Rules of the Game – discussing democratic institutions

With Colin Cole I discuss the work of More Equitable Democracy, a racial justice organization to advance racial equity by transforming electoral systems. As the US electoral systems are almost exclusively built as winner-take-all elections that serve only the two parties in power, they don’t deliver fair representation. But how can more minorities’ representatives be elected into state parliaments...

With Friedrich Pukelsheim I discuss double proportional representation. Since 2006 the Canton of Zurich in Switzerland uses double proportionality to elect its 180 members of parliament. Friedrich Pukelsheim was invited to design an electoral system that would deliver on the promise of overall proportional representation in the canton while keeping the existing electoral districts since they are m...

With Degan Ali I discuss the system of international aid based on her inside experience of working in the sector for over two decades. She speaks truth to power and that really takes some bravery to do, and I honor that. Degan Ali shares many compelling stories from her home country Somalia, but also from several years of growing up and studying in the US. She explains how local agricultural marke...

With Armin Schäfer I discuss Germany's mixed member proportional electoral system and its current reform. We compare the old and the prospective new electoral system, and we explore what the most important and the most controversial changes are. Armin Schäfer shares not only historical context of the character of Germany’s political system but also his opinions on the reform process. Important...

In this episode of Rules in Perspective I review the podcast episode 42 on Democracy for Busy People, a discussion I had with Kevin Elliott. My three takeaways from episode 42: 0:42 It’s important to include busy people in democracy. 3:55 Political parties and political competition are crucial. The better parliaments represent the people’s interests, the more democratic our political systems. 6:00...

With Kevin Elliott I discuss how democracy could be built for busy people based on his new book Democracy for Busy People , published in 2023 by the University of Chicago Press. I had a fascinating conversation with Kevin Elliott about his inspiration for writing the book, in which he takes the viewpoint of busy individuals who scarcely have the time to delve into lengthy parliamentary debates, pa...

In this episode of Rules in Perspective I review the podcast episode 41 on direct democracy in Latin America, a discussion I had with Yanina Welp. My three takeaways from episode 41: 0:50 Direct democracy is a powerful democratic institution. 2:41 Authoritarian regimes may use "the will of the people" to consolidate power. 7:14 The devil is in the details. ⁠ Find the show notes with full...

With Yanina Welp I discuss different ways of how direct democratic institutions have been applied in Latin American countries – both in fundamentally democratizing processes but also power grabbing incidents. In particular, we talk about the cases of Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, Uruguay and Venezuela, based on Yanina’s extensive research and deep knowledge. Yanina also shares her insights on how direc...

In this episode of Rules in Perspective I review the podcast episode 40 on the Citizens' Chamber in the Canton of Vaud, a discussion I had with Rodan Bury and Charly Pache. My three takeaways from episode 40: 0:45 Designing complementary institutions 4:55 Citizens’ Chamber & direct democracy 8:56 Improving existing institutions Find the show notes with full transcript here . Listen to epis...

With Rodan Bury and Charly Pache I discuss their initiative to inaugurate a Citizens’ Chamber in the Canton of Vaud in Switzerland. The idea of the citizens’ chamber is to complement the existing unicameral parliament with topic-specific citizens’ assemblies, for which members are selected by sortition. Rather than being a permanent chamber of the same citizens, the proposed citizens’ chamber cons...

Rules in Perspective is a new segment on the Rules of the Game channel. In this new segment I review and comment on my own podcast episodes. In this episode of Rules in Perspective I review the podcast episode 39 on Fixing the House with Proportional Representation with Lee Drutman. My 3 takeaways from episode 39: John Adams' Nightmare Electoral reform is an uphill battle, but worth it. Electo...

With Lee Drutman I discuss how proportional representation can break the two-party doom-loop that is spiraling in the U.S. Lee co-founded the organization “Fix Our House” with Charlotte Hill and Eli Zupnick, that specifically campaigns for proportional representation for the U.S. House of Representatives. We spend less time talking about the problems of the outdated first-past-the-post system, yet...

