Democracy Does: The Civic Power Playbook

Hidden in Plain Sight: Tanya Paperny on Club Madre, DC’s Overlooked Histories, and Why Saving Stories Matters Host Robin Hamilton introduces the Democracy Does: Civic Power Playbook series “Hidden in Plain Sight: The Story of Odessa Madre,” focused on history, identity, and preserving erased voices, and interviews Tanya Paperny, Washington City Paper columnist behind “On Places,” which uncovers ov...

This week, we’re welcoming back a familiar voice. Professor Andrew Flachs was kind enough to join us last season, and we’re delighted to have him back again to help us make sense of another issue hitting nearly everyone’s wallet. On this episode of Democracy Does: The Civic Power Playbook, the Purdue University professor and expert in agriculture and environmental anthropology unpacks what’s reall...

Season 3 of Democracy Does: The Civic Power Playbook is coming back. We've been working behind the scenes putting together new episodes, and honestly, this season might be the one I'm most excited about. Because the truth is, the things that shape our daily lives — they don't always show up as headlines. Sometimes they show up in your grocery receipt. In your rent. In the decisions being made in r...

As we head into a short hiatus, host Robin takes a moment to say thank you — and to look back at some of the season's most powerful conversations on Democracy Does: The Civic Power Playbook. We revisit the hidden economics of family caregiving with public health expert Dr. Maggie Ornstein, who breaks down how unpaid caregivers contribute billions in labor each year — $40 billion annually in New Yo...

Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept—it's becoming part of how we work, learn, and even manage our health. But as with any powerful technology, the question isn't whether AI exists. It's whether we use it wisely. On this week's episode of Democracy Does, I spoke with Emmy Hernandez, co-founder of the System and Soul AI Institute, whose remarkable story demonstrates both AI's p...

One of the core messages of Democracy Does is that every voice matters. Whether you're participating in your community, engaging with elected officials, or making decisions that affect your family, your willingness to speak up has power. As I discovered in my recent conversation with board-certified oncologist Dr. Tiffany Trosso-Sandoval, that lesson may be just as important in the doctor's office...

For many Americans, homeownership can feel increasingly out of reach. Rising prices, higher interest rates, and economic uncertainty have left many wondering whether the American Dream is still attainable. But according to HUD-certified housing advocate Sylvia Alvarez, the answer is yes—with the right guidance. As founder and executive director of the Housing and Education Alliance, Alvarez has sp...

Professor Shannon Lane joined Democracy Does: The Civic Power Playbook for an essential conversation about why voting rights, policy, and civic participation directly impact our everyday lives. As Director of the Nancy A. Humphries Institute for Political Social Work at the University of Connecticut, Lane explained how social workers often see firsthand how policy decisions affect healthcare, educ...

What if the biggest civil rights issue today isn’t just freedom of speech—but the ability to afford to live? In my recent conversation with civil rights attorney Ehsan Zaffar, we explored a powerful idea: our current system of rights was designed for a very different America. At the founding, protections like free speech and religious liberty were essential against government overreach. But today,...

What does it take to move from feeling powerless to becoming an agent of change? In my recent conversation with Sam Daley-Harris, the answer starts with one simple but profound idea: your story matters. Sam’s journey—from a percussionist in the Miami Philharmonic to founding RESULTS and Civic Courage—was shaped by what Marshall Ganz calls the “story of self.” It’s the thread that connects your lif...

At a time when political and cultural divisions feel sharper than ever, one question keeps surfacing: How do we talk to each other without tearing each other apart? On this week’s episode of Democracy Does: The Civic Power Playbook, I spoke with podcast host Corey Nathan, creator of Talkin’ Politics and Religion Without Killing Each Other. His mission is exactly what the title suggests—helping peo...

If your electric bill has felt like a shock lately, you’re not imagining it. In my recent conversation with energy economist Professor Severin Borenstein, we unpacked what’s really driving these increases—and it’s more complicated than any single headline. Across parts of the country like the mid-Atlantic and Midwest, demand for electricity is rising faster than supply. When that happens, prices g...

