Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchDemocracy's summer blockbusters
Episode 219
Democracy Works is taking its annual summer hiatus starting next week, but that does not mean the wheels of democracy will stop turning while we're a…
3 years, 10 months ago
Can American democracy have nice things?
Episode 217
In 100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting, E.J. Dionne and Miles Rapoport argue that all members of a democracy must participate in elections.…
3 years, 10 months ago
Baby Boomers and American gerontocracy
Episode 216
The Baby Boomers are the most powerful generation in American history — and they're not going away anytime soon. Their influence in politics, media,…
3 years, 10 months ago
No Jargon: How white Millennials think about race
Millennials are often seen as a progressive-minded generation – as 80’s and 90’s kids, they grew up in a digital landscape that exposed them to a div…
3 years, 10 months ago
Book bans are never just about books
Episode 215
Book bans are nothing new in the United States, but our guest this week says the current movement to restrict access to books about race and gender …
3 years, 10 months ago
Debating the future of debates
Episode 214
We love a good debate — and have certainly had plenty of them on this show. But how effective are they in today's media and political landscape? We t…
3 years, 11 months ago
What student debt says about democratic institutions
Episode 213
Americans owe more than $1.5 trillion in student debt and some members of the Millennial and Gen Z wonder whether they'll ever pay off their loans. S…
3 years, 11 months ago
Combating disinformation at home and abroad
Episode 212
Peter Pomerantsev visited Penn State at the end of March, when he was just back from a trip to Ukraine. We discuss what he saw there, as well as how …
3 years, 11 months ago
Jon Meacham on creating a more perfect union
Episode 211
Jon Meacham is one of America's leading thinkers on how the country's political history can inform the present. He recently visited Penn State to pre…
3 years, 11 months ago
The roots of radical partisanship
Episode 210
Political violence is rising in the United States, with Republicans and Democrats divided along racial and ethnic lines that spurred massive bloodshe…
4 years ago