of regular Turkish people. The “lion” represents Turkey’s past, its militant strength and power; while the “nightingale” conjures a song, representing Turkey’s rich cultural history of art, literature and romance. In this episode, Dr. Genç talks about populism and the rise of Erdogan, the similarities between militant secularism and Islamic extremism, and the resurgence of the once-dormant Turkish left.

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Show Notes;

Host: Sanjay Ruparelia, Jarislowsky Democracy Chair and Associate Professor of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University

Guest: Kaya Genç, Turkish writer, journalist, and scholar, the Istanbul correspondent for The Los Angeles Review Books and a contributing editor to the Index on Censorship

Further Reading:

The Lion and the Nightingale: A Journey Through Modern Turkey by Kaya Genç

Erdogan's Imperial Presidency by Kaya Genç, New York Review of Books

Istanbul's Youth Feel Emancipated and Precarious by Kaya Genç, Los Angeles Review of Books

The Tragedy of the Turkish Left by Ahmet Samim, New Left Review

Read the transcript here.