Democracy:Differently
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Welcome to Democracy:Differently, the podcast dedicated to reimagining and improving democracy. Every two weeks, we engage with top political scientists, experts, and practitioners to discuss innovative solutions for modern democratic challenges.
Democracy:Differently explores how to fix flaws in representative democracy without abandoning it. From electoral reform and new forms of citizen engagement to leveraging technology for inclusive democracy, we dive deep into actionable ideas that can make democracy more effective, transparent, and participatory.
Democracy:Differently explores how to fix flaws in representative democracy without abandoning it. From electoral reform and new forms of citizen engagement to leveraging technology for inclusive democracy, we dive deep into actionable ideas that can make democracy more effective, transparent, and participatory.
20 Episodes
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In this episode, Jess sits down with Professor Michelle Phelps to discuss what policing and prisons show us about democracy, and the politics of police reform in Minneapolis. Michelle Phelps is a Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Minnesota. Her work focuses on the sociology of policing, probations and prisons and her latest book The Minneapolis Reckoning: Race, Violence, and the Politics of Policing in America won the 2026 Outstanding Book Award from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.For more information on the episode and podcast visit our website https://democracydifferently.org
In this episode, Jess sat down with Professor Karen Celis and Professor Sarah Childs. The discuss how women can and should be represented in a democracy, democratic listening and design, and their book Feminist Democratic Representation.Karen Celis is Professor of Political Science and head of the research centre Democratic Futures, Vrije Universiteit Brussels, and Sarah is a Professor of Politics and Gender at University of Edinburgh and one of the principle investigators on the ERC Synergy grant QUALREP. For more information on the episode and podcast visit our website https://democracydifferently.org
On this episode, host Keith Hyams sits down with Mike Saward to discuss how we can (re)design democracy, LEGO, and possible new directions for democracy.Mike Saward is Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick. His work focuses on contemporary democratic theory, including theories of representation. His most recent book, Democratic Design, was awarded the W.J.M Mackenzie Book Prize by the UK Political Studies Association in 2023.For more information on the episode and podcast visit our website https://democracydifferently.org
In this episode of Democracy: Differently, Jess speaks to Marlène Laruelle, Professor at Luiss University, Rome about the rise of illiberalism. They discuss how illiberal movements have come about, and what this means for liberal democracy in the near future.Marlène Laruelle is Professor at Luiss University, Rome. Her work focuses on the rise of illiberal movements in various national contexts.
In this extra long episode, host Keith Hyams sits down with Anneliese Dodds, MP for Oxford East. From AI, the climate crisis and the rise of populism, they discuss the current state of democracy.For more information on the episode and podcast visit our website https://democracydifferently.org
In the first episode of season 2 of Democracy: Differently, hosts Jess Sutherland and Keith Hyams sit down with chief executive of Transparency International UK, Daniel Bruce. They reflect on how much influence money has on democracy and what it means for democracy when we don’t know where that money comes from. For more information on the episode and podcast visit our website https://democracydifferently.org
In this episode co-hosts Jessica Sutherland and Keith Hyams sit down together to discuss Keith's own work! From the role of empathy in democracy to the reasons for starting the podcast, Keith discusses why now more than ever we need to be speaking about democratic innovation.Keith Hyams is a professor of political theory and ethics at the University of Warwick. His current work focuses on democratic innovation and justice.We will return for series 2 on January 14th, 2026. In the meantime check out the 12 episodes from our first series!For more information on the episode and podcast visit our website https://democracydifferently.org
In this episode, host Jessica Sutherland is in conversation with Professor Juliet Hooker about Black grief, white grievance, and the role of protests and uncivil disobedience.Juliet Hooker is the Merton P. Stoltz Professor of Social Sciences at Brown University. She is the author of several books, the most recent of which is Black Grief/White Grievance: The Politics of Loss.New episodes every two weeks!For more information on the episode and podcast visit our website https://democracydifferently.org
In this episode, host Keith Hyams talks to Jennifer Edmond about how democracy may be changed by artificial intelligence and knowledge technologies. Jennifer Edmond is Associate Professor of Digital Humanities at Trinity College Dublin. Her research looks at how technology intersects with culture, identity, and politics, and how democracies can adapt to new technological challenges while protecting human agency.New episodes every two weeks!For more information on the episode and podcast visit our website https://democracydifferently.org
In this episode of Democracy: Differently, host Keith Hyams talks with Professor André Bächtiger about what democracy could look like if we started from scratch, on Mars. What would citizens design? What do those ideas teach us about democracy here on Earth?André Bächtiger is a political scientist and Professor at the University of Stuttgart, specializing in deliberative democracy, political communication, and the empirical study of democratic processes. He has been working on an innovative research project where people imagine a democracy on “Mars” as a blank slate to surface fresh ideas for reforming democracy here.New episodes every two weeks!For more information on the episode and podcast visit our website https://democracydifferently.org
