Democracy Paradox

If we're thinking about democracy as something broader that is producing equality, justice or these kind of things, often those policies that we might describe as democratic policies can emerge from processes that are undemocratic. I think that's uncomfortable for us to think about. Katlyn Carter Support the podcast on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com. Katlyn Carter is an assistant professor of history at Notre Dame University. She is the author of Democracy in Darkness: Secrecy and Transparency in the Age of Revolutions. Key Highlights Key Links Democracy in Darkness: Secrecy and Transparency in the Age of Revolutions by Katlyn Carter Katlyn Carter on My History Can Beat Up Your Politics Learn more about Katlyn Carter Democracy Paradox Podcast Heather Cox Richardson on History, Conservatism, and the Awakening of American Democracy Daniel Ziblatt on American Democracy, the Republican Party, and the Tyranny of the Minority More Episodes from the Podcast More Information Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast 100 Books on Democracy Support the show

I think populism is rather a specific form of discontent. Discontent is the umbrella term. It's this vague sense that the way things are being done is not working. That democracy is not effective. That it's not serving my interests. Matthew Rhodes-Purdy Support the podcast on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com. Rachel Navarre is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and Master of Public Administration Program at Bridgewater State University. Matthew Rhodes-Purdy is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Clemson University. They are the coauthors (along with Stephen Utych) of The Age of Discontent: Populism, Extremism, and Conspiracy Theories in Contemporary Democracies. Key Highlights Key Links The Age of Discontent: Populism, Extremism, and Conspiracy Theories in Contemporary Democracies by Matthew Rhodes-Purdy, Rachel Navarre, and Stephen Utych Learn more about Rachel Navarre here. Learn more about Matthew Rhodes-Purdy here. Democracy Paradox Podcast Daniel Ziblatt on American Democracy, the Republican Party, and the Tyranny of the Minority Marc Plattner Has Quite a Bit to Say About Democracy More Episodes from the Podcast More Information Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast 100 Books on Democracy Support the show

This was an election that was meant to cement authoritarian rule and it became a democratic breakthrough. Rachel Schwartz Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com. Rachel Schwartz is an assistant professor of international and area studies at the University of Oklahoma. Recently, she cowrote an article with Anita Isaacs for the Journal of Democracy called, “How Guatemala Defied the Odds." She also authored a book earlier this year called Undermining the State from Within: The Institutional Legacies of Civil War in Central America. Key Highlights Key Links Undermining the State from Within: The Institutional Legacies of Civil War in Central America by Rachel Schwartz "How Guatemala Defied the Odds" in Journal of Democracy by Rachel Schwartz "Guatemala: Resisting Democratic Backsliding in the Least Likely of Places?" by Rachel Schwartz Democracy Paradox Podcast Wendy Hunter on Lula, Bolsonaro, January 8th and Democracy in Brazil Jennifer Piscopo on the Constitutional Chaos in Chile More Episodes from the Podcast More Information Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast 100 Books on Democracy Support the show

It's impossible not to admire somebody who is willing to stand up for their country, for freedom and democracy, for the idea that Russians should be able to chart their own future and have a say in what their government looks like. David Herszenhorn Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com. David Herszenhorn is the Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe editor at The Washington Post and was a correspondent for Politico Europe and The New York Times. He is the author The Dissident: Alexey Navalny: Profile of a Political Prisoner. Key Highlights Key Links The Dissident: Alexey Navalny: Profile of a Political Prisoner by David Herszenhorn "Alexey Navalny Never Wanted to Be a Dissident" in Politico by David Herszenhorn "For Putin foe Alexey Navalny, Ukraine has long been a volatile issue" in The Washington Post by David Herszenhorn Democracy Paradox Podcast Olga Onuch and Henry Hale Describe the Zelensky Effect Michael McFaul and Robert Person on Putin, Russia, and the War in Ukraine More Episodes from the Podcast More Information Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast 100 Books on Democracy Support the show

Leadership is not a formula. It's not something that happens in a vacuum. It's not just something that you can declare about yourself. Moshik Temkin Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com. Moshik Temkin is a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Leadership and History at Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University, and a fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. His most recent book is Warriors, Rebels, and Saints: The Art of Leadership from Machiavelli to Malcolm X. Key Highlights Key Links Warriors, Rebels, and Saints: The Art of Leadership from Machiavelli to Malcolm X by Moshik Temkin Learn more about Moshik Temkin Follow Moshik Temkin on X at @moshik_temkin Democracy Paradox Podcast Larry Bartels Says Democracy Erodes from the Top Moisés Naím on the New Dynamics of Political Power More Episodes from the Podcast More Information Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast 100 Books on Democracy Support the show

