Best Bertelsmann Foundation Podcasts (2024)

1
Democracy and Foreign Policy: Elites, Power, and Accountability in the Cold War Era |Featuring Elizabeth Saunders 50:06

1d ago50:06

50:06

Elizabeth Saunders, Professor of Political Science at Columbia University and author of The Insiders' Game: How Elites Make War and Peace, speaks with Andrew Keen about democracy and foreign policy. The conversation focuses on the tension between elites and democracy, power and accountability and domestic priorities and global responsibilities betw…

1
Faith, Politics, and the Rise of Authoritarianism: A Journey Through American Conservatism | Featuring Peter Wehner 53:44

22d ago53:44

53:44

In this episode host Andrew Keen sits down with Peter Wehner to discuss the intersection of faith and politics and the rise of the Evangelical movement in the Republican Party. Pete reflects on his early caution of the dangerous intertwining on faith and politics, his concerns about the religious impact on the Republican Party, and the shift toward…

1
The Republican Thread: Conservatism in the Twentieth Century | Featuring Jacob Heilbrunn 46:30

1M ago46:30

46:30

In conversation with Andrew Keen, the American historian Jacob Heilbrunn, outlines the continuous history of the close association of conservative views and the Republican Party in the early to Mid-Twentieth Century. He describes the party's support of strong anti-immigrant racial differences in the 1920s, hostility to the New Deal, support of the …

1
Pursuing Gay Rights in America’s Democracy | Featuring James Kirchick 41:42

2M ago41:42

41:42

For this episode, host Andrew Keen sits down with James Kirchick, journalist and author of the New York Times bestseller Secret City: the Hidden History of Gay Washington. They discuss the historical exclusion of gay individuals within American democracy, with a particular emphasis on the challenges - from legal persecution to professional exclusio…

1
How the Constitution and the Law Can Save American Democracy | Featuring Jeffrey Rosen 50:32

3M ago50:32

50:32

In this episode we delve into Jeffrey Rosen's latest work The Pursuit of Happiness. As the President of the National Constitution Center and a Professor of Law at George Washington University, Rosen brings a unique perspective on America's democratic foundations. Through an exploration of classical writers and America's own philosophers and politic…

1
Testing American Liberalism in the Cold War Years | Featuring James Traub 42:47

4M ago42:47

42:47

Testing American Liberalism in the Cold War Years In this episode journalist and historian James Traub delves into the paradoxical nature of liberalism in the post war years. The continuation of New Deal social and economic reforms charactarized a society of consensus in fulfillment of democratic ideals in the Cold War years. However, the illusory …

1
Challenges to Democracy in the Cold War | Featuring Sarah Snyder 40:10

4M ago40:10

40:10

In conversation with Prof. Sarah Snyder, an historian of Cold War international relations, Andrew Keen examines the relationship of democratic goals with the realities of American foreign policy. As the world's great post-war democratic and capitalistic power, the U.S. opposed Russia and China through strategic foreign aid and international interve…

1
The Democratic Divide in a Post World War II America | Featuring Dr. Carol Anderson 40:45

5M ago40:45

40:45

The democratic divide in post WWII: advance abroad, retreat at home. In this episode, Andrew Keen speaks with Dr. Carol Anderson, professor of African American Studies at Emory University. They discuss America in the post World War II years when America emerged as the world's leading democratic country. That claim was belied by the reality of a fla…

1
American Democracy Transformed | Featuring Kevin Baker 34:20

7M ago34:20

34:20

American Democracy Transformed: A Conversation with Kevin Baker on the Interwar Era's Cultural and Political Evolution In this episode, host Andrew Keen discusses with writer and editor, Kevin Baker, the multifaceted changes and growth of American democracy. Significant cultural innovations, technological advancements, and societal shifts occurred …

1
Fighting for Equity: African-American struggles in the '20s and '30s | Featuring Jill Watts 49:31

8M ago49:31

49:31

Fighting for Equity: African-American struggles in the '20s and '30s. In this episode, host Andrew Keen talks to Jill Watts author of The Black Cabinet, about the untold story of African Americans and politics during the age of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Jill Watts is an author and a Professor Emeritus of History at California State University San …

