The Summit for Democracy convened virtually this past week by US President Joe Biden is over. It probably generated more discussion immediately before than it will likely do immediately after. That may not be a bad thing. The Summit was meant to kick-off a year of action, to “jumpstart democratic renewal,” as Samantha Power, Administrator … More Summit for Democracy: Aftermath
On December 9-10 US President Joe Biden will host a virtual Summit for Democracy for leaders from government, civil society, and the private sector. In collaboration with the Dukakis Center for Public Service at ACT, the American College of Thessaloniki, a research and outreach hub committed to active citizenship, we will follow the summit and … More Summit for Democracy Live Blog
Democracy requires a vigilant citizenry. Here is a we are following in the media today. In their daily newsletter Foreign Policy share a report from the Wall Street Journal on a recent develop in India, which will hold elections later this year. In the run-up to the first phase of India’s elections on April 11, … More Dubious information debunking service
In The Joy of Politics I defined politics, after Kenneth Minogue, in contradistinction to despotism, and then challenged my readers to imagine a legitimate political system that was not democratic. In the following excerpt of a commentary for Reuters, John Lloyd riffs along similar lines about politicians, citizens, and civil servants. “Democracy does not simply … More They also serve
In The Joy of Politics I examined various political institution in countries which were scheduled to hold elections of some sort in 2016. Included in my sample was a handful of countries in sub-Saharan Africa. I noted additionally that certain observers were optimistic about the prospects for democratic regimes across the African continent. Not so … More Democracy in Africa, bis
In the Joy of Politics I asked whether politics as I had defined it, “legitimate collective decision-making,” after the Australian political scientist Kenneth Minogue, had to be democratic, and whether democracy as a legitimate form of politics, if not the only, had to be liberal. The key issue, as I saw it, and which I … More Illiberalism and legitimacy
Excerpts below from an article by Zachary Elkins on Medium. The Joy of Politics posted a note on Constitute in June 2017. One nagging challenge in Constitutional design is how to involve citizens in the drafting process in a meaningful way. One traditional role for citizens is to review and approve the proposed text by … More Draft constitutions in comparative perspective
I read a lot of material that amounts to an obituary of democratic governance. Democracy is (choose your descriptor) and plagued by a loss of faith. This is one of the principal reasons I have persisted working on the Joy of Politics project Among other things, I thought that it was important to define both … More Democracy is…
An international group of private citizens has created a novel way to engage in local and European politics: an award offered to politicians who undertake innovative initiatives designed to improve the lives of their constituents. According to their web site, “[t]he Innovation In Politics Awards are the first in a series of activities with the … More Innovation in Politics
Below is the text of the Christian Science Monitor’s daily politics newsletter for July 26, 2017, by CMS politics editor Christa Case Bryant. The question is central. What does it really mean to “win” in politics? That’s a theme Sen. John McCain (R) of Arizona hit on repeatedly in his speech from the Senate floor … More Winning in politics
The Joy of Politics 