Democracy Paradox

We have core ideas that form a part of our worldview, but those core ideas are not fixed in the way in which we talk about rationality and interest in that they can evolve. And we have to, when we think about human behavior, political behavior, we have to give serious attention to those ideas and go beyond just fixed material interests.Bilal BalochA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of When Ideas Matter: Democracy and Corruption in India  here.Bilal Baloch is the Co-Founder and COO of Enquire, formerly GlobalWonks. He is also a non-resident visiting scholar at the Center for the Advanced Study of India at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of When Ideas Matter: Democracy and Corruption in India.Key HighlightsWhat was the Jayaprakash Narayanan Movement?Why did the State of Emergency happen in India?How do ideas influence governance?The differences between technocratic and political leadershipIs it more important to foster a diversity of ideas or support the best ideas? Key LinksWhen Ideas Matter: Democracy and Corruption in India by Bilal BalochFollow Bilal Baloch on Twitter @bilalabalochLearn more about his company EnquireDemocracy Paradox PodcastChristophe Jaffrelot on Narendra Modi and Hindu NationalismKajri Jain Believes Democracy Unfolds through the AestheticMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

If I could say one thing to every citizen, it's to put country before party. Which is, you know, at this time it almost feels like a hollowed phrase, because we we've kind of heard it so often. But it's like actually true.Sara Wallace GoodmanA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Citizenship in Hard Times: How Ordinary People Respond to Democratic Threat  here.Sara Wallace Goodman is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Irvine and the author of Citizenship in Hard Times: How Ordinary People Respond to Democratic Threat.Key HighlightsHow much agency do citizens have in democracy?The important differences between citizenship and partisanship and their implicationsThe role of both rights and duties for citizenshipDifferences between citizenship in the United States, the United Kingdom, and GermanyWhat can citizens do to protect democracy?Key LinksCitizenship in Hard Times: How Ordinary People Respond to Democratic Threat by Sara Wallace GoodmanLearn about Sara Wallace Goodman from WikipediaFollow Sara Wallace Goodman on Twitter @ThatSaraGoodman Democracy Paradox PodcastStephan Haggard and Robert Kaufman on Democratic BackslidingJan-Werner Müller on Democracy RulesMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

This is money that flows between individuals and families and largely circumvents governments and that's a hugely important point, because the real take home of the book is that when these financial flows are controlled by citizens, it tips the balance of power in favor of citizens. When the international financial flow goes to governments, it tips the balance of power in terms of governments.Joseph WrightA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Migration and Democracy: How Remittances Undermine Dictatorships  here.Joe Wright is a professor of political science at Pennsylvania State University. Abel Escribà-Folch is an associate professor of political science at Universitat Pompeu Fabra. They cowrote the book Migration and Democracy: How Remittances Undermine Dictatorships along with Covadonga Meseguer.Key HighlightsHow Remittances Break Clientelistic RelationshipsThe Size and Importance of Remittances in Developing EconomiesWhy Financial Remittances Facilitate Protest MovementsCan Remittances Really Contribute to DemocratizationImplications for Immigration PoliciesKey LinksMigration and Democracy: How Remittances Undermine Dictatorships by Abel Escribà-Folch, Joseph Wright, and Covadonga MeseguerLearn more about Joseph WrightLearn more about Abel Escribà-FolchDemocracy Paradox PodcastMichael Miller on the Unexpected Paths to DemocratizationBryn Rosenfeld on Middle Class Support for Dictators in Autocratic RegimesMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com.Follow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

