Crossing Channels
Is the world becoming less democratic?
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Episode notes
In this episode, Richard Westcott (Cambridge University Health Partners and the Cambridge Biomedical Campus) talks to David Runciman (University of Cambridge), Kristin Michelitch (IAST) and Ahmed Mohamed (IAST) about the decline in democracy indexes worldwide, the cultural, technological, and institutional factors driving these trends, and whether they can be reversed.
Our experts explore the meaning of democracy and the reasons behind the decline of democracy indexes. They examine the impact of technology, media, culture, and religion on reshaping politics and shaping the future of democratic systems.
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For more information about the Crossing Channels podcast series and the work of the Bennett Institute and IAST visit our websites at https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/ and https://www.iast.fr/.
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With thanks to:
- Audio production by Steve Hankey
- Associate production by Burcu Sevde Selvi
- Visuals by Tiffany Naylor and Aurore Carbonnel
More information about our host and guests:
Richard Westcott is an award-winning journalist who spent 27 years at the BBC as a correspondent/producer/presenter covering global stories for the flagship Six and Ten o’clock TV news as well as the Today programme. In 2023, Richard left the corporation and is now the communications director for Cambridge University Health Partners and the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, both organisations that are working to support life sciences and healthcare across the city. @BBCwestcott
Kristin Michelitch is an Associate Professor of Political Science in the Social and Behavioral Sciences Department at the Toulouse School of Economics and Quantitative Social Sciences (TSE), and a member of the Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse (IAST), France. Her research investigates sources of, and solutions to, intergroup tensions and poorly functioning democratic processes in contexts where government institutions are not adequately safeguarding democracy and delivering vital public services. She mainly focuses on the effects of political competition, political information, and intergroup inequality on these outcomes. @KGMichelitch
Ahmed Ezzeldin Mohamed is an Assistant Professor of Political Science. Previously, he was a postdoctoral research scholar at the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) at Stanford University. He was also a predoctoral research fellow at the Middle East Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School for the academic year. He holds a PhD in Political Science from Columbia University. Ahmed's primary research focuses on the role of religion in the political and economic development of less democratic societies, with a special focus on the Middle East and the Muslim World.
David Runciman is a recovering academic and fully committed podcaster. He worked at Cambridge University for nearly 25 years, winding up as Professor of Politics. He has authored several books, including The History of Ideas: Equality, Justice and Revolution (2024), How Democracy Ends (2018), and The Confidence Trap (2013). David also established the Centre for the Future of Democracy as part of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy, where his research focuses on democracy for children and young people. Professor Runciman hosts the weekly politics podcast “Past Present Future” and was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2018 and the Royal Society of Literature in 2021.