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RevDem Podcast
RevDem Podcast is brought to you by the Review of Democracy, the online journal of the CEU Democracy Institute. The Review of Democracy is dedicated to the reinvigoration, survival, and prosperity of democracies worldwide and to generating innovative cross-regional dialogues. RevDem Podcast offers in-depth conversations in four main areas: rule of law, political economy and inequalities, the history of ideas, and democracy and culture.
Episodes
RevDem PodcastEnd of Year Podcast Part II- – Looking Ahead to 2026
As Review of Democracy turns its attention from 2025 to the uncertainties of 2026, our editors Adrian Matus (Democracy and Culture) and Anubha Anushree…
RevDem PodcastHeimat Revisited: Jeremy DeWaal on Place, Belonging and Post-war Politics in West Germany
What does it mean to feel “at home” in aplace, and why does that matter for democracy? In this episode, historianJeremy DeWaal talks about Heimat, a German…
RevDem PodcastStiliagi and Soviet Masculinities- A Conversation with Alla Myzelev
In the Soviet Union, youth fashion meant more than just a way of expression. In our latest episode, we discusswith Alla Myzelev about the stiliagi, a…
RevDem PodcastOn Genocide: Omer Bartov in Conversation about Palestine, Israel, and Germany
Over the last two years, the world has witnessed atrocities beyond imagination. The killing of approximately 1,200 people by Hamas in Israel on October 7…
RevDem PodcastThe Great War and the Transformation of Central Europe: A Conversation with Tara Zahra and Pieter Judson
In this episode of the Review of Democracy Podcast,historians Tara Zahra and Pieter Judson discuss their book TheGreat War and the Transformation of Habsburg…
RevDem PodcastStiliagi and Soviet Masculinities- A Conversation with Alla Myzelev
In the Soviet Union, youth fashion meant more than just a way of expression. In our latest episode, we discusswith Alla Myzelev about the stiliagi, a…
RevDem PodcastBenjamin Gedan and Elias French on The Threat to Latin American Term Limits
In our latest episode of the special series producedin partnership with the Journal of Democracy, we discuss the recent article co-authored by Benjamin Gedan…
RevDem PodcastEnd of the Year Podcast 2025 – Part I: Reflections and Reckonings
As 2025 draws to a close, RevDem editors Alexandra Kardos(History of Ideas), Gabriel Pereira (Cross-Regional Dialogue), and Kristóf Szombati (Political Economy…
RevDem PodcastCarceral Politics: “Public Life” of Prisons in Modern Iran and Beyond
In this latest conversation with Golnar Nikpour, we discuss her book, The Incarcerated Modern: Prisons and Public Life in Iran (Stanford University Press…
RevDem Podcast2025 in Perspective: Daron Acemoğlu on Democracy, Delivery, and the Crisis Within
In this exclusive end-of-year conversation with ourCo-Managing Editor Ece Özbey, Nobel Prize–winning political economist Daron Acemoğlu reflects on what 2025…
RevDem PodcastAn Authoritarian Turn in Contemporary Germany? – In Conversation with Robin Celikates
The threat of the far-right dominates politics in Germany today. The ascendance of the AfD marks the first time since the end of World War II that such a force…
RevDem PodcastSocial Media, AI-Chatbots and the Death of the Evening News: How to Restore Trust in a Fragmented Media World - A Conversation with Raluca Radu
"We care witnessing in the digital news reports a major shift since the COVID-19 crisis. (…). During the COVID crisis, the main information source became…
RevDem PodcastHow to Resist Illiberalism: Pedro Abramovay on Reimagining Democracy in Latin America
In this episode, Pedro Abramovay offers a wide-ranging analysis of the rise of illiberal forces in Latin America and the democratic vulnerabilities they…
RevDem PodcastExiles and Diasporas in the Crosshairs of Authoritarian States – Nate Schenkkan on the Rise of Transnational Repression and What Can Be Done to Counter It
We are thrilled to bring you the next episode of our monthly special in cooperation with the Journal of Democracy. Inthe framework of this new partnership, our…
RevDem PodcastAn Authoritarian Turn in Contemporary Germany? – In Conversation with Robin Celikates
The threat of the far-right dominates politics in Germany today. The ascendance of the AfD marks the first time since the end of World War II that such a force…
RevDem PodcastHow’s the Rule of Law in Poland? – In Conversation with Jakub Jaraczewski
On 1 June 2025, Karol Nawrocki, an independent candidate backed by the right-wing populist Law and Justice party, was elected President of Poland. His victory…
RevDem PodcastDelivering Democracies: Maya Tudor on “What Democracy Does…And Does Not Do?”
