Democracy Works

The Democracy Works podcast seeks to answer that question by examining a different aspect of democratic life each week — from voting to criminal justice to the free press and everything in between. We interview experts who study democracy, as well as peop

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Recent Episodes

Extreme maps, extreme politics

Posted January 18, 2021 • 00:38:31

Despite ongoing threats of violence, the wheels of democracy continue to turn, and in 2021 that means redistricting. States will draw new electoral...

American democracy’s violent disruption

Posted January 11, 2021 • 00:32:37

This episode was recorded on Friday, January 8, 2021, two days after the day that many of the things we’ve talked about on this show came to a head...

What really motivates Trump supporters

Posted December 7, 2020 • 00:38:37

Many, many articles, books, documentaries — and even podcasts — have been produced over the past four years to explain who Donald Trump’s base...

Wynton Marsalis on democracy as jazz and The Ever Fonky Lowdown

Posted November 2, 2020 • 00:36:40

Democracy takes center stage on Wynton Marsalis’s latest album, The Ever Fonky Lowdown and his forthcoming work, the Democracy Suite. However, he’s...

News deserts are democracy deserts, too

Posted October 26, 2020 • 00:42:47

More than 2,000 local newspapers have closed over the past 20 years, leaving some parts of the country in what’s known as a “news desert.” This...