So, the question is how do you respond to that? If you are the party that sees itself as being on the side of democracy and on the side of maintaining democratic norms and procedures and maintaining this kind of democratic accountability, how do you respond? Do you respond in kind? Do you respond with hardball tactics of your own?Robert LiebermanA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Democratic Resilience: Can the United States Withstand Rising Polarization?  here.Robert C. Lieberman is the Krieger-Eisenhower Professor of Political Science at Johns Hopkins University. Kenneth M. Roberts is the Richard J. Schwartz Professor of Government and Binenkorb Director of Latin American Studies at Cornell University. David A. Bateman is an associate professor in the Government Department at Cornell University. Robert and Kenneth (along with Suzanne Mettler) coedited the book Democratic Resilience: Can the United States Withstand Rising Polarization?  David is a contributor to the volume. His chapter is "Elections, Polarization, and Democratic Resilience."Key HighlightsWhy did polarization become so severe in the United States?When did pernicious polarization start in America?Is polarization the fault of just one party or both?Discussion on possible judicial reforms as a solutionCan America overcome this episode of severe polarization?Key LinksDemocratic Resilience: Can the United States Withstand Rising Polarization? by Suzanne Mettler, Robert C. Lieberman, and Kenneth M. RobertsFollow Robert C. Lieberman on Twitter @r_liebermanFollow David Bateman on Twitter @DavidAlexBatemaDemocracy Paradox PodcastCan America Preserve Democracy without Retreating from it? Robert C. Lieberman on the Four ThreatsThomas Carothers and Andrew O’Donohue are Worried About Severe PolarizationMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

It's this sort of persistent loss of wages, which causes things like loss of marriage, people not living with their kids anymore, disintegration of communities with all of the things in those communities whether it's churches or union halls or society, just friendship that used to be there. And those are the things that cause people to lose meaning or, if you like, lose hope in their lives.Angus DeatonA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism  here.Angus Deaton is the Dwight D. Eisenhower Professor of Economics and International Affairs Emeritus at Princeton University, winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Economics, and the coauthor (with Anne Case) of Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism.Key HightlightsWhat are deaths of despair and what causes themHow did the Pandemic and the Great Recession affect deaths of despairWhy does a four year college degree affect life expectancy in the United StatesHow has health care policy in the United States contributed to deaths of despairAre deaths of despair an inevitable consequence of capitalismKey LinksDeaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism by Angus Deaton and Anne CaseNobel PrizeNational Bureau of Economic ResearchDemocracy Paradox PodcastSheryl WuDunn Paints a Picture of Poverty in America and Offers Hope for SolutionsJacob Hacker and Paul Pierson on the Plutocratic Populism of the Republican PartyMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Science is never offering the whole truth. It may be offering us something accurate. Scientific findings may be reliable for now, but they are always incomplete.Zeynep PamukA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Politics and Expertise: How to Use Science in a Democratic Society  here.Zeynep Pamuk is an assistant professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego and the author of the book Politics and Expertise: How to Use Science in a Democratic Society.Key HighlightsWhy is there a tension between science and democracyThe limits of science for public policyThe Proposal for a Science CourtWays to provide greater democratic involvement in scientific fundingHow have experts performed in the pandemicKey LinksPolitics and Expertise: How to Use Science in a Democratic Society by Zeynep PamukLearn more about Zeynep Pamuk at scholar.harvard.edu/zpamukRead Zeynep Pamuk's article "The Contours of Ignorance," in Boston ReviewRelated ContentSusan Rose-Ackerman on the Role of the Executive in Four Different DemocraciesChris Bickerton Defines TechnopopulismMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Charismatic leaders who are intent on governing solely using their charismatic authority and subverting other things to their personal power are inherently bad for democracy and inherently illiberal. They're anti-pluralist. They don't want to share their power with others even within their own movement or their own party. They don't tolerate dissent.Caitlin Andrews-LeeA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of The Emergence and Revival of Charismatic Movements: Argentine Peronism and Venezuelan Chavismo  here.Caitlin Andrews-Lee is an Assistant Professor in Ryerson University’s Department of Politics and Public Administration. She is the author of the book, The Emergence and Revival of Charismatic Movements: Argentine Peronism and Venezuelan Chavismo.Key HighlightsA profile on Juan Perón, the prototypical charismatic leaderWhy has Peronism survived its founder?Why do the anointed successors of charismatic leaders fail?How do new personalist leaders arise out of charismatic movements?Is Donald Trump a harbinger of future charismatic leaders or was he an historical aberration?Key LinksThe Emergence and Revival of Charismatic Movements: Argentine Peronism and Venezuelan Chavismo by Caitlin Andrews-LeeLearn more about Caitlin Andrews-Lee at www.caitlinandrewslee.comFollow Caitlin Andrews-Lee on Twitter @caitlineandrewsRelated ContentStephan Haggard and Robert Kaufman on Democratic BackslidingJames Loxton Explains Why Authoritarian Successor Parties Succeed in DemocraciesMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