In this conversation with Professor Maya Tudor—part of our special series produced in partnership with the Journal of Democracy—we discuss her recent article…
RevDem PodcastA Turning Point in American Politics? The Rise of Democratic Socialists of America and Zohran Mamdani
To what extent does Zohran Mamdani’s recent election represent a turn in American politics? In an interview for the Review of Democracy, Fabian Holt (Associate…
RevDem PodcastRadical Ecologies of the Right and Left: A Conversation with Ashton Kingdon and Balša Lubarda
In this new episode of the “When the Far Right and the Far Left Converge” series, which shares fresh research from aworkshop organised by the CEU DI Democracy…
RevDem PodcastWill AI Crack the Foundations of Democracy? Dean Jackson and Samuel Woolley on Longer-term Threats and Ways to Counter Them
In this episode of our special series produced in partnership with the Journal of Democracy, we explore “AI’s Real Dangers for Democracy,” the new article…
RevDem PodcastEU Research Spotlight: Zsolt Boda on Moral Emotions in Politics and Democracy
In the opening episode of Review ofDemocracy’s new podcast series on EU-funded research, Alexandra Kardos speaks with Professor Zsolt Boda, Director of the…
RevDem PodcastWhen Democracies Start to Self-Destruct: Rachel Myrick on how Polarization Becomes a Geopolitical Threat
In our podcast, Rachel Myrick, the Douglas & Ellen Lowey Associate Professor of Political Science at Duke University, discusses with us how extreme partisan…
RevDem PodcastThe Authoritarian Resurgence in World Politics – In Conversation with Alexander Dukalskis and Alexander Cooley
The end of the last century brought about what scholars have called a “unipolar moment.” With the fall of the Soviet Union, liberalism lost its enemy on the…
RevDem PodcastNegotiating Sexuality in socialist Poland: In conversation with Anna Dobrowolska
Anna Dobrowolska's new book Polish Sexual Revolutions. Negotiating Sexuality and Modernity behind the Iron Curtain, published at the Oxford University Press…
RevDem PodcastThe Hungarian Border That Took Years to Draw
Borders are rarely born in conference halls. As thenewly edited book The Disputed Austro-Hungarian Border: Agendas, Actors, and Practices in Western…
RevDem PodcastContentious Politics and Democratic Resilience
In this episode, we sit down with Professor Mohammad Ali Kadivar to explore the urgent and timely question of popular protests amid global democratic…
RevDem PodcastThe Myth of Democratic Resilience – In Conversation with Jennifer Cyr and Nic Cheeseman
In our latest episode of the special series producedin partnership with the Journal of Democracy, we discuss the recent article co-authored by Jennifer Cyr…
RevDem PodcastThe Co-optation of Antonio Gramsci’s Ideas by the Contemporary (Far-)Right
This episode, part of the series When the Far Right and the FarLeft Converge, features Francesco Trupia and Marina Simakova discussing the ideological…
RevDem PodcastTranformations of the Latin American Right: From Pink Tide to Polarization – Part2
In the second part of our special two-part episode ofthe Review of Democracy podcast, we continue our conversation with André Borges, Ryan Lloyd, and Gabriel…
RevDem PodcastTransformations of the Latin American Right: From Pink Tide to Polarization - Part 1
In this special two-part episode of the Review of Democracypodcast, we speak with André Borges, Ryan Lloyd, and Gabriel Vommaro, editors of the book The…
RevDem PodcastThe Politics of Migration Narratives – In Conversation with Andrew Geddes
Migration is one of the most salient issues in European politics today. While its importance for voting decisions is widely acknowledged, many of its key…
RevDem PodcastColonial Roots and Continuities in Europe’s Migration System – In Conversation with Janine Silga
