Rules of the Game – discussing democratic institutions

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Latest Episodes:

Directer Democracy with Roslyn Fuller Dec 17, 2021

Show notes

Can there be too much democracy? What are anti-democrats and how do they undermine democracy? How can direct democratic instruments give people more decision making power? Are citizen assemblies a way to strengthen democracy? I discuss these and many more questions with Roslyn Fuller who has written extensively on defending democracy.

Democracy needs to be defended not only against autocrats and authoritarian forces, but also against so-called anti-democrats that think the political and intellectual elites know better and should decide in lieu of the rest of society. Democracy needs to be defended against those who want to restrict the right to participate and the right to decide.

Direct democracy offers a powerful option to give people more decision making power and hence more control of the political process, but it has to be applied and used with caution and we seek to correct some of the misunderstandings around this powerful political tool.

Roslyn also shares her experiences with citizen assemblies that are currently organized all over, and explains why she does not support them as a tool to strengthen democracy. Finally, we also discuss the risks and opportunities of digital technologies for democratic institutions.

Dr. Roslyn Fuller has written several books on democracy, the latest titled “In Defence of Democracy”. She was educated in Germany and Ireland with a PhD in International Law from Trinity College, in Dublin. Roslyn’s experience as a lecturer, author, and political consultant has given her unique insights into structures of public governance and, above all, the mechanics of political power. Her relentless defence of people power has seen her articles and interviews published in countless newspapers and magazines.

Find the show notes with links to all material discussed here: https://rulesofthegame.blog/directer-democracy/

Follow Roslyn Fuller's research on her website: https://www.roslynfuller.com/ and on Twitter: https://twitter.com/roslynfuller

Please enjoy this wide ranging conversation with Roslyn Fuller.

Proportional representation in America? with Jack Santucci Dec 06, 2021

Show notes

Reforms of US electoral systems both at the local and national level would fundamentally change US politics. The two parties, that are a consequence of the single-seat plurality voting, fully control all democratic institutions. Only by making the electoral systems more proportional could outsider parties compete fairly against the Republican and Democratic party.

With Jack Santucci I discuss how electoral reform to introduce proportional representation (PR), for instance through open-list PR in multi-seat districts, could be an essential solution to the US political gridlock, making congressional elections more dynamic and leading to better representation. Jack has conducted some of the most comprehensive research on the history of US electoral reform, which is going to be published in his forthcoming book “More Parties or No Parties: The Politics of Electoral Reform in America” (Oxford University Press). The book lays out a 'shifting coalitions' theory of electoral reform, and analyzes a wave of ranked-ballot reforms in American cities during the Progressive Era and the New Deal.

Jack explains how the Democratic party could insulate itself against losing power through electoral reform. The window of opportunity may be short though. As the Republican party is increasingly controlled by politicians that disregard democratic principles, the perils of hardly contestable political offices become more real by the day. Also concerning is that many reform proposals would just not make congressional elections proportional enough to disrupt the two-party impasse.

Jack Santucci is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Politics at Drexel University. He got his PhD in Political Science from Georgetown University. During the academic year 2017-8, he was a Research Fellow at the Democracy Fund. Before graduate school, he worked at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), the Campaign Finance Institute, FairVote, Café Bonaparte, and a congressional district office.

Find the show notes with links to all material discussed here: https://rulesofthegame.blog/proportional-representation-in-america/

Follow Jack Santucci's research on his website: https://www.jacksantucci.com and on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jacksantucci

Please enjoy this wide ranging conversation with Jack Santucci.

Parliamentarism vs. presidentialism with Tiago Santos Nov 19, 2021

Show notes

There are broadly speaking two forms of government: Parliamentarism and presidentialism. The main difference is that in a parliamentary system the government is subordinated to the parliament and accountable to that parliament. While a president in a presidential system is elected by the people for a fixed term and does not depend on parliament, but is accountable to the people. Examples of parliamentary systems are the United Kingdom, Germany, or South Africa. Examples for presidential systems are the USA, Brazil, Chile or Nigeria.

My guest in this episode, Tiago Santos, has written a book on this topic titled “Why Not Parliamentarism?”. Together we discuss what are the important differences between the two systems, what are possible advantages and disadvantages, and about his opinion on whether the electoral law, for instance proportional representation, matters for the well-functioning of the government system.

We strongly agreed on the point that the discussion of this subject matter should be way more public and prominent across the globe, and that this question is particularly absent in current development economics' research.

Tiago Santos has been a Brazilian career diplomat since 2007 and has worked at the World Bank until quite recently. He has a law degree from Pontifícia Universidade Católica in Rio de Janeiro, a professional degree from Instituto Rio Branco (Brazil’s national diplomatic academy), and a master’s degree from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. None of the opinions here or in the book reflect the views of any institution he has been associated with.