For people like me or just your ordinary Joes who speak of democracy, I thought it meant freedom. I thought it meant a free press. I thought it meant that people would not die on the streets. Patricia Evangelista Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com. Patricia Evangelista is a trauma journalist and former investigative reporter for the Philippine news company Rappler. She has received the Kate Webb Prize for exceptional journalism in dangerous conditions. Recently, she authored the book Some People Need Killing: A Memoir of Murder in My Country. Key Highlights Key Links Some People Need Killing: A Memoir of Murder in My Country by Patricia Evangelista Read the original "Some People Need Killing" published in Rappler.com Follow Patricia Evangelista on X at @patevangelista Democracy Paradox Podcast Moisés Naím on the New Dynamics of Political Power Guillermo Trejo and Sandra Ley on the Political Logic of Criminal Wars in Mexico More Episodes from the Podcast More Information Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast 100 Books on Democracy Support the show

You could take that populism and turn it negative, which often happens... But populism could also be a wonderful thing where you're actually appealing to what the voters want instead of what the powerful want. Cenk Uygur Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com. Cenk Uygur is a host of the show The Young Turks and the founder, president, and CEO of its parent company TYT. He is a Democratic Party candidate for President of the United States and the author of Justice Is Coming: How Progressives Are Going to Take Over the Country and America Is Going to Love It. Key Highlights Key Links Justice Is Coming: How Progressives Are Going to Take Over the Country and America Is Going to Love It by Cenk Uygur Support Cenk Uygur's campaign at cenkforamerica.com Check out The Young Turks and other TYT programs at tyt.com Democracy Paradox Podcast Heather Cox Richardson on History, Conservatism, and the Awakening of American Democracy Daniel Ziblatt on American Democracy, the Republican Party, and the Tyranny of the Minority More Episodes from the Podcast More Information Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast 100 Books on Democracy Support the show

Autocracy as we understand it today is a modern creation. I think there we see very few successful examples of modern autocracies that are able to sustain themselves. Shadi Hamid Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com. Shadi Hamid is a columnist and member of the Editorial Board at The Washington Post. He is also a research professor of Islamic studies at Fuller Seminary and the co-host of the podcast Wisdom of Crowds. His most recent book is The Problem of Democracy: America, the Middle East, and the Rise and Fall of an Idea. Key Highlights Key Links The Problem of Democracy: America, the Middle East, and the Rise and Fall of an Idea by Shadi Hamid Follow Shadi Hamid on Twitter @shadihamid Wisdom of Crowds Democracy Paradox Podcast Robert Kaplan on the Politics of the Past and Future of the Greater Middle East Steven Simon on American Foreign Policy in the Middle East including Iran and the Wars in Iraq More Episodes from the Podcast More Information Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast 100 Books on Democracy Support the show

Writing a book like that makes you really think brutally about the past. It makes you really think about the current time and also how the future would look at you. Branko Milanovic Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com. Branko Milanovic is a Research Professor at the City University of New York and a Senior Scholar at the Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality. He served as the lead economist in the World Bank’s Research Department for almost 20 years. His most recent book is Visions of Inequality: From the French Revolution to the End of the Cold War. Key Highlights Key Links Visions of Inequality: From the French Revolution to the End of the Cold War by Branko Milanovic globalinequality blog by Branko Milanovic Follow Branko Milanovic on X @BrankoMilan Democracy Paradox Podcast Thomas Piketty on Equality Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson on the Plutocratic Populism of the Republican Party More Episodes from the Podcast More Information Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast 100 Books on Democracy Support the show

I really do think that what we've witnessed over the last decades is the emergence of a new ideology that is meaningfully distinct... I think it really is meaningfully distinct from other forms of what is meant to be left wing in the past from other ideological traditions. Yascha Mounk Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com. Yascha Mounk is a Professor of the Practice of International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University. He’s a writer for The Atlantic, founder of the online magazine Persuassion, and host of the podcast The Good Fight. He is the author of The People vs Democracy, The Great Experiment, and The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time. Key Highlights Key Links The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time by Yascha Mounk The Great Experiment: How to Make Diverse Democracies Work by Yascha Mounk The People vs. Democracy: Why Our Freedom Is in Danger and How to Save It by Yascha Mounk Democracy Paradox Podcast Yascha Mounk on the Great Experiment of Diverse Democracies Francis Fukuyama Responds to Liberalism’s Discontents More Episodes from the Podcast More Information Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast 100 Books on Democracy Support the show

