

Democracy Paradox
Justin Kempf
Is it possible for a democracy to govern undemocratically? Can the people elect an undemocratic leader? Is it possible for democracy to bring about authoritarianism? And if so, what does this say about democracy? My name is Justin Kempf. Every week I talk to the brightest minds on subjects like international relations, political theory, and history to explore democracy from every conceivable angle. Topics like civil resistance, authoritarian successor parties, and the autocratic middle class challenge our ideas about democracy. Join me as we unravel new topics every week.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 15, 2022 • 37min
Moisés Naím on the New Dynamics of Political Power
But what we have now is something that has not been sufficiently discussed, sufficiently understood, which is a criminalized state of which Russia is an example, in the Balkans we have some examples, in Latin America Venezuela stands out as an example. And that is essentially that the state becomes an organized criminal organization. An organization that essentially uses the structure, strategies, tactics, modalities of organized crime.Moisés NaímA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of The Revenge of Power: How Autocrats Are Reinventing Politics for the 21st Century here.Moisés Naím is a scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and an internationally syndicated columnist. He served as editor in chief of Foreign Policy, as Venezuela's trade minister, and as executive director of the World Bank. He is the author of The End of Power: From Boardrooms to Battlefields and Churches to States, Why Being In Charge Isn't What It Used to Be and most recently, The Revenge of Power: How Autocrats Are Reinventing Politics for the 21st Century.Support Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. Key HighlightsHow 3P Autocrats Use Polarization, Populism, and Post-Truth to Consolidate PowerWhy Do People Elect AutocratsNaím's Personal Evolution in his Ideas on PowerThe Rise of the Criminal StateNaím discusses Putin, Russia, and the War in UkraineKey LinksThe Revenge of Power: How Autocrats Are Reinventing Politics for the 21st Century by Moisés NaímLearn more about Moisés NaímFollow Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili on Twitter @MoisesNaimDemocracy Paradox PodcastSarah Repucci from Freedom House with an Update on Freedom in the WorldCaitlin Andrews-Lee on Charismatic Movements and Personalistic LeadersMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