What does a conflict thousands of miles away have to do with your daily life? More than you might think. In this week’s episode of Democracy Does, I sit down with Severin Borenstein to unpack why rising tensions in the Middle East. The key takeaway: oil is a global market. Even though the U.S. produces a significant amount of oil, prices are set worldwide. When supply is disrupted—like the estimat...

In this week’s Democracy Does, I sat down with Dr. Colleen Shogan—the first woman to lead the National Archives and now the CEO of In Pursuit, a national civics initiative from More Perfect. She shared a powerful idea: Democracy is like a game—but many Americans don’t know the rules. From low civics proficiency rates to adults struggling with basic government questions, there’s a clear gap. And as...

In this week’s Democracy Does, I sat down with Greta Bedekovics of the Center for American Progress to break down the proposed SAVE Act—and what it could mean for everyday voters. At its core, the SAVE Act would dramatically change how Americans register to vote. Instead of the current, accessible system—often online or through the DMV using a driver’s license or Social Security number—the bill wo...

In this latest Democracy Does: The Civic Power Playbook conversation with Professor Adia Harvey-Wingfield, professor of sociology at Washington University in St. Louis, we unpack the ripple effects of recent labor policy changes and why they deserve your attention. One major concern is the widespread reduction of federal jobs across agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S...

What if the biggest barrier to civic participation isn’t apathy—but confusion? That’s the insight communications expert Marjorie Clifton shared in my recent Democracy Does conversation. As the co-founder of March Matters, Clifton is working to close a civic knowledge gap that many Americans don’t even realize exists. The idea behind March Matters is simple but powerful: make civic participation un...

As we head toward another pivotal election season, I sat down with Robert Boatright, professor at Clark University and director of research at the National Institute for Civil Discourse, to talk about what’s really happening in American elections — and what’s not. Here’s the headline: Professor Boatright is less worried about the mechanics of voting than about the erosion of public trust.    

In this episode of Democracy Does, I sat down with Professor Andrew Flachs of Purdue University to unpack how agriculture policy affects far more than farmers—it touches all of us. Dr. Flachs, an environmental anthropologist and author of Feeding the World as If People Mattered, breaks down how tariffs, trade wars, labor shortages, and consolidation in agribusiness ripple through the economy, from...

During National Consumer Protection Week, the host Robin Hamilton interviews University of Michigan social work professor and consumer protection expert Terri Friedline about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), why it was created after the 2008 mortgage crisis to center consumers’ experiences, and how recent rollbacks weaken protections. Friedline explains how higher credit card inter...

In this episode of Democracy Does: The Civic Power Playbook, host Robin Hamilton speaks with postal policy researcher Doug Carlson about recent changes to postal operations that could delay when your mail is officially postmarked and why most Americans have no idea it is happening. Doug explains that the United States Postal Service has implemented a policy called Regional Transportation Optimizat...

In this episode of Democracy Does: The Civic Power Playbook, host Robin Hamilton speaks with public health expert and caregiving advocate Prof. Maggie Ornstein about why caregiving must be recognized as essential work. In recognition of National Caregivers Day, the conversation explores how Medicaid cuts and shifting policies are increasing pressure on both paid and unpaid caregivers. Prof. Ornste...

In this episode of Democracy Does: The Civic Power Playbook, host Robin Hamilton speaks with grassroots organizer and advocate Freeda Cathcart, founder of the Common Sense Coalition Guide. Freeda shares the personal and political journey that led her to create a community-based framework for bringing people together across differences to address real-world policy impacts. The conversation explores...

In this episode of Democracy Does The Civic Power Playbook, host Robin N. Hamilton talks with labor researcher and author Les Leopold about why mass layoffs are often a policy choice, not an economic necessity. Les explains how worker representation at companies like Siemens in Germany helped prevent forced layoffs, and argues that U.S. corporations receiving taxpayer money should face similar lim...

Democracy Does: The Civic Power Playbook returns with a new season cutting through political noise to explain how policy decisions shape everyday life. Through expert conversations and real-world examples—from postal service changes to labor policy—the show empowers listeners with clarity, context, and practical ways to take informed civic action.