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Democracy IDEAs

by The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance · English · News

Democracy IDEAs is brought to you by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA). Our podcasts share analyses, data, and insights from experts worldwide to help you understand the challenges of democracy in times of crisis. Find more information to empower

New episodes: Monthly
Typical length: 35 min
Latest: 27 Aug 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

27 Aug 2026 · 50 min

Democracy through the eyes of Gen Z

Young people are engaging with democracy in different ways, from elections and protest movements to grassroots organising, digital spaces and demands for accountability. On the sidelines of the recent 'Reimagining Democracy' workshop in Kathmandu, Senior Programme Manager Adhy Aman sat down with Tashi Lhazom from Nepal and Alans Ademba from Kenya to discuss how young people are engaging with democracy today. In this podcast, they move beyond elections and institutions to explore what meaning...

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

27 Aug 2026 · 33 min
Therese Pearce Laanela on democratic renewal through trustworthy elections
In this episode of Democracy IDEAs, Gavin Charles, Speechwriter and Governance Officer at International IDEA, sits down with Therese Pearce Laanela, the Head of Electoral Processes at International IDEA, to discuss her new book, Trustworthy Elections: The Role of Electoral Management Bodies. Drawing on nearly 35 years of experience supporting elections around the world, she reflects on why trust remains fundamental to democratic legitimacy and resilience. The discussion explores trust as a f...
10 May 2026 · 35 min
Finland’s Voice in Global Diplomacy: A Conversation with Ambassador Lauri Voionmaa
In this episode of Democracy IDEAs, Amanda Sourek sits down with Ambassador Lauri Voionmaa, Deputy Permanent Representative of Finland to the United Nations for a timely conversation on the role of democracy in today’s multilateral system. As global tensions challenge the foundations of international cooperation, Ambassador Voionmaa shares Finland’s perspective on defending democratic values at the United Nations, advancing peace and security, and navigating an increasingly complex geopolitic...
5 Mar 2026 · 26 min
Democracy and Human Rights in a Changing World: A Discussion with Ambassador Maritza Chan
In this episode of Democracy IDEAs, Amanda Sourek speaks with Ambassador Maritza Chan, Costa Rica’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and a leading voice on gender equality, disarmament, and AI governance. Ambassador Chan reflects on her historic leadership roles, Costa Rica’s principled multilateral engagement, and the future of Women, Peace and Security in the digital era. From advancing consensus on AI governance to championing prevention and women peacebuilders, t...
26 Feb 2026 · 1 hr
Navigating Tech Policy and Global Election Integrity
There are many lessons to be learned from what collectively came to be known as the 'Supercycle Election Year' of 2024. Together with the European Partnership of Democracy (EPD), International IDEA have published the report ‘The Election Year 2024 and Tech Policy around the World’, which identifies key features and gaps in tech policy around the world with implications for democracy to synthesize a series of regulatory recommendations for the European Union. In this podcast, we sit down with ...
26 Feb 2026 · 30 min
Beyond Borders: Defending Communities and the Climate in Thailand and the Mekong
In this episode, Sharon Pia Hickey Programme Officer at International IDEA’s Constitution-Building and Climate Change and Democracy programmes speaks with Thai lawyer Sor Rattanamanee Polkla, Executive Coordinator, and Co-Founder of Community Resources Centre Foundation about the landscape of climate and environmental litigation in Thailand. Drawing on her experience with cases focusing on extractive industries, development projects, and public interest law, Sor tracks her path from rea...
27 Jan 2026 · 34 min
The evolving legal landscape of climate justice
Christina Voigt is Professor of Law at the University of Oslo and Chair of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law. In this podcast episode, she discusses the concept of climate justice, the evolving legal landscape around climate change, and the role of international courts therein, with Sharon Hickey, Program Officer with the Climate Change and Democracy and Constitutional Governance and Rule of Law programs at International IDEA, in light of her Stockholm Series lecture 'Repai...
27 Oct 2025 · 57 min
AI, Elections and Disinformation in Latin America
The regulatory landscape surrounding Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Latin America is evolving rapidly, and with it, the role of AI in elections is also changing. The issues of AI-amplified disinformation and political polarization have become top priorities throughout the electoral cycle. However, addressing these challenges is placing an immense strain on governments and electoral institutions across the region. Compounding the issue is the fact that AI technologies are largely develo...
25 Sep 2025 · 58 min
AI, Elections, and Policy in Asia-Pacific
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is spreading to all corners of the world, but its impact varies wildly between the contexts in which it's developed and deployed. If considerations are not made for how AI might interact with national and regional ethics and regulation, it risks exacerbating harmful externalities for already marginalized groups, democratic institutions, and the environment. In this episode, Juliane Müller, Associate Programme Officer at International IDEA's Digitalization and Demo...
10 Sep 2025 · 27 min
Beyond the Walls – Rethinking Parliament as Public Space