1
Women's Political Rights | Featuring Dr. Allida Black 28:31

9M ago28:31

28:31

Women's Political Rights | Dr. Allida Black Allida Black speaks with host Andrew Keen about the history of women in politics and the impact of their noteworthy political and social activism, which dates back a time well before the Women's Right to Vote. Dr. Allida Black is a historian, author, and editor of the Eleanor Roosevelt Papers.…

1
The Hoover Presidency | Featuring Richard Norton Smith 40:33

10M ago40:33

40:33

In this episode of How to Fix Democracy, host Andrew Keen engages in a conversation with the author and historian Richard Norton Smith, delving into a discussion about the Hoover presidency and its profound relevance for the United States during a time of upheaval and economic depression. Author and historian Richard Norton Smith enjoys national re…

1
The Legacy of FDR | Featuring Paul Sparrow 40:26

11M ago40:26

40:26

The Legacy of FDR | Paul Sparrow, former Director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, speaks with Andrew Keen about the immense challenges and legacies of FDR and his administration. Sparrow maintains that Roosevelt saved American democracy from an existential crisis caused by the Great Depression and the failure of previo…

1
FDR and the Great Depression | Featuring Derek Leebaert 38:55

12M ago38:55

38:55

FDR and the Great Depression | In this episode of How to Fix Democracy, author and historian Derek Leebaert provides a revisionist account of President Franklin Roosevelt and four members of his Cabinet. According to Leebaert, the 1920s were beset by economic distress and labor unrest that culminated in the Great Depression. Supported by Frances Pe…

1
American Isolationism and the Shifting World Order | Featuring Robert Kagan 41:11

1y ago41:11

41:11

American Isolationism and the Shifting World Order in the 1920s and 30s | In this 3rd episode of the season, host Andrew Keen talks to Robert Kagan, the distinguished Brookings Institute scholar of foreign policy, about America’s dramatically changing place in the world during the Twenties and Thirties. According to Kagan, at the end of World War I…

1
The Scopes Trial and the Fight for the Freedom to Teach | Featuring Edward Larson 40:28

1y ago40:28

40:28

The Scopes Trial and the Fight for the Freedom to Teach | In 1924, John Scopes, an instructor in a public school in Dayton, Tennessee, was indicted for violating the Tennessee Butler Act for teaching evolution in a publicly funded school. Strong personalities and strong beliefs clashed in the courthouse as they engrossed and even inflamed the count…

1
American Democracy in the Aftermath of World War I | Featuring Adam Hochschild 29:56

1y ago29:56

29:56

American Democracy in the Aftermath of World War I | In the first episode of Season 5, How to Fix Democracy host Andrew Keen sits down with Adam Hochschild, historian, journalist, and award-winning author of “American Midnight: The Great War, a Violent Peace, and Democracy's Forgotten Crisis." Hochschild takes us on a journey to America in the afte…

1
How Authoritarian Leaders Wield & Maintain Power | Featuring Moisés Naím 1:03:43

1+ y ago1:03:43

1:03:43

How Authoritarian Leaders Wield & Maintain Power | On October 20, 2022, Moisés Naím joined host Andrew Keen for a live episode of How to Fix Democracy in the Bertelsmann Foundation office in Washington, DC to discuss how authoritarian leaders wield and maintain power in contemporary politics. Author of “The End of Power” (2013) and “The Revenge of …

1
The State of American Democracy in the Shadow of January 6th | Featuring Larry Diamond 43:42

1+ y ago43:42

43:42

The State of American Democracy in the Shadow of January 6th Nearly two years on, the January 6th insurrection is still lingering over Washington, DC like a dark cloud. The events leading up to the Capitol insurrection, as well as the attack itself, have signaled a major threat to American democracy. Will the United States be able to recover fully …

1
Is Bipartisanship Possible in the United States | Featuring Michael Thorning 31:12

1+ y ago31:12

31:12

Is Bipartisanship Possible in the United States? | The 2020 Presidential Election clarified the need for a unified, authoritative understanding of elections and election systems in the United States. In recent weeks, Democratic legislators have been working to pass the Electoral Count Reform Act to update outdated systems and clarify the role of th…