In this episode of Democracy:Differently, host Jessica Sutherland speaks with Jonathan Benson about democratic scepticism, the epistemic benefits of democracy, and the importance of defending democracy against critics by valuing its ability to gather and interpret knowledge, alongside exploring alternatives to traditional election-based decision-making.Jonathan Benson is a lecturer in Political Theory at the University of Manchester, with research focusing on democratic theory, particularly the epistemic value of democracy, and challenges to democracy from an interdisciplinary perspective in politics, philosophy, and economics.New episodes every two weeks!For more information on the episode and podcast visit our website https://democracydifferently.org
In this episode, host Keith Hyams speaks with Maija Setälä about how democratic deliberation like citizens' assemblies can help in accounting for the interests of future generations in areas such as climate change.Maija Setälä is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Turku. She is a leading thinker in democratic theory, specialising in deliberative democracy, political trust and democratic innovations such as mini-publics.New episodes every two weeks!For more information on the episode and podcast visit our website https://democracydifferently.org
In this episode, host Jessica Sutherland discusses with Nicole Curato the significance of democratic deliberation, its role in transforming collective trauma into political action, and the need to decolonize deliberative democracy for more inclusive and effective governance.Nicole Curato is a Professor of Democratic Governance at the University of Birmingham, a leading expert on deliberative democracy, and a scholar focused on how democratic deliberation can be transformative in fragile and conflict-afflicted settings.New episodes every two weeks!For more information on the episode and podcast visit our website https://democracydifferently.org
In this episode, host Keith Hyams and Graham Smith delve into the transformative potential of citizens' assemblies, exploring how these randomly selected, deliberative bodies can tackle democratic deficits, bridge societal divides, and foster more inclusive and effective policymaking.Graham Smith is Professor of Politics at the Centre for the Study of Democracy at the University of Westminster. He is a leading authority on deliberative democracy whose work has shaped the design and implementation of citizens' assemblies addressing complex issues like climate change and political reform.Find Graham Smith's book, We Need To Talk About Climate: How Citizens' Assemblies Can Help Us Solve the Climate Crisis, here: https://westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk/item/ww6qw/we-need-to-talk-about-climate-how-citizens-assemblies-can-help-us-solve-the-climate-crisisNew episodes every two weeks!For more information on the episode and podcast visit our website https://democracydifferently.org
In this episode of Democracy;Differently, we explore the challenges data ecosystems pose to democracy, including issues of agency, privacy, and the role of legislation and innovative solutions like data trusts.Sylvie Delacroix is the Director of the Centre for Data Futures at King’s College London, a leading expert on data sovereignty, digital law, and the intersection of ethical agency and data-driven decision-making in modern democracies.New episodes every two weeks!For more information on the episode and podcast visit our website https://democracydifferently.org
In this episode of Democracy: Differently, host Keith Hyams engages with Tom Hale to explore the concept of "long problems"—issues like climate change that unfold over extended timescales—and discusses how democratic systems can evolve to effectively govern across time.Tom Hale, Professor of Public Policy at Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government, is an expert on global governance and climate policy, focusing on how democratic institutions can better address long-term challenges like climate change.New episodes every two weeks!For more information on the episode and podcast visit our website https://democracydifferently.org
In this episode of Democracy:Differently, host Jessica Sutherland speaks with Johan Farkas about the impact of disinformation on democracy, the rise of authoritarian arguments against critical journalism, and the need for structural solutions to combat fake news and misinformation. Johan Farkas is an Assistant Professor in Media Studies at the University of Copenhagen, specializing in digital media, journalism, disinformation, and the intersection between these topics and democracy.New episodes every other Wednesday!For more information on the episode and podcast visit our website https://democracydifferently.org
In this episode of Democracy: Differently, host Keith Hyams and Jo Wolff delve into the cultural foundations of democracy, examining how norms such as mutual respect, the legitimacy of opposition, and civic empathy are essential for a resilient democratic society. Jonathan Wolff is the Alfred Landecker Professor of Values and Public Policy at Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government, is a political philosopher whose work bridges theory and practice, focusing on how concepts like equality, ethics, and civic responsibility shape democratic life.New episodes every two weeks!For more information on the episode and podcast visit our website https://democracydifferently.org
In this special episode, host Jess discusses the first two weeks of the US-Israel war with Iran with Professor Faten Ghosn. They discuss the possibility for negotiations, events leading up to the strikes, and what this means for democracy. Professor Faten Ghosn is Head of the Department of Government at the University of Essex and affiliated faculty (Non-UA) at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Arizona. Her work focuses, in part, on enemy images as obstacles to cooperation, militarized interstate disputes, and transitional justice.For more information on the episode and podcast visit our website https://democracydifferently.org
In this special episode of Democracy: Differently host Keith Hyams talks to Eliot Higgins, founder of Bellingcat about the killings of Alex Pretti and Renée Good. They discuss Bellingcat’s analysis work, the changing knowledge landscape and what the aftermath of the events in Minneapolis means for truth and the future of democracy.For more information on the episode and podcast visit our website https://democracydifferently.org
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