What do parliamentary buildings really say about democracy? Are they open, welcoming spaces for citizens - or distant symbols of power? This special podcast episode launches the fourth guide “Parliament as a Space and Place” - in a series of eight Citizen Engagement Guides, by Inter Pares - Parliaments in Partnership, which is implemented by International IDEA and in collaboration with the International Parliament Engagement Network (IPEN), with support from the European Union. Timed to comm...
19 Aug 2025 · 44 min
Legitimult: Making democracy crisis-proof IV
This is the fourth and final episode in a podcast series featuring LEGITIMULT a project that examines how measures taken during the Covid-19 crisis by international, national, and subnational governments have affected multilevel institutions and intergovernmental relations. The aim of the research is to develop a model of legitimate crisis governance. In this episode, we focus on the citizen juries on crisis management in Europe, convened as part of the project following extensive resea...
24 Jul 2025 · 31 min
From Billboards to Bots: Rethinking Political Finance for a Digital World
The digitalization of political campaigning has transformed the ways in which political parties and candidates interact with voters. While offering new avenues for political engagement and outreach, digital campaigning also raises critical regulatory and transparency challenges—ranging from opaque online advertising, third-party influence, and data-driven microtargeting to foreign interference. In response to this evolving landscape, International IDEA has produced the report Political ...
13 Jun 2025 · 45 min
Legitimult: Making democracy crisis-proof III
This is the third of a podcast series featuring LEGITIMULT, its findings and tools for addressing and solving future crises. This episode builds “Lessons from Covid-19 – Journalism in a Post-Pandemic Future” media workshop (more details below), and delves into the topic of crisis reporting. The conversation highlights the media’s dual role in both informing the public and holding those in power accountable, as well as the crucial distinction between facts and opinions in journalism—especially...
13 Jun 2025 · 41 min
Facing the climate crisis and democracy backsliding by reforming global governance
Frank Biermann is a research professor of Global Sustainability Governance with the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University. He discusses with International IDEA Communications Director Alistair Scrutton ideas about how to tackle the planetary crisis in the face of rising unilateralism, authoritarianism, and anti-environmentalism. Background reading: The Earth System Governance project
27 May 2025 · 26 min
Climate Hazards and Elections in India
In this episode of Peer-to-Peer, we speak to Saket Ambarkhane about the impacts of natural hzards on Indian elections and the growing concern over the effects of climate change on future elections. With Ambarkhane, we explore how different events, such as the heatwaves during the 2024 election, impacted various steps of the electoral process like campaigning, polling day, and voter turnout. Ambarkhane also explains how the different levels of EMBs (federal vs regional) have mitigated such eve...
31 Mar 2025 · 33 min
Scoping the Impact of AI in Electoral Processes
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is growing in the sphere of electoral administration, still its impact has yet to be fully understood. What lessons on electoral AI from the 2024 Supercycle election year can we bring into 2025? How might Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) plan to incorporate AI into their work and what consequences would this have for democracy? In this podcast episode, Juliane Müller, Associate Programme Officer at the Digitalization and Democracy Programme sits down with Prathm...
5 Mar 2025 · 29 min
La violencia política de género en la esfera digital es una batalla que recién comienza
A pesar de los avances en la representación política de las mujeres en América Latina, persisten desafíos significativos, como la violencia de género en la política. En esta conversación con Marcela Ríos Tobar, directora regional de IDEA Internacional para América Latina y El Caribe, exploramos hallazgos, repercusión y recomendaciones para hacer frente a este problema que a veces se trivializa o subestima. Según el informe y un estudio de ONU Mujeres, el 80% de las mujeres entrevistadas...
4 Mar 2025 · 54 min
UN talk with Ambassador Bob Rae: Challenges, democracy, and the way forward
International IDEA's Outreach and United Nations Liaison Officer, Amanda Sourek, talked to Ambassador Bob Rae, who serves as the 80th President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council and has been the Permanent Representative of Canada to the UN since 2020. Bob Rae discussed the role of youth in politics, the deadlock in the Security Council, the crisis in Myanmar, Russia's war against Ukraine, the 2030 Agenda, how democracy is portrayed at the UN, and the role of civil societ...
31 Jan 2025 · 35 min
Why tackling inequality is key to protecting the planet, and democracy
Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Honorary President of the Club of Roam and co-author of Earth For All: A Survival Guide for Humanity’ has gathered the knowledge of an international team of scientists, economic thinkers, and multidisciplinary experts, to five extraordinary turnarounds to achieve wellbeing and prosperity for all, reduce social tension and ensure strong democracies within planetary boundaries. She discussed with International IDEA's Communicators Director Alistair Scrutton how to ach...
12 Dec 2024 · 45 min
Defending democracy, safeguarding our planet – A dual imperative and how to win it
An interview with Luisa Neubauer, a German climate campaigner who is using both the courts and civic groups to push authorities to take climate policy more seriously. Access International IDEA's databases, reports and initiatives on Climate Change and Democracy: https://www.idea.int/theme/climate-change-and-democracy
