The Democracy Group

A recording from our Twitter Space Event with Renew Democracy InitiativeHostsJustin Kempf, Host of Democracy ParadoxGuestsEvan Mawarire, founder of #TheFlag movementIf you would like to listen and ask questions live, follow us @GroupDemocracy or subscribe to our newsletter are democracygroup.org/newsletter to be the first to know about upcoming events.

Join us as podcast host Corey Nathan of Talkin’ Politics and Religion without Killin’ Each Other flips the switch by interviewing The Village Square's Liz Joyner and Vanessa Rowse about how we make pigs fly.  We were fast friends with Corey right from the start because of our shared goal to have constructive and respectful conversations about those taboo topics of politics and religion.Corey started TP&R to take back some of the airspace from the screamers who feed off our divisions. He says politics and religion are too important to be left only to the extremes, so he hosts engaging, provocative and fun conversations about the most pressing issues of our times.  We (obviously) love his mission, we love the show, and we love hanging out with Corey, so we were thrilled when he invited us on the show.  Now we're sharing that talk with you because we think you'll love Corey and his podcast too.From Corey, about this episode:  "We get into all kinds of important, timely topics including:how we're all living in this "high energy environment";the "us vs. them dynamic" and what the solution is;the value of actually getting together in person;how the Village Square is able to get people of diverse views in the same venue together;how the first casualty in this environment is nuance;and being played by the "conflict entrepreneurs.""Additional InformationThe Village SquareCast PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

This week, host Farai Chideya interviews longtime TV and film producer and now co-director of the Sundance award-winning documentary Aftershock, Tonya Lewis Lee and one of the film’s featured subjects, reproductive justice advocate Shawnee Benton-Gibson. Benton-Gibson’s daughter died in October 2019 after giving birth – one more fatality in a long epidemic of Black maternal mortality. Farai also speaks to Lewis Lee one-on-one about how her work in media and experience as a children’s author led to her work as a maternal health advocate. Then, in our weekly segment Sippin’ the Political Tea, Farai interviews legal analyst and NYU Law professor Melissa Murray and University of Pennsylvania Ph.D History candidate Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon about the impact and implications of the highly politicized conviction of WNBA star Brittney Griner in Russia.Additional InformationOur Body Politic PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

From pandemics, populism and climate change, AI and ISIS, inflation and growing tensions with China and Russia, we are faced with enormous challenges— some of which threaten our existence.In this episode we discuss how we are all influenced by our personal perspectives and prejudices— our frames— and how we can use mental models to see patterns, solve problems and go beyond a narrow lens of red vs. blue or "us" vs. "them."Our guests are Kenneth Cukier, deputy executive editor of "The Economist" and Francis de Véricourt, professor of management science at the European School of Management and Technology in Berlin. Both are co-authors of "Framers. Human Advantage in an Age of Technology and Turmoil." This innovative book shows how framing is not just a way to improve decision-making in an age of algorithms and machine learning, but also a matter for survival at a time of upheaval.Real-world examples of how framers changed the world include: The rapid rise of #MeToo, which went viral on Twitter after the actress Alyssa Milano tweeted a request to her followers: “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet.” Successful, innovative responses to Covid-19 were made by the governments of New Zealand and Taiwan. Recently, the Federal Reserve was forced to change its inflation frame before beginning a series of interest rate hikes.In our interview we learn why the advice to "think outside the box" is useless, and how to understand the role of mental models in our own daily lives.Additional InformationHow Do We Fix It? PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

Amanda Renteria the CEO of Code for America, an organization of people-centered problem solvers working to improve government in a meaningful way. We discuss making government work better for everyday people by design.The first season of When the People Decide has officially ended, but we have a few bonus episodes for you that we’ll be sharing over the next few weeks. This first is a conversation with Kelly Hall, Executive Director of The Fairness Project.We mentioned The Fairness Project briefly in episode 7. It is one of the organizations working to fight back against the war on the initiative. The Fairness Project also works with ballot initiative organizers across the country — Jenna Spinelle talked with Kelly about some of the issues they’re working on right now and some of the issues that could be heading to state and municipal ballots in the coming years.As we alluded to in episode 8, there are some hot button issues in the ballot measure arena right now and Kelly is at the forefront of it all. She comes to the role of Executive Director with a fierce passion for progress and over 15 years of experience making change in government, with the labor movement, and through winning ballot measure campaigns.  Kelly was the architect of The Fairness Project’s work expanding Medicaid in six states (soon to be seven!) and her passion for health policy has meant expansion of healthcare to over 830,000 people. Kelly worked on Capitol Hill during the drafting and passage of the Affordable Care Act, and then served in President Obama’s administration helping to implement the law.Additional InformationWhen the People Decide PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