When the first treaties that laid the groundwork for today’s European Union and the European Convention on Human Rights were signed after the Second World War…
RevDem PodcastCapitalism’s Democracy: Competition and Resilience in Twenty-First Century
In our latest episode of the special series produced in partnership with the Journal of Democracy, we discuss the recent article co-authored by Steven…
RevDem PodcastScripts of Revolutions: A Conversation with Dan Edelstein
In this episode of Democracy and Culture, we speak with Dan Edelstein, William H. Bonsall Professor of French at StanfordUniversity, about his new book The…
RevDem PodcastA New Constitutional Settlement for Poland? – In Conversation with Maciej Kisilowski (Part 2)
On 1 June 2025, the second round of Poland’s presidential election resulted in a surprise win for Karol Nawrocki, backed by the right-wing populist Law and…
RevDem PodcastThe Illiberal Trap: Stanley Bill and Ben Stanley on Trilemmas and Warnings from Poland
In this new episode of our special series produced in partnership with the Journal of Democracy, Stanley Bill and Ben Stanley draw on their new article…
RevDem PodcastFrom Competitive Authoritarian to Hegemonic: Berk Esen on the Decline of Turkish Democracy and the Prospects for Its Revival (Part 2)
In Part 2 of our latest episode in the special seriesproduced in partnership with the Journal of Democracy, Berk Esen turns to the other side of the equation…
RevDem PodcastWar, Oligarchs, and the Future of Ukraine’s Political Economy – Inna Melnykovska on Civic Transformation, Reconstruction and EU Influence in Wartime Ukraine
How is war transforming Ukraine’s economy—and itsoligarchs? In this Review of Democracy podcast, political economist Inna Melnykovska (Central European…
RevDem PodcastFrom Competitive Authoritarian to Hegemonic: Berk Esen on the Decline of Turkish Democracy and the Prospects for Its Revival (Part 1)
In Part 1 of our latest edition in the special series in partnership with the Journal of Democracy, Berk Esen unpacks how Turkey’s competitive authoritarian…
RevDem PodcastHolding Frontex Accountable – In Conversation with Joyce De Coninck
In current public discourse, human rights violationsat the EU’s borders are inextricably linked to one specific actor: the European Border and Coast Guard…
RevDem PodcastThe Aftermath of Poland’s Presidential Election – In Conversation with Maciej Kisilowski (Part 1)
On 1 June 2025, the second round of Poland’s presidential election resulted in a surprise win for Karol Nawrocki, backed by the right-wing populist Law and…
RevDem PodcastThe Paradox of Dynastic Democracy: Richard Javad Heydarian on Current Developments in the Philippines, Sharpening Global Competition, and the Prospects of a Liberal-Progressive Breakthrough
In this new episode of our monthly special created in partnership with the Journal of Democracy, Richard Javad Heydarian discusses the Philippines’ dynastic…
RevDem PodcastThe Rise of Legislative Authoritarianism – In Conversation with Paolo Sosa-Villagarcia and Moisés Arce
In the latest episode of our special series produced in collaboration with the Journal of Democracy, Paolo Sosa-Villagarcia and Moisés Arce discuss the rise of…
RevDem PodcastMapping Crisis Across Borders: Balázs Trencsényi on the Interwar Period, Intellectual History, and the Future of Democracy
In this episode of the Review of Democracy podcast, we speak with historian Balázs Trencsényi about his new book Intellectuals and the Crisis of Politics in…
RevDem PodcastCurating Europe’s Memory: A Conversation with Simina Bădică about the House of European History
In this episode of Open Space(s) series, the Reviewof Democracy brings to your attention one of Europe’s most ambitious cultural institutions: the House of…
