Democracy Paradox

They wanted the full array of rights. Political rights, yes, they were active in the suffrage movement, but they also wanted economic rights and social rights. They wanted to lessen inequalities. They also wanted the rights of mothers and of children advanced.Dorothy Sue CobbleA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Dorothy Sue Cobble is the Distinguished Professor of History and Labor Studies Emerita at Rutgers University and the author of For the Many: American Feminists and the Global Fight for Democratic Equality.Key Highlights IncludeDorothy explains who the full rights feminists were and what they advocated forProfiles of full rights feminists like Frances PerkinsHow full rights feminism influenced the New DealA brief history of the conflicts between full rights feminists and equal rights feminists over the Equal Rights AmendmentA profile of early Japanese feminist Tanaka TakaKey LinksFor the Many: American Feminists and the Global Fight for Democratic Equality by Dorothy Sue CobbleVisit Dorothy at www.dorothysuecobble.comLearn about the Triangle Shirtwaist Workers StrikeRelated ContentDerek W. Black Says Public Education Represents the Idea of America... Not its RealityBarbara Freese on Corporate DenialMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Democracy is about more than elections. Election day is very important, but what is happening in the country every other day is an integral part to what a democracy is and if you think about the fundamental freedoms that we think of in our own democracy: free speech, freedom of religion, freedom of association and assembly, also things like the independence of the judiciary, these are all things that are on the civil liberties side.Sarah RepucciA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Sarah Repucci is the Vice President of Research and Analysis at Freedom House and coauthor (alongside  Amy Slipowitz) of the executive summary of the report Freedom in the World 2021: Democracy Under Siege.* Note * Sarah's mic died early in the interview. The audio quality is not bad, but will sound different. Hopefully it does not take away from the quality of the interview.Key Highlights IncludeWhy democracy continues its steady declineThe influence of China and the U.S. on global democracyThe role of civil liberties in democracyImpact of the pandemic on democracyDiscussion of democracy in India, Kyrgyzstan, Sudan, and the United StatesKey LinksRead the landmark report from Freedom House Freedom in the World 2021: Democracy Under SiegeVisit Freedom House online at www.freedomhouse.orgFollow Freedom House on Twitter @freedomhouseRelated ContentMichael Miller on the Unexpected Paths to DemocratizationThomas Carothers and Andrew O'Donohue are Worried About Severe PolarizationMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

So many cases of democratization start with these episodes and this period of elite political violence where the initial stages of it have nothing to do with democratization. People are not aiming for that. People are barely even thinking about it. It's all about this elite political struggle and out of that chaos a bit later you get democracy.Michael MillerA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Michael Miller is a professor of political science and international relations at George Washington University and the author of the forthcoming book Shock to the System: Coups, Elections, and War on the Road to Democratization. Key Highlights IncludeHow violent shocks like coups and civil wars create openings for democratizationWhy autocratic ruling parties continue to win elections in democraciesThe role for democratic activists in the democratization processDiscussions on possibilities for democracy in China, Belarus, and Myanmar.Mike offers a blueprint for an unconventional approach for democracy promotion Key LinksShock to the System: Coups, Elections, and War on the Road to Democratization by Michael K. MillerFollow Michael on Twitter @mkmdemLearn more about Michael's workRelated ContentJames Loxton Explains Why Authoritarian Successor Parties Succeed in DemocraciesElizabeth Nugent on Polarization, Democratization and the Arab SpringMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

