Power In Play Power In Play

What happens to democracy when inequality of power and money skyrockets? In this episode, we are joined by Amitabh Behar, the Executive Director of Oxfam International, a leading global civil society organization dedicated to reducing inequality and mitigating poverty.

With global inequality on the rise, and the 2024 Election Superyear underway, this episode explores how  inequality, democracy and elections are connected. We examine the crucial role of civil society, and discuss the space for policy makers to implement inequality reducing policies.



Links to referenced reports and surveys: 


Oxfam International’s ineuqality report, “Inequality Inc” 
Interlinkages study on SDG 16 – goal of peace, justice and strong institutions – and SDG 10 – the goal of reduced inequalities, by UNDP and The German Development Institute 
UNDP Survey on space for policy makers to enact inequality reducing policy measures. 

In this episode, we are joined by Inga Strumke; Associate professor in AI at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and PhD in Particle physics, to explore how generative artificial intelligence (AI) may impact the superelection year of 2024.

As the world becomes increasingly tech-driven, integrating AI into elections brings unique challenges and opportunities. With the looming "super-election year" in 2024, where over 2 billion people are expected to participate globally, we examine how AI's influence on democracy prompts critical questions about alignment with democratic processes. Join us as we navigate the complexities of AI in elections!

In this episode, we delve into the intricate landscape of global democracy with Professor Carl Henrik Knutsen, a leading expert in political science from the University of Oslo and key researcher in the Varieties of Democracy project.

As we stand at the crossroads of democratic backsliding, our discussion navigates the alarming trends witnessed worldwide, particularly leading up to the election superyear that is 2024. Tune in for an enlightening conversation that explores the risks and opportunities associated with elections, ultimately emphasizing the potential for strengthening democracies worldwide.

In a time of poly crises, uncertainty and peaking distrust, governance systems are facing immense pressure. In this episode, we delve into the world of complex ideas about transformational change of our governance systems. What is transformation, what does it entail for decision making and systems of governance in the 21st century, and what systemic changes are required for the survival of democracy and the planet? Fortunately, we have two distinguished experts with us to reflect upon these questions, Lindiwe Mazibuko and Indy Johar. 

Taxation is essential for our governance systems and has become a key issue of contention in global development policy. Alongside a growing recognition that the international tax system is broken, a global effort is underway to reform it. Yet this is not without debate. Who will decide how these systems work and what sorts of arrangements will the future tax system consist of? And what is most important for legitimacy - outcome or process? We discuss why taxation is fundamental to the establishment of the social contract between governments and their citizens, the connection between illicit financial fraud, corruption, and taxation, the OECD BEPS two-pillar system, as well as the trade-offs between inclusion and efficiency when addressing tax justice.  

“The views expressed on this podcast are of the individuals and do not necessarily represent those of the United Nations, including UNDP, donor agencies, or the UN Member States. The designations employed and the presentation of the information in this podcast do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the United Nations Development Programme - concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities,
or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.”

In this episode we examine how challenging it is to undertake deep governance structure reform. Constitutions form the basis of governance institutions, and are therefore a good place to start to understand how reform can be brought about. In this episode we talk about the case of Chile to understand these challenges better. In 2019 a popular uprising began that called for broad reforms, including a new constitution. In September 2022 a majority of Chileans rejected a new constitutional draft that would have replaced the existing one that dates to the Pinochet dictatorship. What were the main lessons learned from this process? We invite Dr. Marcela Rios, who was Minister of Justice in Chile for the critical first year of the new government that was expected to deliver on reforms. Dr. Rios has over twenty years of governance related experience, and served in UNDP for almost 15 years. As a practitioner, policymaker and researcher, she specializes in democracy, governance, public policy and institutional design with a gender focus. In this episode we get her reflections on her time as Minister of Justice and the role of legitimacy in transition processes. Furthermore, we invite two experts to reflect on the conversation with Dr. Rios. Benedicte Bull and Alfredo Zamudio bring their unique perspective and discuss what the world can learn from these processes in Chile. 

 

The views expressed on this podcast are of the individuals and do not necessarily represent those of the United Nations, including UNDP, donor agencies, or the UN Member States. The designations employed and the presentation of the information in this podcast do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the United Nations Development Programme - concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.