The way we conceive of democracy is being challenged by these regimes and, by that I mean, because the process of backsliding is so incremental, it's difficult to see where these boundaries are.Stephan HaggardA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Backsliding: Democratic Regress in the Contemporary World  here.Stephan Haggard and Robert Kaufman are the authors of the new book, Backsliding: Democratic Regress in the Contemporary World. Stephan is the Lawrence and Sallye Krause Distinguished Professor at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at the University of California, San Diego. Robert Kaufman is a distinguished professor of political science at Rutgers University. Key HighlightsDescribes democratic backslidingHow polarization contributes to backslidingThe role of legislatures in backsliding episodesWhat it means when authoritarians "reform" judiciariesHow can citizens reverse democratic backsliding?Key LinksBacksliding: Democratic Regress in the Contemporary World by Stephan Haggard and Robert KaufmanLearn more about Stephan Haggard at www.stephanhaggard.comLearn more about Robert Kaufman at https://fas-polisci.rutgers.edu/kaufman/ Related ContentFreedom House: Sarah Repucci Assesses Freedom in the WorldThomas Carothers and Andrew O’Donohue are Worried About Severe PolarizationMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

‘What would you prefer? Would you prefer that this boy, Vasya, die because he couldn't get dialysis? Would you prefer that this girl, Katya, die from her shrapnel wounds that she suffered during the war that was obviously not her fault? Right? Like would it be better if I held my nose and refuse to engage in these compromises so these kids died? Would you be sort of happier, so you could write about how awful the bloody Putin regime is?’Joshua Yaffa explaining the perspective of Russian humanitarian Elizaveta GlinkaA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin's Russia here.Joshua Yaffa joins the podcast to discuss his new book Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin's Russia. He is a correspondent for The New Yorker based primarily in Moscow, Russia.Key HighlightsWho was Dr. Liza?The types of compromises must Russians make with the state to pursue their dreamsThe role of the Russian state in the arts through the story of theater director Kirill SerebrennikovLegal challenges for business owners in Russia through the experience of zookeeper Oleg ZubkovThe limited space for human rights activism in Chechnya through the experience of Heda SaratovaKey LinksBetween Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin's Russia by Joshua YaffaLearn more about Joshua Yaffa at www.joshuayaffa.com.Follow Joshua Yaffa on Twitter @yaffaesqueRelated ContentTimothy Frye Says Putin is a Weak StrongmanBryn Rosenfeld on Middle Class Support for Dictators in Autocratic RegimesMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

The last time, and luckily this hasn't really happened since 1990, there was minimal resistance from the Kuwaiti and the Saudi forces. So, this obviously is 30 years ago, but there is little reason to believe that in spite of the hundreds of billions of dollars that is spent on armaments, this state of affairs has changed. Let me just put it this way. Nobody in Tehran is losing any sleep over the prowess of any of the Gulf militaries.Zoltan BaranyA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Armies of Arabia: Military Politics and Effectiveness in the Gulf here.Zoltan Barany is the Frank C. Erwin, Jr. Centennial Professor of Government at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of Armies of Arabia: Military Politics and Effectiveness in the Gulf. Key HighlightsWhat should be expected of the militaries of the Gulf countries?Would the Gulf countries be threatened without the American security guarantee?What types of military investments do the Gulf countries make?What has the Yemeni War taught us about armies of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries?How does the leadership of MBS differ from MBZ?Key LinksArmies of Arabia: Military Politics and Effectiveness in the Gulf by Zoltan BaranyRobert Strauss Center For International Security and LawCenter for Strategic & International StudiesDemocracy Paradox PodcastDaniel Brinks on the Politics of Institutional WeaknessElizabeth Nugent on Polarization, Democratization and the Arab SpringMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show