KEEN ON Episode 1581: When a Czechoslovakian David Twice Beat the Soviet Goliath

EPISODE 1581: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Ethan Scheiner, author of FREEDOM TO WIN, about the the courageous Czechoslovakian hockey team that successfully fought the Soviets for the soul of its people

Ethan Scheiner is a faculty member in the Department of Political Science at the University of California, Davis. His research and teaching focus on the intersection of politics and sports. Scheiner is the author of Freedom to Win: A Cold War Story of the Courageous Hockey Team That Fought the Soviets for the Soul of Its People—and Olympic Gold (July 4, 2023 release): A classic David & Goliath tale, complete with colorful heroes, cold-hearted villains, and nail-biting games—with the hockey rink serving as an arena for a nation’s resistance. Scheiner’s research and teaching also focus on important issues surrounding democratic representation. Scheiner’s first book, Democracy Without Competition in Japan: Opposition Failure in a One-Party Dominant State (2006 at Cambridge University Press) offers an explanation for opposition party failure in Japan, a democracy dominated by one party since 1955. Scheiner’s second book, Electoral Systems and Political Context: How the Effects of Rules Vary across New and Established Democracies (co-authored with Robert Moser, 2012 at Cambridge University Press), examines elections around the world to understand when electoral rules will – and will not – have the effects typically expected of them. In addition, Scheiner was the co-editor, along with Robert Pekkanen, Steven Reed, and Daniel Smith, of the Japan Decides book series editions that offered analyses of the 2012, 2014, and 2017 lower house elections in Japan. He has also published articles on political parties, elections, and electoral systems across a range of political science and Asian studies journals.

Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

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