Find the show notes with links to all material discussed here: https://rulesofthegame.blog/parliamentarism-versus-presidentialism/

Follow Tiago Santos on Twitter https://twitter.com/tribsantos.

Please enjoy this wide ranging conversation with Tiago Santos.

Nigeria's voice: pressuring government for change with Greg Anyaegbudike Nov 03, 2021

Show notes

Nigeria’s youth is creative, vibrant and energetic. Nigeria’s youth has tremendous potential and wants to thrive. My guest Greg Anyaegbudike shares how Nigerians strive and struggle to make their voices heard, and to keep governments at all levels accountable.

With Greg I discuss how Nigeria’s grass-roots political movements and NGOs try to build pressure on political institutions and how the local government level could be key for a more inclusive development.

Greg is convinced that there is great hope in Nigeria, yet it is crucial that political movements are successful in pushing for more transparency and the necessary electoral reforms.

Greg Anyaegbudike is a Citizen Engagement Consultant at the World Bank, and was previously an Advisor and Team Leader at the Partnership to Engage, Reform & Learn for Engaged Citizens (PERL) funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) of the UK government. Prior to that he was a State Team Leader of the State Accountability and Voice Initiative in Anambra State. Greg holds a Master’s in Information Science of the University of Nigeria in Nsukka.

Find the show notes with links to all material discussed here: https://rulesofthegame.blog/nigerias-voice/

Follow Greg Anyaegbudike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GregAnyegbudike and on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-anyaegbudike-956aab29/

Please enjoy this wide ranging conversation with Greg Anyaegbudike.

Not a democracy Oct 22, 2021

Show notes

What makes a political system a democracy? Should we be surprised when people lose faith in a system called democracy that is not democratic? What makes a political system more balanced and robust to extremist views?

In this episode I want to take a step back and present some of my thoughts about the state of democracy around the world. I try to answer these questions and share my personal opinion of what democratic institutions make a system more democratic.

Based on a comparison of countries, I claim that many countries are not really democratic – that people do not have real power. The way forward to make countries more democratic is to improve representation in parliaments at all government levels, to include people's veto powers, and to strengthen participation at the local level.

What political institutions a country has is paramount importance for people's satisfaction with a system called democracy.

Find the show notes with links to all material discussed here: https://rulesofthegame.blog/not-a-democracy/

Chile – from street protest to a new constitution with Claudia Heiss May 28, 2021

Show notes

Chile is in the process of drafting a brand new constitution. The current constitution is rooted in the dictatorship of Pinochet and does not serve modern Chile. My guest, Claudia Heiss, recounts the fear and tension during her childhood in the years of repression, and how that shaped her motivation to become a researcher of democracy. She shares with us how public pressure on the streets of Chile has built up over years, and how people were injured and even killed while protesting for basic rights and better representation. In 2019, the protests became so massive and fierce that the parliament was compelled to propose two popular votes: the first asking the people if they wanted a new constitution, and the second whether a constitutional convention should be elected to draft it. The people approved both proposals in October 2020, and elected a new constitutional convention on 15/16 May 2021.

An important step in the process was the electoral reform in 2015 that changed the parliamentary elections from using a binomial system with two-seat electoral districts to an open-list proportional system. That reform allowed for a more diverse and representative parliament to be elected in 2017. That same proportional electoral system was now used to elect the constitutional convention, including a gender quota and reserved seats for the indigenous people of Chile.

Dr. Claudia Heiss is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Instituto de Asuntos Publicos at the University of Chile. She has written and published extensively on the constitutional reform process.

Find the show notes with links to all material discussed here: https://rulesofthegame.blog/chile-from-street-protest-to-a-new-constitution/

Find Claudia Heiss' publications at: http://www.inap.uchile.cl/instituto/cuerpo-academico/103619/claudia-heiss-bendersky

Follow Claudia Heiss on Twitter: https://twitter.com/claudiaheiss

Please enjoy this wide ranging conversation with Claudia Heiss.

Nigeria – a federation mediating its democracy with Myani Bukar May 12, 2021

Show notes

Nigeria has had varied journey of democratic accountability and federal governance since its transition to a civilian rule in 1999. Most political attention is centered around the presidency and the powerful state governors, while the country's oil wealth generating immense tax revenues make holding political office a lucrative venture. As the Nigerian constitution has been inspired by the US political institutions, comparable issues arise in the two democracies. The single-seat plurality elections favor powerful incumbent parties and facilitates for financial donors to exert influence, while numerous minor parties are barely getting a seat in the National Assembly. At the same time, a new generation of ambitious Nigerians in the federal administration have brought a new dynamic into governance, eager to improve the social contract and make the federation deliver the dividends of democracy.

One of them is Myani Bukar, who shares his personal experiences and assessments of political developments in Nigeria, and we discuss how local government politics could be centered around issues, rather than ethnicity or religion and whether a more proportional electoral system could be a solution to improve representation.