13 snips
Mar 8, 2022 • 48min
Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili and Ilia Murtazashvili on Afghanistan, Local Institutions, and Self-Governance
It wasn't because Afghan social norms don’t support democracy. They do. And Afghans understood darn well what they were supposed to have. But they never even got the minimum of what they were promised in the constitution.Jennifer Brick MurtazashviliA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Land, the State, and War: Property Institutions and Political Order in Afghanistan here.Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili and Ilia Murtazashvili are associate professors at the University of Pittsburgh and the authors of the recent book Land, the State, and War: Property Institutions and Political Order in Afghanistan. Jen is also the founding director and Ilia is an associate director of the Center for Governance and Markets.Support Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. Key HighlightsDescription of the role of shuras, maliks, and mullahs in local governanceHow property rights help explain local governanceWhy has the state always been ineffective in AfghanistanA little history on AfghanistanAre local, self-governing institutions in Afghanistan democratic?Key LinksLand, the State, and War: Property Institutions and Political Order in Afghanistan by Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili and Ilia MurtazashviliLearn more about the Center for Governance and MarketsFollow Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili on Twitter @jmurtazashviliFollow Ilia Murtazashvili on Twitter @IMurtazashviliDemocracy Paradox PodcastDavid Stasavage on Early Democracy and its DeclineDonald F. Kettl on FederalismMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Mar 1, 2022 • 40min
Sarah Repucci from Freedom House with an Update on Freedom in the World
You can't protect basic human rights if you don't have democracy. If you're going to protect basic human rights, you need to have things like credible institutions that hold abusers to account. You need to have opportunities for the least advantaged in a society. The people whose rights are most at risk to be able to choose their leaders and choose leaders who will represent them and serve their interests. You need leaders that serve for the common good, not for their own personal gain.Sarah RepucciA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Freedom in the World 2022: The Global Expansion of Authoritarian Rule here.Sarah Repucci is the Vice President of Research and Analysis at Freedom House. She coauthored (along with Amy Slipowitz) Freedom in the World 2022: The Global Expansion of Authoritarian Rule.Key HighlightsGlobal freedom has declined for 16 consecutive yearsHow Russia's invasion of Ukraine is part of a broader expansion of authoritarianismMyanmar and other countries with major declines in freedomBright spots like Ecuador and PeruHow we can support democracy in the worldSupport Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. Key LinksFreedom in the World 2022: The Global Expansion of Authoritarian Rule by Sarah Repucci and Amy SlipowitzLearn more about Freedom HouseFollow Freedom House on Twitter @freedomhouseDemocracy Paradox PodcastFreedom House: Sarah Repucci Assesses Freedom in the WorldStephan Haggard and Robert Kaufman on Democratic BackslidingMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Feb 22, 2022 • 45min
Elisabeth Ivarsflaten and Paul Sniderman on the Inclusion and Respect of Muslim Minorities
If you're actually a real person and you're living your life and you're going into stores and you're riding on a bus or your kids are going to school, what matters is that you be treated with respect. That you have a dignity. And that, I think, at every point that matters most to us is what the book has wound up being about. It’s an essay on respect as a condition of a liberal democracy.Paul SnidermanA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of The Struggle for Inclusion: Muslim Minorities and the Democratic Ethos here.Elisabeth Ivarsflaten is a professor of political science and scientific director of the Digital Social Science Core Facility at the University of Bergen, Norway. Paul Sniderman is the Fairleigh S. Dickinson Jr., Professor of Public Policy at Stanford University. They are the authors of The Struggle for Inclusion: Muslim Minorities and the Democratic Ethos.Key HighlightsWestern societies show greater openness towards Muslim immigrants than previously recognizedWhere are there opportunities for real inclusion for Muslim immigrantsHow innovative research designs led to unexpected resultsThe difference between recognition respect and appraisal respectThe limits to inclusion for liberal societies that remain todaySupport Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. Key LinksThe Struggle for Inclusion: Muslim Minorities and the Democratic Ethos by Elisabeth Ivarsflaten and Paul SnidermanLearn more about the Digital Social Science Core Facility including The Norwegian Citizen PanelLearn more about Paul SnidermanDemocracy Paradox PodcastSara Wallace Goodman on Citizen Responses to Democratic ThreatsMike Hoffman on How Religious Identities Influence Support for or Opposition to DemocracyMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Feb 15, 2022 • 53min
Debasish Roy Chowdhury and John Keane on the Decline of Indian Democracy
You treat votes as equal. My vote is equal to your vote. But the state treats our bodies as unequal. That logically makes no sense and it is farcical to call it a democracy in the first place. Forget what implications this will have for democracy in the long-term, but to be called a democracy and to have your bodies treated differently is a farce in itself.Debasish Roy ChowdhuryA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of To Kill a Democracy: India's Passage to Despotism here.Deb Chowdhry is a journalist who has published in Time, South China Morning Post, and Washington Times. John Keane is a Professor of Politics at the University of Sydney. They are the authors of the recent book To Kill a Democracy: India's Passage to Despotism.Key HighlightsWho is Mamata Banerjee?How does political violence undermine democracy?How does the failure to tackle social problems affect democracy?Why is Indian democracy in decline?What does India's experience teach other democracies?Support Democracy Paradox on Patreon for early access to new episodes and exclusive updates and information. Key LinksTo Kill A Democracy: India's Passage to Despotism by Debasish Roy Chowdhury and John KeaneLearn more about Debasish Roy ChowdhuryLearn more about John KeaneDemocracy Paradox PodcastBilal Baloch on Indira Gandhi, India’s Emergency, and the Importance of Ideas in PoliticsChristophe Jaffrelot on Narendra Modi and Hindu NationalismMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Feb 8, 2022 • 49min
Lisa Disch on Representation, Constituencies, and Political Leadership
The tension in what we want from democratic representation is that we want control over our representatives and we want creativity from them. If we control them, they are delegates. They're not representatives. They do what we want. They act in our place instead of us. They act as we would in our place. If they give us creativity, they will bring things out of us and do things for us that we may not have imagined.Lisa DischA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Making Constituencies: Representation as Mobilization in Mass Democracy here.Lisa Disch is a professor of political science at the University of Michigan and an elected member of the Ann Arbor City Council. She is the author of the book Making Constituencies: Representation as Mobilization in Mass Democracy.Key HighlightsShould elected officials serve as delegates or opinion shapers?What is the line between leadership and manipulation?What is the constituency paradox?Does representation facilitate citizen mobilization?Can realists be idealists?Support Democracy Paradox on Patreon for early access to new episodes and exclusive updates and information. Key LinksMaking Constituencies: Representation as Mobilization in Mass Democracy by Lisa Jane DischLearn about Lisa Disch at the University of MichiganLisa Disch for City CouncilDemocracy Paradox PodcastSara Wallace Goodman on Citizen Responses to Democratic ThreatsCaitlin Andrews-Lee on Charismatic Movements and Personalistic LeadersMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Feb 1, 2022 • 48min
Joseph Fishkin on the Constitution, American History, and Economic Inequality
For many Americans, for the first many generations really up through the mid 20th century, the constitutional order seemed to rest on and depend on an economic order in which people had enough economic clout to be independent citizens and voters. Not serfs dependent on some kind of master.Joseph FishkinA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of The Anti-Oligarchy Constitution: Reconstructing the Economic Foundations of American Democracy here.Joseph Fishkin is a Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law. He is the coauthor (along with William E. Forbath) of The Anti-Oligarchy Constitution: Reconstructing the Economic Foundations of American Democracy.Key HighlightsHow did Montana reform its laws to limit the influence of Amalgamated Copper?When do questions of inequality become constitutional questions?How did the courts undermine labor laws in the early 20th century?What are the affirmative obligations and duties in the constitution?What is the proper role of the courts in American politics?Support Democracy Paradox on Patreon for early access to new episodes and exclusive updates and information. Key LinksThe Anti-Oligarchy Constitution: Reconstructing the Economic Foundations of American Democracy by Joseph Fishkin and William E. ForbathFollow Joseph Fishkin on Twitter @joeyfishkinLearn more about Joseph Fishkin at UCLA LawDemocracy Paradox PodcastDonald Horowitz on the Formation of Democratic ConstitutionsJacob Hacker and Paul Pierson on the Plutocratic Populism of the Republican PartyMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