The idea of a political system is not simply to be efficient. It's to have justice. It's to have the idea that anybody can come to the seat of power and say, 'Here are my grievances,' and that doesn't mean that by making that claim, they will get exactly what they want. But it does mean that they will get a hearing and in that notion, I think, lies again, a certain part of democracy that is not reduceable just to elections.Daniel CarpenterA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Dan Carpenter is the Allie S. Freed professor of Government at Harvard University and the author of Democracy by Petition: Popular Politics in Transformation, 1790-1870.Key Highlights IncludeA history of petitions in the 19th century including an account of the gag rule.The role of petitions in the mobilization of women, Native Americans, the Whig Party, and the antislavery movementHow did petitions contribute to democratization of America in the 19th centuryWhat would Congress look like if we still had 'petition days'What can we learn from the era of petition politicsKey LinksDemocracy by Petition: Popular Politics in Transformation, 1790-1870 by Daniel Carpenter"The Menthol Cigarette Ban Shows There Is No Democracy Without Petitions," by Daniel Carpenter, Boston Review"Robust Claims of Vast Lawlessness" from Lapham's Quarterly by Daniel CarpenterRelated ContentCan America Preserve Democracy without Retreating from it? Robert C. Lieberman on the Four ThreatsDerek W. Black Says Public Education Represents the Idea of America... Not its RealityMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicOut of Order from the German Marshall FundEmail the show at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

The experience of Western colonization has imprinted all of these nations in profound ways and it's tended to inculcate a sort of skepticism about Western invocations of democracy and the rule of law. China, of course, shares a similar skepticism. China was also not formerly colonized, or not fully colonized by Western powers, but it experienced what the Chinese communist party likes to term a century of humiliation.  And so, both regions share an abiding ambivalence about the current international order.Sebastian StrangioA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Sebastian Strangio is the Southeast Asia Editor at The Diplomat and the author of In the Dragon's Shadow: Southeast Asia in the Chinese Century.Key Highlights IncludeSebastian explains the economic, political, and cultural ties between China and Southeast AsiaAn overview of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)An explanation of the South China Sea disputeDistinguishes between maritime and mainland nations in Southeast AsiaChina's approach to Southeast Asia under Xi JinpingKey LinksIn the Dragon's Shadow: Southeast Asia in the Chinese Century by Sebastian Strangiowww.thediplomat.comwww.sebastianstrangio.comRelated ContentMareike Ohlberg on the Global Influence of the Chinese Communist PartyXiaoyu Pu on China's Global IdentitiesMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicOn Opinion: The Parlia PodcastEmail the show at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Racism and racial conflict are always there, always a powerful and important part of American politics. But when they combine with polarization, with this kind of partisan antagonism, and when that becomes the dividing line between the parties, that's really dangerous. That's what happened in the 1850s. It led to civil war. That's what happened in the 1890s. It led to violent conflict and mass disenfranchisement. And it's happening again today.Robert C. LiebermanA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Key Highlights IncludeAn account of the 1898 insurrection in Wilmington, North Carolina.Is polarization the fault of both sides or is one party responsible?How the election of 1896 affected American democracy.How polarization, conflicts over who belongs, rising economic inequality, and executive aggrandizement interact to threaten democracy in the United States.Does the preservation of democracy really require democratic backsliding?Robert Lieberman is a professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University and  coauthored Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy with Suzanne Mettler.Key LinksFour Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy by Robert C. Lieberman and Suzanne Mettler"Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation" by John Lewis in The New York TimesFollow Rob Lieberman on Twitter @r_liebermanRelated ContentDerek W. Black Says Public Education Represents the Idea of America... Not its RealityJacob Hacker and Paul Pierson on the Plutocratic Populism of the Republican PartyMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicThe Science of PoliticsEmail the show at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

