Have political parties and the state become too intertwined? How can parties best tackle bad behaviour in their own ranks? And what do children think makes a good society?

On this week’s Democracy Sausage podcast, host Marija Taflaga and co-host Jill Sheppard talk to Mirya Holman and Sharon Bessell about transparency and trust in politics, and why we need to take kids seriously when they voice their opinions about politics.

Marija Taflaga is a lecturer in the ANU School of Politics and International Relations. Her major research is on political parties and particularly the Liberal Party of Australia. She has previously worked in the Australian Parliamentary Press Gallery as a researcher atThe Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

Jill Sheppard is a political scientist at the ANU School of Politics and International Relations. Her research focuses on why people participate in politics, what opinions they hold and why and how political institutions and systems shape both.

Sharon Bessell is the Director of the Children’s Policy Centre in Crawford School of Public Policy, at the Australian National University. Her research focuses on social policy for children.

Mirya Holman is an associate Professor of Political Science at Tulane University, and is a Visiting Fellow at the ANU School of Politics and International Relations. Her research interests focus on political leadership, local politics, gender and politics, research methods, and environmental politics.

Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to [email protected]. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or join us on the Facebook group.

This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University.

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