Episode notes
The freedom to speak truth to power is under threat. Not just in authoritarian states, but increasingly within democracies too. This week Ben asks why access to reliable information is so important for democracy. And how important is the emergence of open source investigation in getting to the truth. Guests : Alia Ibrahim, co-founder and CEO of Daraj.com, an independent digital media platform launched in November 2017 Rebecca Vincent, Director of campaigns at Reporters sans frontières - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Eliot Higgins, Founder of Bellingcat What’s Wrong with Democracy? is…
Podcast
What's Wrong with Democracy?
Tortoise Media · News · English
By the end of this year, countries making up half the world’s population will have held elections. But not all of them will have been free and fair. In ‘What’s Wrong with Democracy?’ Professor Ben Ansell of Oxford University will, with the help of academics, journalists, activists and writers, figur
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S1 · E12 · 7 Aug 2024 · 34 min
Episode 12: The dangers of identity politics
Democratic societies are a melting pot of people from different ethnic and religious backgrounds, but when political alliances are formed around a particular identity it can lead to division and sometimes violence. In this episode Ben explores one of the most extreme examples of ethnic conflict - the Rwandan genocide - and asks whether it’s possible to have a peaceful democracy after so much bloodshed. Guests: Sharun Mukand, Professor of Economics at the University of Warwick James Chin, Professor of Asian studies at the University of Tasmania What’s Wrong with Democracy? is produced by…
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S1 · E11 · 31 Jul 2024 · 31 min
Episode 11: When to take to the streets
The history of protest and democracy is long and complex, but taking to the streets has resulted in major democratic changes in the past. This week, Ben wants to know if protest still has a role to play in today’s politics. What are the barriers to protesting effectively? Is the time for peaceful protest over? And with autocracies on the rise, do citizens need a new tool to express their discontent? Guests: Ilya Marritz, journalist at the Boston Globe and co-host of ‘Will Be Wild’ Dawn Brancati, senior lecturer in international and public affairs at Brown University Madzoo, Senegalese…
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S1 · E10 · 24 Jul 2024 · 39 min
Episode 10: Why the kids don’t care
In many democracies voter turnout is lower than it’s ever been, especially among young people. Ben wants to know what we can do to get millennials and Gen Z to the polls. Do we need to rethink how we cast a vote? Why aren’t politicians more focused on winning over the next generation of voters? And how can we stop this trend so that political apathy doesn’t become political alienation? Guests: Viktor Valgardsson, Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellow at Southampton University John Burn-Murdoch, chief data reporter at the Financial Times Jake Grumbach, associate professor at the Goldman…
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S1 · E9 · 17 Jul 2024 · 35 min
Episode 9: The polarisation problem
Democracies are made up of people with different views. But when we don’t feel connected, we become polarised. Ben speaks to Noreena Hertz about how loneliness leads to polarisation and then to Wendy Via to find out if opposing worldviews can ever be reconciled. Guests: Noreena Hertz, economist and author of ‘The Lonely Century’ Wendy Via, Co-founder and president of the Global Project against Hate and Extremism What’s Wrong with Democracy? is produced by Tortoise Media and supported by the Open Society Foundations. To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening…
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S1 · E8 · 10 Jul 2024 · 38 min
Episode 8: The case for an independent judiciary
This week, as more of our political institutions are rocked by corruption from partisan forces, Ben wants to know how we can protect the independence of our judiciaries, and what happens when they go wrong. When democratic institutions fail, what does this do to our faith in democracy? And can a compromised judiciary ever be restored? Guests: Fida Hammami, Amnesty International's Tunisia Research and Advocacy Advisor Ben Stanley, Associate Professor at the Centre for the Study of Democracy, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw and Visiting Fellow at the University of…
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S1 · E6 · 26 Jun 2024 · 32 min
Episode 6: Big money, big problems?
This week, Ben’s asking what happens when money meets democracy. As lobbying scandals continue to rock our institutions, Ben wants to know how we can protect our democracies from corruption. Also what role should or could the wealthy, and super-wealthy play in keeping our democracies financially healthy? Does philanthropy have a place in modern functioning democracies? Guests: Valentina Pop, Europe news editor, the Financial Times Mark Malloch-Brown, former President of the Open Society Foundations What’s Wrong with Democracy? is produced by Tortoise Media and supported by the Open Society…
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S1 · E5 · 19 Jun 2024 · 33 min
Episode 5: The rise of populism
With populists rising to power around the world, Ben wants to know why, and how they flourish. Could establishment politicians learn a thing or two from populists about how to communicate? Do populists offer real solutions to voters’ problems do they ever actually deliver on their promises? Guests: Lone Sorensen, Associate Professor of Political Communication at the University of Leeds Kevin Casas-Zamora, Secretary-general of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) What’s Wrong with Democracy? is produced by Tortoise Media and supported by The Open Society…
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S1 · E4 · 12 Jun 2024 · 39 min
Episode 4: The trust deficit
Over the past 20 years the British public’s trust in politicians has been tested. Ben Ansell explores how trust is playing out in the UK’s upcoming general election. How can you restore trust in democracy? And is the UK an outlier or part of a wider global movement? Guests: Sacha Hilhorst, Senior Research Fellow with Commonwealth Polly Curtis, Chief Executive of Demos Richard Wike, Director of Global Attitudes Research at the Pew Research Centre What’s Wrong with Democracy? is produced by Tortoise Media and supported by The Open Society Foundations. To find out more about Tortoise: Download…
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S1 · E3 · 5 Jun 2024 · 37 min
Episode 3: The autocrat behind the keyboard
Another front on the war against democracy is information warfare. Ben Ansell digs into how modern day autocrats are using this. For almost a decade China has been running a media influencing campaign in Africa. Now Russia has taken it mainstream, and digital. But how effective are these disinformation campaigns? What’s the endgame? And how can we build up our defence arsenal? Guests: James Ball, journalist and author of Post Truth and The Other Pandemic Emeka Umejei, research associate in the department of media studies at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa…
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S1 · E2 · 29 May 2024 · 31 min
Episode 2: The autocrat next door
In Ukraine, democracy is under attack. Ben Ansell investigates what that means for the country’s future. Is the war a death knell or a rallying cry for democracy? What is at stake and how worried should we be about the rise of autocrats? Guests: Olya Onuch, Professor of comparative and Ukrainian politics at the University of Manchester Nicole Bibbins Sedaca, interim President of Freedom House What’s Wrong with Democracy? is produced by Tortoise Media and supported by The Open Society Foundations. To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated…
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