Amanda Renteria the CEO of Code for America, an organization of people-centered problem solvers working to improve government in a meaningful way. We discuss making government work better for everyday people by design.Good governance starts with getting the basics right, such as delivering clean water to all communities. Making government simple and accessible is also key. Currently it’s so complicated that many people have lost trust in the government's ability to respond to crises. Modernizing systems so that the government reaches folks where they are is an incredibly powerful tool to reimagining trust and rebuilding a government for, and by, us all.Follow Amanda on Twitter:https://twitter.com/AmandaRenteriaFollow Mila on Twitter:https://twitter.com/milaatmosAdditional InformationFuture Hindsight PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

It's no secret that there's a partisan divide in the media, but thus far, solutions to bridge that divide have been few and far between. Our guest this week had an idea that seems to be taking hold and building a readership across the political spectrum.Isaac Saul is the founder and publisher of Tangle, a non-partisan news and politics newsletter that summarizes the best arguments from across the political spectrum on one issue each day. He a politics reporter who grew up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, one of the most politically divided places in the United States. In 2020, he created Tangle in an attempt to get people out of their information bubbles. Subscribe to TangleAdditional InformationDemocracy Works PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Hans Noel joins Julia and James to talk about political parties. Noel is an associate professor in the Department of Government at Georgetown University, where he conducts research on political coalitions, political parties, and ideology. He is the author of Political Ideologies and Political Parties in America, and a co-author of The Party Decides: Presidential Nominations Before and After Reform. Noel also blogs on political parties at Mischiefs of Faction and the Monkey Cage.How have events over the last decade shaped our understanding of political parties? Should we think about parties differently today than how we thought about them ten years ago? Why are the Democratic and Republican parties comprised of certain groups and interests? And does the conventional view of ideological polarization distort political reality when it comes to parties? These are some of the questions Hans, Julia, and James ask in this week’s episode.Additional InformationPolitics in Question PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

There are a lot of people quietly who are deeply frustrated with this war. Every rich person in Russia with one or two exceptions are frustrated with this war. I think many of the so-called liberal technocratic elites in the government are frustrated with this war. Lots of regional leaders are frustrated with this war. It's not just the vocal opposition. I think there's a quiet minority and maybe even majority that is exhausted with what Putin has done.Michael McFaulSupport Democracy Paradox on Patreon for bonus episodes and exclusive updates and information. Michael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Russia, is professor of political science at Stanford University, director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. His most recent book is From Cold War to Hot Peace: An American Ambassador in Putin’s Russia (2018). Robert Person is associate professor of international relations at the U.S. Military Academy, director of its international affairs curriculum, and faculty affiliate at its Modern War Institute. Their essay "What Putin Fears Most" was published as an online exclusive from the Journal of Democracy in February and was included in the April 2022 issue.Key HighlightsIntroduction 0:48Personal Account from Michael McFaul 3:16Putin's Objectives 7:44What would Russia be like without Putin? 12:22Challenges for democracy in Ukraine 20:10Effectiveness of sanctions 24:15Where is the Russian Revolution going? 27:11Key LinksLearn more about Michael McFaul"What Putin Fears Most" by Robert Person and Michael McFaul in the Journal of DemocracyFrom Cold War To Hot Peace: An American Ambassador in Putin's Russia by Michael McFaulAdditional InformationDemocracy Paradox PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

A recording from our Twitter Space Event with FairVoteHostsJustin Kempf, Host of Democracy ParadoxGuestsDavid Daley and Deb Otis from FairVoteIf you would like to listen and ask questions live, follow us @GroupDemocracy or subscribe to our newsletter are democracygroup.org/newsletter to be the first to know about upcoming events.