It would be a lovely thing if before I die, I get to see a younger generation reclaim democracy and rebuild it in a new, more expansive way. Heather Cox Richardson Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com. Heather Cox Richardson is a Professor of History at Boston College. Her daily newsletter Letters from an American is read by millions. She has a new book out as of today called Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America. Key Highlights Key Links Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America by Heather Cox Richardson Letters from an American by Heather Cox Richardson Follow Heather Cox Richardson on Twitter @HC_Richardson Democracy Paradox Podcast Daniel Ziblatt on American Democracy, the Republican Party, and the Tyranny of the Minority Joseph Fishkin on the Constitution, American History, and Economic Inequality More Episodes from the Podcast More Information Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast 100 Books on Democracy Support the show

I think one of the greatest barriers to reform is thinking that reform is impossible. Daniel Ziblatt Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com. Daniel Ziblatt is the Eaton Professor of Government at Harvard University and director of the Transformations of Democracy group at Berlin's Social Science Center. He is the coauthor with Steven Levitsky of How Democracies Dieand a new book The Tyranny of the Minority and the author of Conservative Parties and the Birth of Democracy. Key Highlights Key Links Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt Conservative Parties and the Birth of Democracy by Daniel Ziblatt Democracy Paradox Podcast Stephan Haggard and Robert Kaufman on Democratic Backsliding Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way on the Durable Authoritarianism of Revolutionary Regimes More Episodes from the Podcast More Information Democracy Group Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast 100 Books on Democracy Support the show

North Korea is stable up until the day it's not... The day that it collapses, there'll be a lot of people out there who will say this was inevitable. Victor Cha Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com. Victor Cha is a professor of government at Georgetown University and holds the Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. He is a former director for Asian Affairs at the White House National Security Council. Ramon Pacheco Pardo is a professor of international relations at King’s College London and the KF-VUB Korea Chair at Free University of Brussels. They are the authors of Korea: A New History of South and North. Key Highlights Key Links Korea: A New History of South and North by Victor Cha and Ramon Pacheco Pardo Victor Cha at the Center for Strategic & International Studies Ramon Pacheco Pardo at King's College London Democracy Paradox Podcast Deng Xiaoping is Not Who You Think He is. Joseph Torigian on Leadership Transitions in China and the Soviet Union Hal Brands Thinks China is a Declining Power… Here’s Why that’s a Problem More Episodes from the Podcast More Information Democracy Group Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast 100 Books on Democracy Support the show

People still think of Chinese history as this two-line struggle because that's the story the Chinese tell. But everything from Mao Zedong's relationship to Liu Shaoqi to anything that happened during the 1980s, it was not a problem of competing policy platforms. It was a problem of getting the politics of your relationship with the top leader right when it was hard to guess what they were thinking and they were changing their mind and they were suspicious of you. Joseph Torigian Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com. Joseph Torigian is a Research Fellow at the Harvard History Lab. Previously he was an assistant professor at the School of International Service at American University in Washington and a Global Fellow at the Wilson Center. He is the author of Prestige, Manipulation, and Coercion: Elite Power Struggles in the Soviet Union and China after Stalin and Mao. Key Highlights Key Links Prestige, Manipulation, and Coercion: Elite Power Struggles in the Soviet Union and China after Stalin and Mao by Joseph Torigian Harvard History Lab Learn more about Joseph Torigian Democracy Paradox Podcast Hal Brands Thinks China is a Declining Power… Here’s Why that’s a Problem Anne Applebaum on Autocracy, Inc More Episodes from the Podcast More Information Democracy Group Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast 100 Books on Democracy Support the show

Great developments by nature are not linear. Things just don't always continue as they have been. That's why this idea that the Arab Spring came, it went, it happened, it didn't work, therefore the Middle East will always remain an autocracy - that's linear thinking. Great events are great precisely because they're not linear. Robert Kaplan Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com. Robert reported on foreign policy for The Atlantic for three decades and is currently the Robert Strausz-Hupé Chair in Geopolitics at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. His most recent book is The Loom of Time: Between Empire and Anarchy, from the Mediterranean to China. Key Highlights Key Links The Loom of Time: Between Empire and Anarchy, from the Mediterranean to China by Robert Kaplan Foreign Policy Research Institute The Writings of Robert Kaplan at The Atlantic Democracy Paradox Podcast Berk Esen and Sebnem Gumuscu on the Disappointing Elections in Turkey… or How Democratic (or Autocratic) is Turkey Really? Steven Simon on American Foreign Policy in the Middle East including Iran and the Wars in Iraq More Episodes from the Podcast More Information Democracy Group Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast 100 Books on Democracy Support the show