1
The Transformation of the Republican Party | Featuring Dana Milbank 37:15

1+ y ago37:15

37:15

The Transformation of the Republican Party Throughout the last thirty years, the Republican Party in the United States has undergone a great change. How did the party come to adopt such a polarized platform in which white supremacy, conspiracy theories, and authoritarianism are no longer off limits? Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank traces thi…

1
Midterm Elections Special | Featuring Rebekah Caruthers 33:42

1+ y ago33:42

33:42

Midterm Elections Special Many Americans are preparing to head to the polls on November 8, 2022 for the US Midterm Elections. Following the elections of 2020, many are worried about the rise of election denial and the growing distrust of electoral systems. Rebekah Caruthers, the Vice President of the Fair Elections Center, advocates for election se…

1
American Ideologies and Trumpism | Featuring Darrell M. West 45:12

1+ y ago45:12

45:12

American Ideologies and Trumpism “Trumpism'' has emerged as a powerful force in American political ideology since the 2016 election. It is characterized by a philosophy that leans heavily on populism, ultra-nationalism, and religious fundamentalism – all part of the platform that bolstered Former President Donald Trump throughout his administration…

1
The Legitimacy of the U.S. Supreme Court | Featuring Dahlia Lithwick 41:00

2y ago41:00

41:00

The legitimacy of the U.S. Supreme Court The popularity of the U.S. Supreme Court has been in sharp decline throughout the last two years. Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June of 2022, many Americans, feeling unheard and unseen by the court’s decision, have been asking the question, “Why does the Supreme Court have so much power?” Dahlia Li…

1
Religion and American Conservatism | Featuring Katherine Stewart 34:31

2y ago34:31

34:31

Religion and American Conservatism The American far-right has, in many ways, become inseparable from religious conservatism and fervor. Religious movements and organizations provide the foundation, funding, and voting base of the extreme right in American politics, explains our latest guest. Katherine Stewart, the author of The Power Worshippers: I…

1
The Health of American Democracy | Featuring Cynthia Miller-Idriss 41:18

2y ago41:18

41:18

The Health of American Democracy The erosion of democratic values in the United States has led many to refer to American democracy as “sick” and in need of healing. Extremism, disinformation, and civic illiteracy have fueled radical beliefs and led to grave polarization within American society. Cynthia Miller-Idriss, director of the Polarization an…

1
Racial Injustice & Voting Rights in the United States | Featuring Andrea Young 36:42

2y ago36:42

36:42

Racial Injustice & Voting Rights in the United States Andrea Young, the executive director of the ACLU in Georgia, is a lifelong advocate of voting and civil rights in the United States. Having participated in the Selma to Montgomery marches with her parents at nine years old, she has dedicated her life to ensuring the protection of civil liberties…

1
Bridging the Partisan Divide | Featuring Mónica Guzmán 38:05

2y ago38:05

38:05

Bridging the Partisan Divide What does it mean to engage with someone on the other side of the political aisle? Mónica Guzmán has made it her mission to answer this question and facilitate thoughtful, constructive dialogue between the political left and right in the United States. In her latest book, I Never Thought of It That Way, she explores the…

1
The Crisis of the American Right | Featuring Peter Wehner and Jonathan Rauch 47:57

2y ago47:57

47:57

The Crisis of the American Right Authors Peter Wehner and Jon Rauch recently published a New York Times Opinion piece entitled “What’s Happening on the Left is No Excuse for What’s Happening on the Right.” As conservative researchers, they have a unique position to observe and analyze the recent shifts in the American political right. In the latest…

1
Tocqueville's Take on Democracy | Featuring Cheryl Welch and Arthur Goldhammer 42:01

2+ y ago42:01

42:01

Tocqueville's Take on Democracy Harvard University professors Cheryl Welch and Arthur Goldhammer are world-renowned experts and translators of the work of Alexis de Tocqueville. They kick off Season 4 of How To Fix Democracy by joining host Andrew Keen for a discussion of Tocqueville's famous observational text, "Democracy in America." Our fourth s…

