Rachel Beatty Riedl on Benin. Democracy in Hard Places.

Rachel Beatty Riedl is the John S. Knight Professor of International Studies, Director of the Einaudi Center for International Studies, and professor in the Department of Government at Cornell University. She also cohosts the podcast Ufahamu Africa with Kim Yi Dionne. Her chapter "Africa’s Democratic Outliers Success amid Challenges in Benin and South Africa" appears... Continue Reading →

Ashutosh Varshney on India. Democracy in Hard Places

Ashutosh Varshney is the Sol Goldman Professor of International Studies and the Social Sciences and Professor of Political Science at Brown University, where he also directs the Center for Contemporary South Asia. His chapter "India’s Democratic Longevity and Its Troubled Trajectory" appears in the forthcoming book Democracy in Hard Places.   Become a Patron! Nehru is... Continue Reading →

Citizenship Responsibilities in a Democracy

Citizenship in Liberal Democracy The idea of liberal democracy awkwardly combines two very distinct ideas into a larger normative project. Liberalism and democracy align in their values, but they diverge in their approach to citizenship. In a democracy the citizen becomes central to government. The people become sovereign. However, liberalism asserts the need to protect... Continue Reading →

Joseph Wright and Abel Escribà-Folch on Migration’s Potential to Topple Dictatorships

Joseph 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.   This is money that flows between individuals and families and largely circumvents governments and that's... Continue Reading →

Can Migration Facilitate Democratization?

Migration and Democracy Those who say immigration has become a prominent political issue likely understate its importance. Its difficulty involves multiple dimensions surrounding economic, political, and cultural concerns. However, most consider it purely as a domestic political issue. Americans consider its effects on America. Australians consider its effects on Australia. In the rare moments when... Continue Reading →

Caitlin Andrews-Lee on Charismatic Movements and Personalistic Leaders

Caitlin Andrews-Lee is an Assistant Professor in Ryerson University’s Department of Politics and Public Administration. She is the author of the book, The Emergence and Revival of Charismatic Movements: Argentine Peronism and Venezuelan Chavismo.   Charismatic leaders who are intent on governing solely using their charismatic authority and subverting other things to their personal power... Continue Reading →

Democratic Backsliding: How it Happens and Why

Democratic Backsliding I don’t like to write about American politics. Anything I say becomes interpreted through the lens of partisanship rather than as political theory. At the same time, it’s become difficult to discuss the global decline of democracy without mentioning the United States. Of course, it does help to limit the discussion to specific... Continue Reading →

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