Colleen, Shogan, archivist of the United States, joins us for a conversation about democratizing access to national records and running a non-partisan organization in an increasingly polarized country.

We're excited to bring you an episode from Bad Watchdog, the podcast from the Project on Government Oversight and one of our colleagues in The Democracy Group podcast network.

Democracy Works host Michael Berkman talks with Christopher Claassen, a political scientist at the University of Glasgow, about how to measure support for democracy across countries and across generations.

Dahlia Lithwick, Slate's senior legal correspondent, joins us to discuss how the Supreme Court has shaped — and could continue to shape the 2024 presidential election.

Author and scholar Eddue Glaude Jr. joins us to discuss what happens when we let the heavy democratic lifting fall to just a few elected officials.

Chris Beem talks with political theorist Alexandre Lefebvre about why liberalism is more than just a political ideas and procedures, and how abiding by liberal principles can enhance your life far beyond politics.

Anthropologist Jason De León joins us to discuss his book "Soldiers and Kings," which tells the stories of smugglers who help migrants make the journey from central America to Mexico and the United States.

We're back from summer break with a deep dive on the National Popular vote Interstate Compact, a campaign to render the Electoral College obsolete when states pledge their electors to the winner of the nationwide popular vote.

While Democracy Works is on summer break, we bring you an episode from our friends at Making Peace Visible, a podcast that ignites powerful conversations all over the world about how the media covers peace and conflict. This episode features journalist and author Amanda Ripley.

We've reached the end of another school year and another season of Democracy Works. Before we go on summer break, Michael Berkman, Chris Beem, and Candis Watts Smith reflect on recent events and what's to come this summer.

Democracy Works host Michael Berkman, director of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy and professor of political science, talks with fellow Penn State political scientist Joe Wright about his new book, "The Origins of Elected Strongmen: How Personalist Parties Destroy Democracy from Within."

At the end of April, South Africa marked the 30th anniversary of its first post-Apartheid election — the first in the country where everyone could vote. South African writer and scholar Antjie Krog join us for a look at the state of South African democracy today and how South Africa has served as a model for other countries in democratic transition.

March for Our Lives co-founder David Hogg joins us to discuss his work advocating for gun reform policy and his new project, which aims to help young people win elected office at the state and federal level.

Author and public policy expert Heather McGhee joins us this week to discuss her book "The Sum of Us" and how racism shapes public policy and weakens democratic institutions.

Cassidy Hutchinson, the former aide to Mark Meadows whose testimony captured the nation's attention in the January 6 Congressional hearings, joins us this week to discuss her time in the Trump administration and her new role safeguarding American democracy.

If there's one thing that people across the political spectrum can agree on, it's a sense of discontent with the current state of American politics. This week, we explore the origins of that discontent and why it's damaging to democracy.

V Spehar of TikTok's Under the Desk News joins us to discuss how social media can strengthen democracy by creating space for community and encouraging offline civic engagement.

Cynthia Miller-Idriss, one of America's leading experts on the far right, joins us this week to discuss what draws people to political extremism online and offline — and what we can do to combat it.

Scholars Yanna Krupnikov and John Barry Ryan argue that America might not be as polarized as we think because the media and political observers over-index on people who are deeply invested in politics at the expense of those who are not as engaged.

Chris Beem talks with journalist Tim Alberta about the role that Evangelical Christians play in the Republican Party — and what that means for the future of American democracy.

Tammy Patrick from the National Association of Election Officials joins us for our first full episode of 2024 to unpack the challenges facing the thousands of election officials across the U.S. in 2024 and beyond.

Happy New Year! We're starting off 2024 with a conversation about finding hope in politics.

For our final episode of 2023, we revisit some of our episodes from throughout the year and reflect on what's in store for democracy in 2024.

This week, we're bringing you an episode from War Stories, Peace Stories, a podcast that helps us understand the human side of conflicts and peace efforts around the world