4 Dec 2024 · 43 min
Legitimult: Making democracy crisis-proof II
This is the second of a three-episode series featuring LEGITIMULT, its findings and tools for addressing and solving future crises. Drawing from the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic the LEGITIMULT (Legitimate Crisis Governance in Multilevel Systems) project aims to identify a model of political legitimate crisis governance that takes into account the interplay between international, national, regional and local governments and institutions. Its guiding research question “Which co...
25 Nov 2024 · 16 min
Civic Assemblies as a form of public particiation in governance: An interview with Dr Sanskriti Menon
On the sidelines of the launch of IDEA’s latest report on climate assemblies in the Global South, Billie Phillips spoke to Dr Sanskriti Menon about the power of citizen assemblies as a tool of public participation in governance and her experience working with assemblies in both rural and urban communities in India. Guest: Dr Sanskriti Menon Background Reading: “We need a new story of deliberative democracy” – IDEA launches new report on Climate AssembliesDeliberative Democra...
12 Nov 2024 · 49 min
Expert Talks on Money in Politics: Financing Democracy in the EU and the UK
In this episode, Yukihiko Hamada, Programme Manager for Money in Politics, is joined by Dr. Sam Power and Dr. Wouter Wolfs to discuss how political finance shapes the political and electoral landscape in the EU and the UK. In this in-depth conversation on the influence of money in democracy, they dive into the challenges of third-party spending, online campaign finance, and the role emerging technologies—like AI—can play in improving political finance oversight. Background Reading: ...
16 Oct 2024 · 30 min
Storms, Votes, and Reforms: How Climate Change Affects Elections
In this episode of Peer-to-Peer, we speak with Alice Hill and Erik Asplund to explore how extreme weather, intensified by climate change, impacts elections and disenfranchises voters. Alice and Erik share their insights on the challenges disasters pose to voting, the role of climate change in increasing the frequency and/or intensity of extreme weather events, and how natural hazards are already affecting elections around the world. They also discuss the impact of hurricanes Helene and Milton...
30 Sep 2024 · 45 min
Money Talks: The High Stakes of Money in Indian Politics
The influence of money in Indian politics has long been a subject of debate, with concerns over its impact on democracy, governance, and the political landscape. In this episode, Khushbu Agrawal speaks to Milan Vaishnav, exploring this nexus in India, where money is the currency of power. From the soaring costs of elections to the criminalization of politics, this episode uncovers how financial power has the potential to shape policies, politicians, and political outcomes in the world’s larg...
17 Sep 2024 · 44 min
A conversation on perceptions of electoral integrity with Pippa Norris
The world-renowned elections expert, Professor Pippa Norris, talks to International IDEA's Head of Communications Alistair Scrutton, and to Dr Seema Shah, Head of International IDEA's Democracy Assessment Unit, about the importance of electoral integrity and public perceptions of the credibility of elections around the world. Read the #GlobalStateofDemocracy 2024 Report: https://www.idea.int/gsod/2024/
5 Sep 2024 · 34 min
Connecting democracy and climate change in Asia and the Pacific
Democracy is on trial in the climate crisis. It is charged with having failed—and with continuing to fail—to prevent dangerous climate change. It is indicted on a fundamental breach of a key obligation of legitimate government—to ensure the safety and survival of the people to whom democracies owe their allegiance.” Based on the report Climate Change and Democracy Insights from Asia and the Pacific, International IDEA's Climate Change and Democracy Adviser, David Rosén, talks to Professor Jo...
14 Aug 2024 · 20 min
Las controvertidas elecciones presidenciales en Venezuela
En esta conversación con Marcela Ríos Tobar, directora regional para América Latina de IDEA Internacional, se explican las polémicas elecciones presidenciales en Venezuela, desde las irregularidades en el proceso hasta la represión actual, así como alternativas para lograr resultados más democráticos. Invitada: Marcela Ríos Tobar, directora de IDEA Internacional para América Latina y el Caribe. Anfitriona: Yasnaya Guibert, oficial de comunicaciones de IDEA Internacional. Contenido relaciona...
28 Jun 2024 · 53 min
The state of democracy in Latin America
International IDEA's Secretary-General, Kevin Casas-Zamora, discusses with Brian Winter, editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly, a range of issues related to Latin American democracy, from what recent elections say about the region’s political health, to the potential impact of the US election and how governments should deal with insecurity and violence.
18 Jun 2024 · 27 min
Expert talks on Money in Politics: Why does political finance matter?
Money – both received and spent – is part of the normal workings of democratic life. It enables political participation and representation. Money helps spread the voices and ideas that are the basis for democratic politics. It is nonetheless clear that money is capable of inflicting significant distortions on the democratic processes. As we conclude six months into the super-electoral year, the issue of political finance has come to the fore quite prominently in many of the elections th...

About Democracy IDEAs

Democracy IDEAs is a English news podcast from The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
Language: English
Category: News
New episodes: Monthly
Typical length: 35 min
Latest episode: 27 Aug 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1524447889

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