UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation launches “Democracy and Its Discontents” podcast series
United States democracy is facing unprecedented challenges: Political polarization is at its highest level in decades, an uncharted new media environment is spreading questionable information and undermining public trust, and profound economic and societal changes are prompting deep dissatisfaction with democratic institutions and procedures.
What’s going on with democracy — and how can we save it? This is the question at the heart of a new podcast miniseries, “Democracy and Its Discontents,” from the Talking Policy Podcast, the official podcast of the University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC).
About the “Democracy and Its Discontents” miniseries
Globally, 2024 has been the year of the election, bringing half the world’s population to the polls in contests of varying degrees of legitimacy. As 2024 closes with a general election in the U.S., the five-episode podcast miniseries will feature in-depth conversations about the most pressing problems faced by U.S. democracy and how they can be addressed.
Topics will include the spread of misinformation in political discourse, the influence of money on the U.S. electoral system, how political actors promote division and enmity, and how the rise of populist demagogues is testing democracies across the world. The series will place these challenges in a historic context, exploring whether the risks to U.S. democracy are so unprecedented and how we can reinvigorate the democratic ideals that the nation was founded upon.
Access and episodes
Listen to the trailer below, and subscribe to Talking Policy on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud or wherever you get your podcasts.
Mark your calendar for the full episode schedule:
- Sept. 9 — Ep. 1: The Attack on Truth with Simone Chambers, UC Irvine
- Sept. 16 — Ep. 2: Money and Power with Marty Gilens, UCLA
- Sept. 23 — Ep. 3: Division and Discord with Zoltan Hajnal, UC San Diego
- Sept. 30 — Ep. 4: The Allure of the Strongman with Stephan Haggard, UC San Diego
- Oct. 5 — Ep. 5: Living in Hope and History with Emilie Hafner-Burton and Christina Schneider, UC San Diego
About the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
The UC IGCC is a research network comprised of scholars from across the University of California and the Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories who produce and use research to help build a more peaceful, prosperous world. Our focus is on challenges that have the potential to lead to wide-scale conflict, and that can benefit from global cooperation to solve. The IGCC builds diverse, multidisciplinary research teams that analyze the causes and consequences of global conflict — and help develop practical solutions. The Institute is based at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at UC San Diego, where several members of the leadership team and many researchers are on the faculty.
For 40 years, IGCC’s network of scholars from across UC has leveraged world-class academic expertise toward addressing the most serious matters of global security. As the world experiences reversals in democratic governance and a resurgence of authoritarianism, understanding the causes of U.S. democratic discontent could not be more salient to IGCC’s mission of utilizing rigorous research to help build a more peaceful and prosperous world.
Learn more about the IGCC or for questions, contact info@ucigcc.org.