Jan 25, 2022 • 45min
Bilal Baloch on Indira Gandhi, India's Emergency, and the Importance of Ideas in Politics
We have core ideas that form a part of our worldview, but those core ideas are not fixed in the way in which we talk about rationality and interest in that they can evolve. And we have to, when we think about human behavior, political behavior, we have to give serious attention to those ideas and go beyond just fixed material interests.Bilal BalochA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of When Ideas Matter: Democracy and Corruption in India here.Bilal Baloch is the Co-Founder and COO of Enquire, formerly GlobalWonks. He is also a non-resident visiting scholar at the Center for the Advanced Study of India at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of When Ideas Matter: Democracy and Corruption in India.Key HighlightsWhat was the Jayaprakash Narayanan Movement?Why did the State of Emergency happen in India?How do ideas influence governance?The differences between technocratic and political leadershipIs it more important to foster a diversity of ideas or support the best ideas? Key LinksWhen Ideas Matter: Democracy and Corruption in India by Bilal BalochFollow Bilal Baloch on Twitter @bilalabalochLearn more about his company EnquireDemocracy Paradox PodcastChristophe Jaffrelot on Narendra Modi and Hindu NationalismKajri Jain Believes Democracy Unfolds through the AestheticMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

9 snips
Jan 18, 2022 • 42min
Sara Wallace Goodman on Citizen Responses to Democratic Threats
If I could say one thing to every citizen, it's to put country before party. Which is, you know, at this time it almost feels like a hollowed phrase, because we we've kind of heard it so often. But it's like actually true.Sara Wallace GoodmanA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Citizenship in Hard Times: How Ordinary People Respond to Democratic Threat here.Sara Wallace Goodman is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Irvine and the author of Citizenship in Hard Times: How Ordinary People Respond to Democratic Threat.Key HighlightsHow much agency do citizens have in democracy?The important differences between citizenship and partisanship and their implicationsThe role of both rights and duties for citizenshipDifferences between citizenship in the United States, the United Kingdom, and GermanyWhat can citizens do to protect democracy?Key LinksCitizenship in Hard Times: How Ordinary People Respond to Democratic Threat by Sara Wallace GoodmanLearn about Sara Wallace Goodman from WikipediaFollow Sara Wallace Goodman on Twitter @ThatSaraGoodman Democracy Paradox PodcastStephan Haggard and Robert Kaufman on Democratic BackslidingJan-Werner Müller on Democracy RulesMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

8 snips
Jan 11, 2022 • 46min
Joseph Wright and Abel Escribà-Folch on Migration's Potential to Topple Dictatorships
This is money that flows between individuals and families and largely circumvents governments and that's a hugely important point, because the real take home of the book is that when these financial flows are controlled by citizens, it tips the balance of power in favor of citizens. When the international financial flow goes to governments, it tips the balance of power in terms of governments.Joseph WrightA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Migration and Democracy: How Remittances Undermine Dictatorships here.Joe Wright is a professor of political science at Pennsylvania State University. Abel Escribà-Folch is an associate professor of political science at Universitat Pompeu Fabra. They cowrote the book Migration and Democracy: How Remittances Undermine Dictatorships along with Covadonga Meseguer.Key HighlightsHow Remittances Break Clientelistic RelationshipsThe Size and Importance of Remittances in Developing EconomiesWhy Financial Remittances Facilitate Protest MovementsCan Remittances Really Contribute to DemocratizationImplications for Immigration PoliciesKey LinksMigration and Democracy: How Remittances Undermine Dictatorships by Abel Escribà-Folch, Joseph Wright, and Covadonga MeseguerLearn more about Joseph WrightLearn more about Abel Escribà-FolchDemocracy Paradox PodcastMichael Miller on the Unexpected Paths to DemocratizationBryn Rosenfeld on Middle Class Support for Dictators in Autocratic RegimesMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com.Follow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show