Read the latest publications by the Review of Democracy, our online journal.
Building Majorities Is the Essence of Democracy
RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó interviews Timothy Shenk – author of Realigners: Partisan Hacks, Political Visionaries, and the Struggle to Rule American Democracy – on what motivated him to explore the making of majorities and key members of the democratic elite who made those majorities, and more.
Listen to it here.
Democracy as a Way of Facing Obstacles
In conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Lilia Moritz Schwarcz – author of Brazilian Authoritarianism – contrasts mythological and critical-realistic versions of Brazilian history; discusses the facets of authoritarianism in Brazil; compares the Bolsonaro phenomenon with the Trump one; and elaborates on her vision of democracy and full citizenship.
Listen to it here.
Magic Mountain on Goodreads — On Experiencing Mann’s Novel
RevDem editor Kasia Krzyżanowska speaks with Karolina Watroba and discusses her first book Mann’s Magic Mountain: World Literature and Closer Reading (Oxford University Press) which "explores the diverse interpretations of, polemics with, and simply, the literary experiences with the classic piece of literature, 'The Magic Mountain' by Thomas Mann"
Read or listen to it here.
The (Re)Making of Constitutional Democracy?
Oliver Garner speaks to Paolo Sandro, Lecturer in Law at the University of Leeds, in the latest RevDem Rule of Law section podcast. Sandro’s recently published monograph The Making of Constitutional Democracy: From Creation to Application of Law (Hart Publishing, 2022) confronts the topic from a legal theoretical perspective.
Read or listen to it here.
The Emergence of the EU’s Rule of Law Policy Shaped by Growing Dissensus
In this discussion with Ramona Coman by RevDem managing editor Michał Matlak, they discuss the questions addressed in her recent book The Politics of the Rule of Law in the EU Polity: Actors, Tools and Challenges (Palgrave, 2022), including the difference between liberal and anti-liberal ideas and how “dissensus shapes the EU’s rule of law policy and tools.”
Read it here.
Belated Retribution: Polish Lustration After 2015
Michał Krotoszyński argues in this op-ed that the transitional justice measures introduced by PiS are not only at odds both with the Polish Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights, but are also a worrying sign of a departure from the model of inclusive democracy.
Read it here.
Is There Something We Can Salvage of Universalism?
Till van Rahden – author of the new Vielheit. Jüdische Geschichte und die Ambivalenzen des Universalismus (Multitude. Jewish History and the Ambivalences of Universalism) – discusses with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó why the relationship between equality and difference is so crucial from the liberal democratic point of view, and much more.
Listen to it here.
How To Best Manage the Unfolding Crisis of Everything
RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó interviews Gaia Vince – author of the new book Nomad Century: How to Survive the Climate Upheaval – sketches the transformations climate change and the accompanying rise in global average temperature are likely to bring in the coming decades; and addresses the key political questions of how to set the right priorities at the global level and how to act to enforce them.
Read or listen to it here.
A Path to Democracy Without Destabilization
In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Joseph Wong – co-author with Dan Slater of From Development to Democracy. The Transformations of Modern Asia – discusses when and why regimes have chosen to democratize in modern Asia; and how studying the patterns of modern Asia can help us rethink democracy promotion today.
Read or listen to it here.
“Vacanze Romane” for the Eu’s Values Crisis?
Oliver Garner, Research Fellow in the CEU Democracy Institute and Editor of the RevDem Rule of Law section, in his latest op-ed analyzes the Italian election results and their implications not only for Italy, but also for the European Union.
Read it here.
The Way Europeans Stop Migration Is Absolutely Horrific
Sally Hayden – author of “My Fourth Time, We Drowned: Seeking Refuge on the World’s Deadliest Migration Route” – discusses with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó the various detention centers across Libya and sketches the profiles of the people detained in them, and much more.
Read or listen to it here.
Down-to-Earth Machines of Exploitation
RevDem guest contributor Norman Aselmeyer speaks with Andreas Eckert – author of German-language overviews of the history of colonialism and of slavery – presents his approach to the history of colonialism and how the study of this subject has evolved in the early 21st century; and discusses the current state and special pitfalls of global history writing.
Read or listen to it here.