Myani Bukar is a Lawyer, Development Economist and Policy Researcher with extensive experience in legal research, institutional capacity building and policy analysis. He is a National Program Director of the UK funded PERL-LEAP programme, to promote public sector accountability and previously served as a Special Assistant to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Legal Matters. He is also an Associate Researcher of the Overseas Development Institute, and a Member of the Advisory Board at Policy Vault.

Find the show notes with links to all material discussed here: https://rulesofthegame.blog/nigeria-a-federation-mediating-its-democracy/

Follow Myani Bukar on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MallamMB or on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/myani-bukar-4a344b/

Please enjoy this wide ranging conversation with Myani Bukar.

Power-sharing institutions in multicultural societies – the case of Switzerland with Sean Müller Mar 24, 2021

Show notes

How can political power be shared in a multicultural society? And what institutions can make multicultural societies more inclusive, balanced, and give people more control over political decisions and local public goods?

Together with Sean Müller, I discuss power-sharing institutions as a crucial element of the success of Swiss democracy. The development of inclusive institutions was a long and troublesome process that started out with lots of social cleavages. Not only had two conflicting religious groups, the Catholics and the Protestants, to be integrated into democratic agreements, also four languages are spoken in the different regions, and 26 cantons (states) have different cultures and traditions, and each wants to have a say. Switzerland thus was an unlikely case to become a consociational democracy.

We discuss milestones in the development of the Swiss constitution and its democratic institutions. Important power-sharing institutional pillars are federalism, a proportional representation electoral system, a federal council as executive government, and direct democracy.

Dr. Sean Müller is an Assistant Professor at the University of Lausanne, specializing in Swiss and comparative federalism, territorial politics and direct democracy. Our discussion is based on a recently revised edition of the book “Swiss Democracy. Possible Solutions to Conflict in Multicultural Societies”, written by Wolf Linder and Sean Müller.

Find the show notes with links to all material discussed here: https://rulesofthegame.blog/power-sharing-institutions-switzerland/

Find Sean Müller's research on his website: https://people.unil.ch/seanmuller/

Follow Sean Müller on Twitter: https://twitter.com/seanstmllr

Please enjoy this wide ranging conversation with Sean Müller.

Basic principles of direct democracy with Stefan Schlegel Mar 18, 2021

Show notes

Direct democracy is a powerful political institution. It is the people's veto power in government. Used in the right way, it is an important check on representative democracy and a way to break politicians and parties’ coalitions directed against the common interest of the voters, thus a way to hedge against excessive politics by elected representatives.

Together with Stefan Schlegel, I discuss basic principles of direct democracy that make its use less controversial, less risky, more cohesive, and, not least, more democratic. Based on the examples of the Brexit referendum and the recent Swiss popular initiative to ban face veils (burqa ban), we debate some of the biggest problems and possible solutions when employing direct democracy as a political decision making tool.

Dr. Stefan Schlegel is a Postdoctoral Researcher and Lecturer at the law faculty of the University of Bern, Switzerland. He holds a PhD in Law, and specializes in studies of refugee and immigration law. He is an Ambizione Fellow of the Swiss National Science Foundation. Previously, Stefan Schlegel was a Senior Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for the study of ethnic and religious diversity. Besides his academic career, he is a member of the board at Operation Libero, an influential liberal transpartisan political movement that running campaigns regarding popular votes in Switzerland.

Please enjoy this wide ranging conversation with Stefan Schlegel.

This episode is partly based on the blog post "8 Principles of Direct Democracy", published on the Center for Global Development blog.

Find out more about Stefan Schlegel's work and political activities on his personal website (in German).

Connect with Stefan Schlegel on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Find the show notes and full transcript of the episode here: https://rulesofthegame.blog/basic-principles-of-direct-democracy/

Zimbabwe's struggle for democracy with McDonald Lewanika Feb 24, 2021

Show notes

Political institutions and power have been changing in Zimbabwe since Robert Mugabe took power as a liberator from colonial oppression in the year 1980. The image of the liberator Robert Mugabe speaking to the public in 1987 is also one of McDonald Lewanika's early childhood memories of politics.

While the electoral institutions were more proportional and inclusive in the early 1980s, the dominant ruling party ZANU-PF changed the rules of the game over time to tighten its grip on power. McDonald Lewanika explains why and where political power is concentrated in today’s Zimbabwe and how ZANU-PF was able to consolidate political power at the expense of the opposing political parties and the citizens of Zimbabwe.

Dr. McDonald Lewanika is a politics and development researcher with over 17 years of experience as a human rights defender, democracy and governance practitioner and civil society leader in Zimbabwe and southern Africa. He holds a PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Please enjoy this wide ranging conversation with McDonald Lewanika.

Find out more about his work on https://mlewanika.academia.edu/

Find him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Makil

Find the show notes and full transcript of the episode here: https://rulesofthegame.blog/zimbabwes-struggle-for-democracy/

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