THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE... SOMEWHERE
Democracy in the US feels increasingly precarious. But what are the alternatives?
In this podcast, I aim to answer that question by talking to voters in a wide range of democratic systems around the world.
I explore what democracy looks like elsewhere. Ask whether citizens of other countries have more trust, a greater sense of fairness, and more hope.
Or maybe we are all deluded... Let's find out.
Why now?
Honestly, it's easy to despair about the state of democracy in the US these days. Ever since Trump was elected in 2016 it feels like we are slipping further into authoritarianism.
The attempted coup on January 6th 2021 seemed to confirm something many of us have long known: the US is not exceptional. Its democratic system is just as vulnerable to direct attack or indirect undermining as anywhere else.
Rather than despair, I decided to think about this as an opportunity. If we are going to re-build US democracy, let's aim to make it better.
After all, it was originally designed to accommodate slavery. Surely we can do better than that.
It can feel intimidating to rebuild a constitution, a system of voting, and a way of governing a nation from scratch. But luckily we don't have to! We can learn from other countries.
Let's keep it fun!
So in this podcast I aim to find out as much as I can about different democratic systems around the world.
And not just from experts. We can all read a wikipedia article, after all... But from ordinary people who can give us the low-down on what citizens really do and think in their country.
I hope you will join us on this journey!