By Zak Schneider Some Fundamentally New and Radical Assumptions On a blustery day in late June of 1963, President John F. Kennedy spoke in front of a rapturous crowd in the streets of the American quarter of the partitioned city of Berlin. With American flags billowing in the background, he said, “freedom has many difficulties,... Continue Reading →
Olivier Zunz is the James Madison Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Virginia. He is among the foremost scholars of Alexis de Tocqueville and the author of The Man who Knew Democracy: The Life of Alexis de Tocqueville. Become a Patron! Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. Tocqueville’s Democracy in America... Continue Reading →
By Laura Gamboa Why Politicians and Parties Matter Politicians and political parties are among the most despised in the Americas. According to LAPOP, Latin American mean trust for political parties is the lowest for any institution (including the military and the police). Meanwhile, “politician” is used as a shorthand for corrupt, spineless, and sold-out. This... Continue Reading →
By Takis S. Pappas Describing Political Systems Say you want to construct an all-encompassing typology of political systems in the world. Now, since most knowledge is mediated by words, you had better start with establishing a clear vocabulary. Fine, but you are already stumbling upon the unclear and confusing terms used by such well-respected sources... Continue Reading →
By Justin Kempf Autocratic Ambiguity The precise line between democracy and autocracy was never entirely clear. Part of the problem was the inability of autocratic government to govern autocratically. Even the most capable autocrats rely on advisors and civil servants to carry out their wills. Moreover, they find it necessary to delegate significant authority to... Continue Reading →
By María Isabel Puerta Riera Originally published in Spanish by Diálogo Político on 05/10/2022 Democracy with Chinese Characteristics? Some question the notion of a 'crisis of democracy' in large part over debates about the threshold used to characterize democracy. Nonetheless, most of us can agree on some minimum baseline that includes the election of representatives combined with... Continue Reading →
By Justin Kempf How Should We Define Democracy? Democracy is an elusive idea. It means many different things for many different people. The blog and the podcast often exploit the various interpretations of democracy to showcase ideas or even make arguments that might leave some readers or listeners unclear about the precise meaning of democracy... Continue Reading →
Become a Patron! Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. Our Crisis of Democracy When I went to school, I believed America was more or less always a democracy. The constitution guaranteed a representative form of government and guaranteed many civil liberties long before other nations. Along the way, the United States became an even... Continue Reading →
Become a Patron! Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. Measuring Democracy In 1972 Freedom House published its first annual report known as Freedom in the World. It codes nations in the world on a scale from 1 to 7. While Freedom House describes countries as free, partly free, and not free, many use the report... Continue Reading →
Become a Patron! Order Dan Slater and Joseph Wong's From Development to Democracy: The Transformations of Modern Asia. Available for sale this week. Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. Is the United States a Republic or a Democracy? I'm sure you have heard somebody say, "The United States is not a democracy. It is... Continue Reading →
