Widespread disinformation, the outsized influence of wealth, anti-immigrant biases stoked by those vying for power, and the allure of so-called “strong” leaders have coalesced in an era of U.S. politics where the core of our democracy feels under threat. Does history agree that democracy is at risk now more than ever? And if so, how can we move forward with hope in our institutions and a belief that the democratic ideals upon which our nation was founded are worth saving?
In the fifth and final episode of our podcast miniseries, Democracy and Its Discontents, host Lindsay Shingler is joined by the two leaders of IGCC’s Future of Democracy initiative, Emilie Hafner-Burton and Christina Schneider, who reflect on the state of American democracy and why it is worth protecting and strengthening. Emilie Hafner-Burton is a professor at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy and author of Making Human Rights a Reality. Christina Schneider is a professor of political science at UC San Diego, an expert in research on the domestic politics of international cooperation, and the author of two books, including The Responsive Union: National Elections and European Governance.
Why are voters in democracies around the world being wooed by aspiring autocrats? What do these types of leaders promise, and do they actually deliver?
In the fourth episode of our podcast miniseries, Democracy and Its Discontents, host Lindsay Shingler is joined by Stephan Haggard to analyze the track record of “strong states” that have elected populist leaders. Stephan is a research professor at UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy and serves as research director for democracy and global governance at IGCC.
Anti-immigrant rhetoric has proved to be an effective tool for some political voices to translate cultural and economic anxieties into votes in their bid for power. As a result, partisan division is at an all-time high, and political leaders continue to stoke the flames of prejudice.
In the third episode of our podcast miniseries Democracy and Its Discontents, host Lindsay Shingler is joined by Zoltan Hajnal, who explains how and why the discourse around immigration is so effective at overshadowing all other dividing lines in American politics and creating confusion and division throughout the country. Zoltan, a professor of political science at UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy, is author of White Backlash: Immigration, Race, and American Politics, and co-author of a new book: Race and Inequality in American Politics: An Imperfect Union.
Democracy is supposed to be by and for the people, but limitless, unregulated money flowing into politics weakens the voice of the majority and gives outsized influence to elites who can distort the democratic process in their favor. What is the point of the rule of law, when it’s essentially for sale?
In the second episode of our democracy miniseries, host Lindsay Shingler is joined by UCLA professor Marty Gilens, author of Democracy in America? What Has Gone Wrong and What We Can Do About It. Together, they look at the role of money in U.S. elections—and in American politics as a whole—and explore the corrosive impact it has on representation.
Democracy is built on trust—and accountability. Citizens need information to hold those in power to account. But disinformation is eroding our trust in institutions, in experts, and even in our fellow citizens.
In the first episode of Talking Policy’s new miniseries, Democracy and Its Discontents, host Lindsay Shingler talks with Simone Chambers, a professor of political science at UC Irvine, about what disinformation is, and how it’s impacting voter trust—both in elections and in the institution of democracy itself. Chambers is the author of Wrecking the Public Sphere: The New Authoritarians’ Digital Attack on Pluralism and Truth (with Jeff Kopstein) and the new book Contemporary Democratic Theory.