1
The Roles of Citizens | Featuring Jon Alexander 40:34

2+ y ago40:34

40:34

The Roles of Citizens Jon Alexander is the founder of The New Citizenship Project and speaks in this interview with host Andrew Keen about the conflict between our roles as citizens and consumers. From the psychology of marketing and the formation of the modern citizen to what a crowdfunded brewery can teach us about restructuring decision-making a…

1
Democracy in Pain | Featuring Patrick Radden Keefe 40:47

2+ y ago40:47

40:47

Democracy in Pain Patrick Radden Keefe is a writer and investigative journalist whose recent book, Empire of Pain, delves into the opioid crisis in the United States. In this interview, co-hosted by Andrew Keen and the John Adams Institute director Tracy Metz, Patrick explains some of the lessons from this story for repairing democracy in America. …

1
Examining Elections | Featuring David van Reybrouck 31:46

2+ y ago31:46

31:46

Examining Elections David van Reybrouck is a Belgian author, historian, archaeologist, and the National Endowment for the Humanities / Hannah Arendt Center Fellow at Bard College in New York. He and Andrew Keen take a multifaceted approach to deliberative democracy and the structural challenges of democratic practices today. Are elections as we kno…

1
Innovating Democracy | Featuring Claudia Chwalisz 40:02

2+ y ago40:02

40:02

Innovating Democracy Claudia Chwalisz is the Innovative Citizen Participation Lead at the OECD Directorate for Public Governance. In this interview, she talks with host Andrew Keen about the importance of innovation in democratic governance to shift away from structures that encourage short-term thinking. Deliberative democracy, Chwalisz argues, ca…

1
The State of American Democracy | Featuring Darryl Pinckney 36:58

2+ y ago36:58

36:58

The State of American Democracy American novelist, playwright, and essayist Darryl Pinckney takes host Andrew Keen on a tour d’horizon of the state of American democracy, from the current political discourse to the impact of identity politics, cancel culture, social media, and the role of education in teaching the young generation what it means to …

1
Democracy Delivering Results | Featuring Danilo Türk 48:51

3y ago48:51

48:51

Democracy Delivering Results On the occasion of the International Day of Democracy, host Andrew Keen sat down with Danilo Türk, former President of Slovenia and currently President of Club de Madrid for a review of the challenges facing democracies around the world today. The basis of liberal democracy, they discuss, must be reinvented, not just re…

1
Fostering Collaboration | Featuring Hélène Landemore 40:33

3y ago40:33

40:33

Fostering Collaboration Hélène Landemore is Professor of Political Science at Yale University. In this interview, she talks with host Andrew Keen about a wide range of innovations and influences on democracy. They discuss how to engage citizens, from experiments like citizen assemblies to finding ways to increase more regular participation in polit…

1
Non-Western Democracies | Featuring David Stasavage 33:02

3y ago33:02

33:02

Non-Western Democracies David Stasavage is the Dean for Social Sciences at New York University, and the author of The Decline and Rise of Democracy. Stasavage and host Andrew Keen go over some non-western examples of early democracies, departing from the lineage of Athenian democracy. From elections, to bureaucracy and conceptions of meritocracy, t…

1
A Political Wilderness? | Featuring DeLesslin "Roo" George-Warren 39:05

3y ago39:05

39:05

A Political Wilderness? DeLesslin “Roo” George-Warren is a queer artist, researcher, and organizer from Catawba Indian Nation and a Humanity in Action Landecker Fellow. He talks with host Andrew Keen about Catawba Nation views of property, democracy, and the environment in the search for an indigenous view of the meaning of citizenship. Just as arr…

1
Citizenship and July 4th | Featuring Roya Hakakian 30:37

3y ago30:37

30:37

Citizenship and July 4th Roya Hakakian is a writer and poet and the author of A Beginner's Guide to America: For the Immigrant and the Curious. Talking just before July 4th, host Andrew Keen speaks with Roya Hakakian about her own experience coming to the U.S. from Iran, the meaning of America’s Independence Day, and what we should think about duri…