RevDem PodcastReimagining Political Theory: A Global and Comparative Conversation
In this episode of the Review of Democracy podcast, Alexandra Medzibrodszky talks to Leigh Jenco and Paulina Ochoa Espejo—two of the three co-authors of the…
RevDem PodcastStartup Democracy: Meritocracy and Gender in Bangalore, A Conversation with Hemangini Gupta
Startups have become one of the defining features of the 21st-century economy, celebrated as engines of innovation, meritocracy, and social mobility…
RevDem PodcastShaping the Culture of a City: A Conversation with Bohdan Shumylovych
In this episode of Open Space(s), the Review of Democracy focuses on Lviv, where the Center for Urban Historyoffers a unique institutional model at the…
RevDem PodcastCan Courts Save Democracy? In Conversation with Samuel Moyn
Since the beginning of the year, the Trump administration has been trampling on different sectors of the U.S. state. Numerous commentators, both from the U.S…
RevDem PodcastSurvival, Resistance and Readiness in Dark Times – Vincent Liegey on the Trajectory and Future of the Degrowth Movement
In this interview Review of Democracy political economy editor Kristóf Szombati speaks with Vincent Liegey— degrowth activist, essayist, lecturer and editorial…
RevDem PodcastInstrumentalization of Migration? - In Conversation with Nora Markard
In recent years, the EU’s increasingly right-leaning discourse on migration has given rise to a new narrative: the instrumentalization of migration. EU member…
RevDem PodcastCan Democracy Deliver? Francis Fukuyama and Beatriz Magaloni on Performance, Legitimacy, and Public Trust
In the latest episode of our monthly special incooperation with the Journal of Democracy, Francis Fukuyama and Beatriz Magaloni discuss why democratic…
RevDem PodcastDavid vs. Goliath: Defeating Russian Autocracy
In the new episode of our monthly special in cooperation with the Journal of Democracy, Serhii Plokhii discusses the key aspects of Russia’s war in Ukraine…
RevDem PodcastErased: Women, Power, and the Hidden History of International Relations
In this episode of the Review of Democracy podcast, Alexandra Medzibrodszky speaks with Patricia Owens,renowned professor of international relations at Oxford…
RevDem PodcastThe Unequal Republic and the Egalitarian State: Democracy, Authoritarianism, and the Politics of Redistribution in India and China
In this conversation with Professor Vamsi Vakulabharanam, we explore the relationship between democracy and economic inequality by examining the…
RevDem PodcastThe Untold Story of Schengen: A Conversation with Isaac Stanley-Becker
In this episode, investigative journalist and historian Isaac Stanley-Becker discusses his revealing new book, Europe Without Borders: A History (Princeton…
RevDem PodcastAuthoritarian Waves Crashing: Dan Slater Reinterprets the Third Wave of Democratization
In the new episode of our monthly special in cooperation with the Journal of Democracy, Dan Slater discusses the authoritarian origins of the third wave of…
RevDem PodcastHydro-hegemony: Water Modernization in Nepal and Beyond
In this wide-ranging conversation on hydrology and climate change, Dr. Dipak Gyawali, former Minister of Water Resources for Nepal, offers a series of crucial…
RevDem PodcastValeurs de l’Union – In Conversation with Luke Dimitrios Spieker
Since the seminal 2018 Portuguese Judges case, it has been established that violations of values enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU)…
RevDem PodcastIlliberal Transatlantic Ties and the Reshaping of Democracy: Lessons From the US and Hungary
In this episode of the Democracy After 2024 series, Zsuzsanna Végh and Daniel Hegedűs examine transatlantic cooperation between state and non-state actors in…