Rules in Perspective is a new segment on the Rules of the Game channel. In this new segment I review and comment on my own podcast episodes. In this episode of Rules in Perspective I review the podcast episode 38 on Political Institutions of Kuwait with Luai Allarakia. My three takeaways: Re-read the constitution Procedural rules matter too Political parties are important Listen to episode 38 and...

With Luai Allarakia I discuss Kuwait’s political system and institutions. He lays out the most important developments since its constitution was written in 1962, and how Kuwait – a country of 4.3 million people –  tries to manage its political trajectory between presidentialism and parliamentarism. It is following its own path, that is led by a hereditary monarch, the emir of Kuwait. While a...

Rules in Perspective is a new segment on Rules of  the Game – discussing democratic institutions. In this new segment I review and comment on my own podcast episodes. In this episode of Rules in Perspective I review the podcast episode 37 on Advancing Proportional Representation in Canada with Réal Lavergne . My three takeaways : Broken promises Lost referendums Citizens’ assemblies as a refo...

The story of proportional representation in Canada is one of great hopes, changes in reform strategies, but also – unfortunately – many broken promises. So the country is still stuck with the outdated first-past-the-post electoral system at all levels of government. With Réal Lavergne I discuss the efforts of Fair Vote Canada to push for electoral reform. He shares the frustrations and problems th...

Rules in Perspective is a new segment on Rules of the Game – discussing democratic institutions. In this new segment I review and comment on my own podcast episodes. In this episode of Rules in Perspective I review the podcast episode 36 on Current Developments of Direct Democracy in Germany with Jan Renner.  My three takeaways: On the people's initiative in Bavaria On citizens' assemblies an...

With Jan Renner I discuss current developments of direct democracy in Germany, and especially in Bavaria, his home state. Bavaria is the most advanced German federal state when it comes to direct democracy. Jan explains the specific direct democratic tools that are available and how Mehr Demokratie, the organization he works for, tries to change the rules of direct democracy to make citizen partic...

Women in Brazil have consistently been underrepresented in politics. What are the reasons for this lack of women’s political power in this vast democracy? How do formal and informal institutions hinder fair representation of women? How could the political system be changed to reflect the true interest and character of Brazilian society? With Larissa Peixoto Gomes I discuss Brazilian democratic ins...

With Arend Lijphart I discuss some of the fundamental questions regarding democratic institutions based on his seminal book “Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries”, that he first published in 1999 and then updated in 2012. The book contrasts majoritarian and consensus models of democracy. It teaches a lot about democratic institutions and it greatly increa...

With Idayat Hassan I discuss the state of democracies in West Africa. She is the Director of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), an organization that is advocating for democratic reforms across the West African Region, and based in Abuja, Nigeria. The organization was founded in 1997 in London by Nigerians in Exile when Nigeria was still under military rule. But it relocated to Lagos w...

With Wietse Van Ransbeeck I discuss citizen participation at the local government level. Wietse was discouraged by the existing possibilities to participate in local political processes in his home town in Belgium, and he didn’t want to become a politician. So he founded CitizenLab that provides digital tools and services for local governments that want to integrate the citizens’ opinions and know...

With John Matsusaka I discuss direct democracy, based on his latest book “Let the People Rule: How Direct Democracy Can Meet the Populist Challenge”, that he published with the Princeton University Press in 2020. Many people feel disconnected from politics. Direct democracy is a powerful democratic institution that can reconnect people with political processes and give them actual political power....

New Zealand’s electoral reform of 1996 is an important case to know and understand for anyone interested in institutional change.  With Jack Nagel I discuss how New Zealand moved from a Westminster type first-past-the-post system to a mixed-member proportional representation (MMP) system, that we find in Germany for instance. The reform changed not only the character of its parliament but als...

With Tarunabh Khaitan I discuss “Moderated Parliamentarism”, a concept of a system of government that he describes in great detail in a paper titled “Balancing Accountability and Effectiveness: A Case for Moderated Parliamentarism”. It seeks to combine the most attractive elements of different regime types and electoral systems  – checks and balances from presidentialism, continuous confidenc...