When Should the Majority Rule – and is it time to resign democracy?

Sep 16, 2025

Steven Levitsky, a Harvard Government Professor and co-author of How Democracies Die, joins fellow author Daniel Ziblatt to explore the delicate balance of majority rule and its impact on democracy. They discuss when to empower the majority and when to constrain them, emphasizing how flawed electoral systems can undermine legitimacy. The conversation highlights the consequences of countermajoritarianism in the U.S. and advocates for a pragmatic approach to political reform, drawing comparisons with other democratic systems to enhance American democracy.

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INSIGHT

U.S. As An Outlier In Countermajoritarianism

The United States is an outlier with excessive counter-majoritarian institutions that distort political competition.
This institutional excess helps explain contemporary democratic dysfunctions like minority empowerment.

INSIGHT

Rural Overrepresentation Distorts Self-Correction

Overrepresentation of rural, conservative areas gives one party lasting structural advantages.
That skew prevents normal electoral self-correction and allows persistent radicalization.

INSIGHT

Which Countermajoritarian Rules Matter

Some countermajoritarian institutions are essential, like civil liberties and rules that make constitutional change hard.
Other countermajoritarian tools that block majority rule in elections or legislation are antidemocratic.

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When do limits on majorities enhance democratic rule, and when do they undermine it? Join Nic Cheeseman as he talks to Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, well-known as authors of the best-selling book How Democracies Die, about their new framework for understanding when the best way to protect democracy is to constrain the wishes of the majority, and when we need to empower them. Lumping all majoritarian measures into the same category, they argue, can lead us to preserve and prescribe outdated and undemocratic institutions that distort political competition and may undermine democratic legitimacy. So does saving democracy actually depend on the recognition that while special protections for powerful minorities may have helped to secure the historical passage to democracy, today the healthiest democracies empower majorities?

This episode is based on Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt’s article “When Should the Majority Rule?” that was published in the January 2025 issue of the Journal of Democracy, and is part of an ongoing partnership between the Journal of Democracy and the People, Power, Politics podcast. A transcript is available for download here.

Steven Levitsky is Professor of Government at Harvard University and the co-author of How Democracies Die (2018), which won the Lionel Gelber Prize and the Arthur Ross Book Award. A leading scholar of authoritarianism and democratic backsliding, his earlier works include Competitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid Regimes After the Cold War (2010). Levitsky directs Harvard’s David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies and served as Vice Provost for International Affairs. He has received a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Karl Deutsch Award for his contributions to comparative politics. His research spans Latin American politics, party systems, and informal institutions, influencing both academic debate and public discourse on democracy’s challenges.

Daniel Ziblatt is Eaton Professor of the Science of Government at Harvard University and co-author of How Democracies Die (2018), which won the Lionel Gelber Prize and the Arthur Ross Book Award. His book Conservative Advantage (2017) received the Luebbert Prize for the Best Book on Comparative Politics. Ziblatt’s research explores democratic durability and party systems, especially in Europe. He serves as Co-Director of Harvard’s Center for European Studies and holds a Guggenheim Fellowship. His work has significantly influenced understandings of conservative parties’ roles in sustaining democracy and the threats posed by their erosion.

Nic Cheeseman is the Professor of Democracy and International Development at the University of Birmingham and Founding Director of CEDAR.

The People, Power, Politics podcast brings you the latest insights into the factors that are shaping and re-shaping our political world. It is brought to you by the Centre for Elections, Democracy, Accountability and Representation (CEDAR) based at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. Join us to better understand the factors that promote and undermine democratic government around the world and follow us on Twitter at @CEDAR_Bham!

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