What's Wrong with Democracy?

It often feels like America is stuck in a perpetual election campaign cycle. How much do campaigns matter? Ben speaks to three guests who have followed several US presidential campaigns from the outside, and the inside. How different does this year’s look? What’s Wrong with Democracy? US election miniseries - part three of three.Guests: John Sides, Professor at the Department of Political Science at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TennesseeLauren Gambiano, political correspondent for Guardian US Jim Messina, former campaign manager and former White House deputy chief of staff for operations under President Barack ObamaWhat’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 by our journalists.Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content.Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more.If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.comHost: Professor Ben AnsellProducers: Ada Barume and Eleanor BiggsEditor: Jasper CorbettOriginal artwork: Jon Hill | Emma O’Neil 

American voters have chosen the two candidates who will vie to become the next US president. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump couldn’t be more different. This week, Ben wants to know what kind of leaders American voters are drawn to. What makes a good president? And is the US primary system of choosing candidates a good way of selecting a leader? What’s Wrong with Democracy? US election miniseries - part two of three.Guests: Lee Drutman, senior fellow in the Political Reform program at the think tank New AmericaDarrell West, professor of Political Science and Director of the John Hazen White, Sr., Public Opinion Laboratory at Brown UniversityLindiwe Mazubuko, CEO of Futurelect and former Leader of the Official Opposition, Parliament of South Africa 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 by our journalists.Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content.Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more.If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.comHost: Professor Ben AnsellProducers: Ada Barume and Eleanor BiggsEditor: Jasper CorbettOriginal artwork: Jon Hill | Emma O’Neil 

Polling organisations often define Americans by their ethnic and racial identity. Ben wants to know if these voter “blocks” remain intact at the ballot box. Is it possible to predict how people will vote based on their identity? Or is demographic polling pointless? What’s Wrong with Democracy? US election miniseries - part one of three.Guests: Christopher Towler,  Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at California State University, SacramentoKira Sanbonmatsu, Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University and Senior Scholar at the Center for American Women and PoliticsMark Hugo-Lopez,  Director of Race and Ethnicity Research at the Pew Research CenterWhat’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 by our journalists.Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content.Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more.If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.comHost: Professor Ben AnsellProducers: Ada Barume and Eleanor BiggsEditor: Lewis VickersOriginal artwork: Jon Hill | Emma O’Neil 

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 WarwickJames Chin, Professor of Asian studies at the University of Tasmania 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 by our journalists.Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content.Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more.If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.comHost: Professor Ben AnsellProducers: Ada Barume and Eleanor BiggsEditor: Lewis VickersOriginal artwork: Jon Hill | Emma O’Neil 

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 UniversityMadzoo, Senegalese graffiti artist and activistWhat’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 by our journalists.Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content.Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more.If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.comHost: Professor Ben AnsellProducers: Ada Barume and Eleanor BiggsEditor: Lewis VickersOriginal artwork: Jon Hill | Emma O’Neil 

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 UniversityJohn Burn-Murdoch, chief data reporter at the Financial TimesJake Grumbach, associate professor at the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC BerkeleyWhat’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 by our journalistsSubscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentBecome a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and moreIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.comHost: Professor Ben AnsellProducers: Ada Barume, Eleanor Biggs and Katie Gunning Editor: Jasper CorbettOriginal artwork: Jon Hill | Emma O’Neil 

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 ExtremismWhat’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 by our journalistsSubscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentBecome a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and moreIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.comHost: Professor Ben AnsellProducers: Ada Barume, Eleanor Biggs and Katie Gunning Editor: Jasper CorbettOriginal artwork: Jon Hill | Emma O’Neil 

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 2017Rebecca Vincent, Director of campaigns at Reporters sans frontières - Reporters Without Borders (RSF)Eliot Higgins, Founder of BellingcatWhat’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 by our journalistsSubscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentBecome a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and moreIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.comHost: Professor Ben AnsellProducers: Ada Barume, Eleanor Biggs and Katie Gunning Editor: Jasper CorbettOriginal artwork: Jon Hill | Emma O’Neil