In the 19th century Europe had thought that they had moved towards liberalism, enlightenment, rationality, progress, that stuff like mass warfare was over and it wouldn't come back. And then you have four years of senseless, mass slaughter, they just totally destroyed or challenged those ideas of humankind getting better off, progress of humankind getting more civilized. In retrospect, it's hard to imagine the coincidence of deep challenges and crises that wrecked the interwar years.Kurt WeylandA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Key Highlights IncludeKurt clarifies the concept of totalitarian fascism from conservative authoritarianismA description of the political environment of the interwar periodWhy did authoritarians disliked communism and fascism?Why did fascism emerge during this period?Is there a parallel between the interwar period to today?Kurt Weyland is a professor of political science at the University of Texas at Austin and the author of the new book Assault on Democracy: Communism, Fascism, and Authoritarianism During the Interwar Years. Key LinksAssault on Democracy: Communism, Fascism, and Authoritarianism During the Interwar Years by Kurt Weyland"The Real Lessons of the Interwar Years" by Agnes Cornell, Jørgen Møller, Svend-Erik Skaaning in Journal of Democracy, July 2017Problems of Democratic Transition and Consolidation by Juan J. Linz and Alfred StepanRelated ContentAgnes Cornell and Svend-Erik Skaaning on the Interwar PeriodPaul Robinson on Russian ConservatismMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicAnother Way PodcastEmail the show at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

They really view their history as one of victimization, one of struggle and even martyrdom. ARENA had multiple leaders assassinated. Again, that version of history that I just told you, that's not necessarily my view. But I do actually believe that that is their sincere belief and it makes for a really compelling founding myth if you will. And I think that founding myth has helped to hold both parties together right up until the present day.James LoxtonA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Key Highlights IncludeWhy do voters elect leaders with ties to former dictators?Description of authoritarian successor partiesChallenges for conservative party formationA brief history of the UDI in Chile and ARENA in El SalvadorThe role of counterrevolutionary struggleKey LinksConservative Party-Building in Latin America: Authoritarian Inheritance and Counterrevolutionary Struggle by James Loxton"Authoritarian Successor Parties" by James Loxton in Journal of Democracy, July 2015Visit James at www.jamesloxton.netRelated ContentBryn Rosenfeld on Middle Class Support for Dictators in Autocratic RegimesAmy Erica Smith on Politics and Religion in BrazilMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicDemocracy Matters PodcastEmail the show at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

I find it hard to believe, without a lot more justification than they're offering that somehow that there's this new secret sauce to opportunity and equality and democracy that does not involve public education as the fundamental pillar. So you have people arguing that it's not. They're not saying we want to destroy democracy, but I'm saying, you as reader, you as listeners, need to think about the long-term consequences of shrinking the public education footprint and moving back into a siloed or a fiefdom or a private system that resembles our darkest days.Derek W. BlackA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Key Highlights IncludeDerek explains the case for a right to education.A brief history of public education in the United StatesHow the NAACP used the language of democracy in their litigation for school desegregationWhy vouchers and charter schools threaten public educationFinally, the intersection of public education and democracy runs throughout the conversationKey LinksSchoolhouse Burning: Public Education and the Assault on American Democracy by Derek W. BlackSan Antonio Independent School District et. al. v. RodriguezFollow Derek W. Black @DerekWBlackRelated ContentJacob Hacker and Paul Pierson on the Plutocratic Populism of the Republican PartyCarolyn Hendriks, Selen Ercan and John Boswell on Mending DemocracyMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicSwamp StoriesEmail the show at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

That's why all Americans should care. Because the cost of poverty is not just the cost to that person who is in poverty. It's a cost to all of society. We're all paying for people being jailed. We're all paying for extra costs in the legal system, in the police force, in the healthcare system.Sheryl WuDunnA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Key Highlights IncludeStories of Poverty and Inequality in AmericaChallenges in America in Education, Health, and Well-BeingImpact of Poverty on Children with an Explanation of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)Collective Responsibility to Solve Social ProblemsRethinking of Social Programs as Investments Rather than OutlaysSheryl WuDunn is a pulitzer prize winning reporter, business executive, and the author of Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope (along with her husband Nicholas Kristof). Key LinksTightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope by Sheryl WuDunn and Nicholas KristofTightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope - PBS Documentary Presented by Show of ForceFollow Sheryl on Twitter @WuDunnRelated ContentJacob Hacker and Paul Pierson on the Plutocratic Populism of the Republican PartyZizi Papacharissi Dreams of What Comes After DemocracyMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at democracyparadoxblog@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show