Democracy Dialogues

New Books Network

What do we know about democracy today? What does the research say? This podcast brings cutting-edge academic research on democracy to you, citizens who will shape democracy’s future. The podcast is from Cornell University’s Brooks School of Public Policy Center on Global Democracy. Each episode, we’ll host academics and democratic practitioners to dig into new research and contemporary challenges of democracy, and analyze the potential and opportunities for democracy to deepen, evolve, and contribute to citizens’ thriving. Democracy Dialogues is hosted by: Rachel Beatty Riedl, Brooks School of Public Policy and Department of Government, Cornell University Maya Tudor, Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University Esam Boarey, Department of Government, Cornell University Watch on YouTube, NBN, or wherever you get your podcasts.

集數

  1. 2025/12/07

    The Backsliders: Why Leaders Undermine Their Own Democracies

    This week on Democracy Dialogues, co-hosts Rachel Beatty Riedl and Esam Boraey speak with Susan C. Stokes, Tiffany and Margaret Blake Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago and Director of the Chicago Center on Democracy. Drawing from her book The Backsliders: Why Leaders Undermine Their Own Democracies (Princeton University Press, 2022), Stokes examines why elected leaders sometimes choose to erode the democratic institutions that brought them to power. She explores the structural, economic, and political incentives that drive these choices—and how citizens, parties, and institutions can push back. The conversation ranges across global cases—from Latin America and Eastern Europe to the United States—revealing the common “playbook” used by backsliding leaders and the conditions that make resistance possible. The episode also considers the difficult choices facing pro-democracy actors: Should they always follow the highest democratic standards, or sometimes play hardball to defend democracy itself? This is a crucial conversation for understanding why backsliding happens, how it can be resisted, and what practical lessons democratic leaders and citizens can draw as new elections approach in the U.S. and around the world. Books, Links, & Articles Susan C. Stokes, The Backsliders: Why Leaders Undermine Their Own Democracies (Princeton University Press, 2022) Chicago Center on Democracy – here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    53 分鐘
  2. 2025/11/07

    What Democracy Does… and Does Not Do

    This week on Democratic Dialogues, host Rachel Beatty Riedl welcomes Maya Tudor, Professor of Government and Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford. In her recent article, “What Democracy Does and Does Not Do,” published in the Journal of Democracy, Tudor examines one of the most urgent questions of our time: Does democracy deliver? As authoritarian models gain visibility and confidence around the world, citizens and policymakers alike are questioning whether democratic systems can still provide stability, growth, and fairness. Tudor’s research draws on cross-national data and historical evidence to show what democracies have achieved — and where their performance has fallen short. In this episode, she discusses how democracy shapes economic outcomes, social inclusion, and governance quality, and what these patterns mean for democratic legitimacy today. The conversation also looks ahead: how well equipped are democracies to handle future global challenges like climate change, inequality, and technological disruption? And what can leaders and citizens do to ensure that democracy not only survives but thrives in meeting the expectations of its people? This is an essential episode for anyone grappling with the question of whether democracy still delivers — and what it must do next. Books, Links, & Articles Maya Tudor, “What Democracy Does and Does Not Do,” Journal of Democracy, Vol. 35, No. 2 (2024) Maya Tudor, The Promise of Power: The Origins of Democracy in India and Autocracy in Pakistan (Cambridge University Press, 2013) Harris Mylonas and Maya Tudor, Varieties of Nationalism (Cambridge University Press Elements 2023). Listen on YouTube, NBN, or wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    30 分鐘
  3. 2025/10/28

    Democratic Dialogues: Pathways of Democratic Backsliding, Resistance, and (Partial) Recoveries

    A podcast from Cornell University’s Brooks School of Public Policy Center on Global Democracy About the Podcast Each week, co-hosts Rachel Beatty Riedl and Esam Boraey bring together leading scholars, policymakers, and practitioners to explore the challenges and possibilities facing democracy around the world. Produced by Cornell’s Center on Global Democracy, Democratic Dialogues bridges academic research with real-world debates — from democratic backsliding and authoritarian resurgence to civic resistance, renewal, and reform. We look at new books, groundbreaking articles, and the ideas reshaping how we understand and practice democracy today. Listen on YouTube, NBN, or wherever you get your podcasts. Episode 1 Pathways of Democratic Backsliding, Resistance, and (Partial) Recoveries This week, we feature an episode with Kenneth Roberts, Jennifer McCoy, and Murat Somer, joining co-hosts Rachel Riedl and Esam Boraey to discuss their collaborative article, “Pathways of Democratic Backsliding, Resistance, and (Partial) Recoveries,” recently published in The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. Together, they unpack how democracies don’t collapse overnight, but instead erode through different pathways — from executive aggrandizement to elite collusion — and how societies can resist or even partially recover. The conversation examines how these dynamics unfold in contexts as varied as Latin America, Turkey, Hungary, and the United States, and what practical lessons citizens and policymakers can draw today. This is an essential conversation for understanding how democracies falter, and how collective action, civic mobilization, and institutional renewal can push them back from the brink. Books, Links, & Articles “Pathways of Democratic Backsliding, Resistance, and (Partial) Recoveries,” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (2025) Jennifer McCoy & Murat Somer, Pernicious Polarization and Its Global Impact Kenneth Roberts, Populism, Political Mobilization, and the Latin American Left Rachel Beatty Riedl, Authoritarian Origins of Democratic Institutions in Africa Upcoming Episodes Our next episode features Susan C. Stokes (University of Chicago) discussing her book The Backsliders: Why Leaders Undermine Their Own Democracies. Stay tuned for an in-depth conversation on why democratic leaders sometimes turn against the institutions that empower them — and what can be done to safeguard democracy in an era of uncertainty. Subscribe and follow us on YouTube and social media for new releases every month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    42 分鐘

簡介

What do we know about democracy today? What does the research say? This podcast brings cutting-edge academic research on democracy to you, citizens who will shape democracy’s future. The podcast is from Cornell University’s Brooks School of Public Policy Center on Global Democracy. Each episode, we’ll host academics and democratic practitioners to dig into new research and contemporary challenges of democracy, and analyze the potential and opportunities for democracy to deepen, evolve, and contribute to citizens’ thriving. Democracy Dialogues is hosted by: Rachel Beatty Riedl, Brooks School of Public Policy and Department of Government, Cornell University Maya Tudor, Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University Esam Boarey, Department of Government, Cornell University Watch on YouTube, NBN, or wherever you get your podcasts.