James Madison Center for Civic Engagement: Democracy Matters

In this episode, we talk with Jim Acosta, CNN anchor for weekend programming and the network's chief domestic correspondent, about the critical role of a free press as necessary noise in a functioning democracy. Acosta weighs in on the implications of the January 6, 2021 violent attacks and the ongoing insurrection for democracy in America and why we need a bipartisan commission to investigate. "I...

In this episode we talk with Walter Shaub, who leads the Ethics and Accountability Initiative at the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), about what elected and other government officials, and the public can do to create and implement long-lasting reforms to shore up the barricades against authoritarianism. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2021/...

"America is on the move again," declared President Joe Biden in a joint session of Congress on April 28, 2021 and on the eve of the 100th day of his administration. In this episode, Caitlin Tully, a first-year Finance major in JMU's College of Business, moderates a discussion with economic policy experts Flint Engelman, Americans for Prosperity, and Ben Ritz, Director of Progressive Policy Institu...

The theme of Earth Day 2021 is action on Climate Change. In this episode, we talk with Dr. Tobias Gerken, assistant professor in the School of Integrated Sciences and Technology at JMU whose research focuses on environmental and atmospheric science. He explains some of his novel research on land–atmosphere coupling and feedback and with NASA's project on Atmospheric Carbon and Transport and the De...

According to a recent Pew Research Center study, there is a record number of women serving in the 117th Congress. We talk with Dr. Kira Sanbonmatsu, Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University and Senior Scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at the Eagleton Institute of Politics, about breaking barriers to women's representation in policy and decisionmaking processe...

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Charley Willison, a National Institutes of Mental Health Postdoctoral Fellow at the Harvard University Department of Health Care Policy, about the politics and governance of homelessness in the United States and what can be done to address the national homelessness crisis. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2021/04-0...

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Kristin Wylie, associate professor of political science at James Madison University, about political violence against women, the state of women's political representation and participation, and reforms to address structural barriers that prevent women from running and serving in office. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/c...

Does President Joe Biden have a mandate to enact his policies and agenda? Why are presidents drawn to mandate rhetoric? What can we learn from presidential communications about the logic of presidential mandates? How do popular and media conceptions of mandates differ from those of presidents and their teams? Although political scientists have been pretty adamant that mandates aren't real, the ide...

In this episode, we talk with Ethan Zuckerman, associate professor of public policy, communication and information at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, who argues that rather than rebuilding trust in institutions, we should question whether institutions are worthy of our trust. We can either work to make our existing institutions better, or we can recognize that they're no longer fit for...

In this episode of Democracy Matters, James Madison University History and Political Science faculty experts explain the ongoing insurrection, and help us understand the events of January 6, 2021, the complicity of the president of the United States, and efforts to undermine American elections, and democratic norms and institutions. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https:...

In an essay published posthumously, civil rights icon and Member of Congress John Lewis, wrote, "Democracy Is Not A State. It Is An Act." The team at the James Madison Center for Civic Engagement reflects on 2020 and our nonpartisan efforts to promote informed electoral participation, ensure a complete count in the 2020 Census and create opportunities for people to learn about and take on action o...

Relying on executive authority and issuing 400 executive actions on immigration, the Trump adminsitration implemented policies on a wide range of immigration issues, touching on everything from asylum to deportation policy, refugee resettlement, and admissions from certain majority-Muslim countries. In this episode, we talk with Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, Policy Counsel at the American Immigration Co...

Dr. Melinda Adams, Associate Dean of JMU's College of Arts and Letters, discusses democratic transitions, what to expect in policy approaches to Africa under the Biden administration, women's political representation globally, and more. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/12-11-democracy-matters-episode-48.shtml

Is the United States a democracy? Is representative government failing the American people? In this episode, we talk with former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel about how bringing the people directly into the operations of government as deliberative lawmakers might make the United States more democratic. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/12-02-democ...

Should we be concerned about how legal challenges made by President Trump's campaign to challenge results in key states combined with the spread of false information and unfounded claims of fraud might undermine trust in elections and political institutions? Why can efforts to deter fraudulent voters make matters worse? How should we be thinking about rights to give and spend money in connection w...

How have changes in the media ecosystem impacted knowledge of issues and informed participation in elections? How did media coverage of the 2020 elections compare to 2016? Why is there so much distrust in the news media? How does the current mediascape with the ability to pick and choose from divergent news sources impact the ability of Americans to distinguish credible information from misinforma...

Americans today live shorter, sicker lives than people in other developed countries, and, across the nation, health varies by income, education, race and ethnicity, and geography. In this episode, we talk with Dr. Linda Plitt-Donaldson, Associate Dean of College of Health and Behavioral Studies and Director of the Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services at James Madison University, a...

In this episode of Democracy Matters, we talk with Dr. Mildred García, president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and with Jonathan Alger, president of James Madison University, about the role of higher education in advancing diversity and democracy, and higher education's special responsibility to contribute meaningfully to the communities in which they are s...

Leading up to the 2020 elections, there are over 260 lawsuits in the courts about who can vote, when ballots can be cast and by when they must be counted. In this episode, we talk with SCOTUSblog reporter and Supreme Court expert Amy L. Howe about the litigation arms race and the role of the Supreme Court in voting rights and election law. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at...

What does civil discourse mean to students? How can we have hard conversations in such a divisive political climate when the stakes are so high? In this episode, we talk about the politics of civility on campus and beyond with JMU students Wyatt Blevins (Political Science and Public Policy and Administration, '22), Chairman of the College Republicans; Robert Gruberger (History and Political Scienc...

In this episode, students in our Elections 2020 class interview Chris Piper, Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Elections, about how the pandemic has affected election administration this year; historic levels of absentee and early voting; partnering with federal agencies and other states to combat foreign interference; and how litigation will affect when we know election results. See the...

How should we view the 2020 elections in the broader arc of American political history? What are some key questions we should be considering for governance in the wake of such a divisive election? What role does morality policy play in electoral politics? And what is the state of our political parties? In this episode, we dive into these questions and more with JMU Political Science faculty Dr. Ma...

As part of Global Climate Change Week encouraging academic communities to engage with each other, their communities, and policy makers on climate change action and solutions, we talk with Tom Benevento, co-founder of Vine and Fig about the 50 By 25 campaign working toward a clean, just energy transition in Harrisonburg. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/c...

"Always remember-you're a Madison. You come from African slaves and a president." Dr. Bettye Kearse joins us for a discussion about her new book, The Other Madisons: The Lost History of a President's Black Family. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/10-14-democracy-matters-episode-37.shtml

Are you feeling anxious, fatigued, worried, angry or hopeful about the election? In this episode we talk with Dr. Benjamin Blankenship, assistant professor of Psychology at James Madison University about what drives election emotions and what we can do to cope. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/10-08-democracy-matters-episode-36.shtml