1
Voter Suppression | Featuring Dr. Carol Anderson 59:15

3y ago59:15

59:15

On June 1st, 2021, we hosted a live session of How to Fix Democracy with Dr. Carol Anderson, Charles Howard Candler Professor of African American Studies at Emory University, to discuss recent voter suppression measures in the United States and her new book, The Second: Race and Guns in a Fatally Unequal America.…

1
Digital Democracy and Citizen Engagement | Featuring Wietse Van Ransbeeck 34:07

3y ago34:07

34:07

Digital Democracy and Citizen Engagement Wietse Van Ransbeeck is the Co-Founder and CEO of the Citizen Lab, a Brussels-based company that works with governments to enable public participation in decision-making. With host Andrew Keen, Van Ransbeeck discusses his goals to make citizenship easier by using new technology to help local democracy be mor…

1
Democracy Through the Camera Lens | Featuring Astra Taylor 38:19

3y ago38:19

38:19

Democracy Through the Camera Lens Astra Taylor is an author and filmmaker whose documentary What is Democracy? covers much of the same ground as our own series, but with a different essential question in mind. In this interview, Astra Taylor and host Andrew Keen reflect on what they drew from ancient Athenian democratic practices in their respectiv…

1
Citizen Power | Featuring Eric Liu 34:43

3y ago34:43

34:43

Citizen Power Eric Liu is the co-founder and CEO of Citizen University and the Director of the Aspen Institute’s Citizenship and American Identity Program. In this episode that delves into the meaning of citizenship and the nature of power in politics, Liu and host Andrew Keen discuss contemporary conceptions of power in the United States and respo…

1
What is Global Citizenship | Featuring Nanjala Nyabola 39:51

3y ago39:51

39:51

What is Global Citizenship? | Nanjala Nyabola is a writer, political analyst, and activist based in Nairobi, Kenya. In this interview, she talks with host Andrew Keen about the meaning of citizenship especially in relation to global citizenship. If citizenship is related to rights and freedoms in a country, she says, global citizenship means enjoyi…

1
Devil's Curse of Migration | Featuring Abdul-Rehman Malik 36:35

3y ago36:35

36:35

Devil’s Curse of Migration Abdul-Rehman Malik is a journalist, community organizer, and Associate Research Scholar and Lecturer in Islamic Studies at Yale Divinity School. Malik and host Andrew Keen address the contradictions of belonging and inclusion. Migrants, they discuss, face these contradictions constantly, seeking belonging in their new hom…

1
Democracy, Citizenship, and Dystopian Fiction | Featuring Margaret Atwood 42:17

3+ y ago42:17

42:17

Democracy, Citizenship, and Dystopian Fiction Margaret Atwood is an award-winning author, who has written numerous best-sellers including the 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale. In this episode, she discusses with Andrew Keen her impressions of citizenship and the importance of fiction writers in a democracy. Dystopias, Atwood says, show us the future …

1
Can America Lead Again? | Featuring Tom Malinowski 33:17

3+ y ago33:17

33:17

Can America Lead Again? Tom Malinowski is the U.S. representative for New Jersey's 7th congressional district and was formerly the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor in the Obama administration. He and host Andrew Keen discuss the stature of American democracy today in light of the Biden administration’s proposed gl…

1
Smart Cities, Smart Citizens? | Featuring Bianca Wylie 34:21

3+ y ago34:21

34:21

Smart Cities, Smart Citizens? Bianca Wylie is co-founder of Digital Public, co-founder of Tech Reset Canada, and Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation. In this episode, she discusses with Andrew Keen the architecture and geography of citizenship from our countries and cities to cyberspace. She argues that digital techn…

1
Active, Equal, and Collective | Featuring Richard Bellamy 29:28

3+ y ago29:28

29:28

Active, Equal, and Collective Richard Bellamy is Professor of Political Science at University College London and the author of Citizenship: A Very Short Introduction. For him, being a citizen today is being an “active and equal participant in sustaining cooperative and collective goods in your political community.” However, the current idea of citi…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Bertelsmann Foundation Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide