From left to right: Jeff Bezos, Jeremy Strong, Rupert Murdoch, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk

The Media’s Bottom-Line Problem

The health of our democracy depends on a free press. What happens when the thirst for profits, eyeballs, and clicks drives political coverage?
Fireworks and shouts of joy emanate from Tahrir Square after a broadcast by the head of the Egyptian military confirming that they will temporarily be taking over from the country's first democratically elected president Mohammed Morsi on July 3, 2013 in Cairo, Egypt.

An Overview d’état: Are Coups Democracy in Action?

Coups in autocracies are frequently followed by elections, which are then followed by new coup attempts. Why do elections increase coup risk?
Illustration of two people trying to communicate through tin-can phones with a disconnected string

How Media Stifles Deliberative Democracy

As outlets that welcome rational exchanges of ideas dwindle those that serve as echo chambers are exploding. What does that mean for free speech and the health of the US?
House Democrats applaud after Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi signed the Inflation Reduction Act, August 12, 2022

Do You Trust Your Democratic Representatives?

Scholars of politics and media have been tracking an ongoing collapse of trust in representative democracy's core institutions. What's at stake?
Voting Hands and Ballot Box

Happiness is a Warm Democracy

A greater exposure to democracy leads to a higher level of self-reported happiness.
A portrait of Italian philosopher, writer and politician Niccolo Machiavelli

Machiavelli, Prince of…Democracy?

The other side of the Renaissance man, known today for promoting autocratic power.
The Constitutional Court of South Africa

At South Africa’s Constitutional Court, a Democracy Brick by Brick

The themes of truth and reconciliation echo throughout the Court’s design, evoking the democratic values of post-apartheid South Africa.
Corsica/Ajaccio bay

The Real First Written Constitution

American often gets credit for having the first written constitution. But the constitution of the short-lived republic of Corsica preceded it by 30+ years.
Martha Nussbaum interview

Martha Nussbaum: Overcoming Fear, Embracing Democracy

The American philosopher Martha Nussbaum’s new book, The Monarchy of Fear, examines the politics of primal fear in the 2016 election.
Colorful donuts with different decorations

The Delicious Democratic Symbolism of…Doughnuts?

Doughnuts became popular during World War I, when Salvation Army volunteers—most of them women—made and served the soldiers million of doughnuts.