India should be understood as a test case of democracy outside the Western world. Rahul Verma Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com. Rahul Verma is a fellow at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi. He is also Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science, Ashoka University. Recently, he wrote “The Exaggerated Death of Indian Democracy” in the recent Journal of Democracy. Key Highlights Key Links "The Exaggerated Death of Indian Democracy" in Journal of Democracy by Rahul Verma Centre for Policy Research Follow Rahul Verma on Twitter @rahul_tverma Democracy Paradox Podcast Ashutosh Varshney on India. Democracy in Hard Places Christophe Jaffrelot on Narendra Modi and Hindu Nationalism More Episodes from the Podcast More Information Democracy Group Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast 100 Books on Democracy Support the show

It would be a miracle if the original understanding of the Constitution just landed time and time again with the views in 2023 of the right-wing of the Republican Party. That would be too amazing a coincidence. That's more than troublesome. Cass Sunstein Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com. Cass Sunstein is the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard Law School. During Obama’s first term he was the Administrator for the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. He is the author of dozens of books including Nudge(with Richard Thaler) and The World According to Star Wars. His most recent book is How to Interpret the Constitution. Key Highlights Key Links How to Interpret the Constitution by Cass Sunstein The World According to Star Wars by Cass Sunstein Follow Cass Sunstein on Twitter @CassSunstein Democracy Paradox Podcast Joseph Fishkin on the Constitution, American History, and Economic Inequality Donald Horowitz on the Formation of Democratic Constitutions More Episodes from the Podcast More Information Democracy Group Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast 100 Books on Democracy Support the show

I think we have a more complex notion of what democracy is. - Marc Plattner Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com. Marc Plattner is the founding coeditor of the Journal of Democracy and the founding codirector of the National Endowment for Democracy’s International Forum for Democratic Studies. Until 2016, he also served as NED’s vice president for research and studies, and from 1984 to 1989 he was NED’s director of program. He is the author of Democracy Without Borders? Global Challenges to Liberal Democracy (2008) and of Rousseau’s State of Nature(1979). His essays and reviews on a wide range of international and public policy issues have appeared in numerous books and journals, and he has coedited with Larry Diamond more than two dozen books on contemporary issues relating to democracy in the Journal of Democracy book series. Key Highlights Key Links "Why Ukraine Is Critical to Rebuilding Our Democratic Consensus" in the Journal of Democracy by Marc Plattner "Democracy Embattled" in the Journal of Democracy by Marc Plattner "Liberalism and Democracy: Can’t Have One Without the Other" in Foreign Affairs by Marc Plattner Democracy Paradox Podcast Anne Applebaum on Autocracy, Inc Larry Diamond on Supporting Democracy in the World and at Home More Episodes from the Podcast More Information Democracy Group Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast 100 Books on Democracy Support the show

It's too simplistic to call it an evil company. There are certainly a lot of very good people that work there. It's just the system itself and the corporation itself and the system that it's embedded in is what causes the problems. Michael Forsythe Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com. Michael Forsythe is a reporter on the investigations team at The New York Times. Until February 2017 he was a correspondent in the Hong Kong office, focusing on the intersection of money and politics in China. He is the author (along with Walt Bogdanich) of When McKinsey Comes to Town: the Hidden Influence of the World's Most Powerful Consulting Firm. Key Highlights Key Links When McKinsey Comes to Town: The Hidden Influence of the World's Most Powerful Consulting Firm by Walt Bogdanich and Michael Forsythe "How McKinsey Lost Its Way in South Africa" in The New York Times by Walt Bogdanich and Michael Forsythe Follow Michael Forsythe on Twitter @PekingMike Democracy Paradox Podcast Anne Applebaum on Autocracy, Inc Samuel Woolley on Bots, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital Propaganda More Episodes from the Podcast More Information Democracy Group Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast 100 Books on Democracy Support the show

Spin dictators have fewer political prisoners, fewer political killings. This is good. This is really good. On the other hand, we want to tell everybody that they are still dictators. Sergei Guriev Access Bonus Episodes on Patreon Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com. Sergei Guriev is a professor of Economics at Sciences Po in Paris. He was a former chief economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the former rector of the New Economic School in Moscow. He is the coauthor (along with Daniel Treisman) of Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century. Key Highlights Key Links Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century by Sergei Guriev and Daniel Treisman "Informational Autocrats" in the Journal of Economic Perspectives by Sergei Guriev and Daniel Treisman Follow Sergei Guriev on Twitter @sguriev Democracy Paradox Podcast Anne Applebaum on Autocracy, Inc Larry Bartels Says Democracy Erodes from the Top More Episodes from the Podcast More Information Democracy Group Apes of the State created all Music Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com Follow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast 100 Books on Democracy Support the show