Region: Comparative Theoretical General
October 1995, Volume 6, Issue 4
Uses of “Civil Society”
A review of Conditions of Liberty: Civil Society and Its Rivals, by Ernest Gellner.
April 1995, Volume 6, Issue 2
Transcending the Clash of Cultures: Democracy’s Forgotten Dimension
Read the full essay here.
April 1995, Volume 6, Issue 2
Transcending the Clash of Cultures: Freedom, Development, and Human Worth
Read the full essay here.
April 1995, Volume 6, Issue 2
Economic Reform and Democracy
The Editors’ introduction to “Economic Reform and Democracy.”
January 1995, Volume 6, Issue 1
Democracy’s Future: More Liberal, Preliberal, or Postliberal?
Read the full essay here.
January 1995, Volume 6, Issue 1
Democracy’s Future: Do Economists Know Best?
Read the full essay here.
October 1994, Volume 5, Issue 4
Economic Reform and Democracy
The Editors’ introduction to the Journal of Democracy’s special issue on “Economic Reform and Democracy.”
July 1994, Volume 5, Issue 3
Rethinking Civil Society
The Editors’ introduction to “Rethinking Civil Society.”
July 1994, Volume 5, Issue 3
Rethinking Civil Society: Toward Democratic Consolidation
What makes civil society best able to help democracy emerge and endure?
July 1994, Volume 5, Issue 3
Conceptions of Civil Society
A review of The Idea of Civil Society, by Adam B. Seligman and Civil Society and Political Theory, by Jean L. Cohen and Andrew Arato.
January 1994, Volume 5, Issue 1
Delegative Democracy
Read the full essay here. Image credit: GIAN MASKO/AFP via Getty Images)
January 1994, Volume 5, Issue 1
The Road from Athens
A review of Democracy: The Unfinished Journey, 508 BC to AD 1993, edited by John Dunn.
October 1993, Volume 4, Issue 4
The Challenge of Ethnic Conflict: Democracy in Divided Societies
Read the full essay here.
October 1993, Volume 4, Issue 4
Fundamentalism’s Future
A review of The New Cold War? Religious Nationalism Confronts the Secular State, by Mark Juergensmeyer.
July 1993, Volume 4, Issue 3
International Organizations & Democracy
The Editors’ introduction to “International Organizations & Democracy.”
July 1993, Volume 4, Issue 3
International Organizations & Democracy: Toward a Global “Guarantee Clause”
Read the full essay here.
July 1993, Volume 4, Issue 3
Philosophy and Democracy
A review of The Ennobling of Democracy: The Challenge of the Postmodern Age, by Thomas Pangle.
April 1993, Volume 4, Issue 2
Reflections on Capitalism, Socialism & Democracy
Read the full essay here.
January 1993, Volume 4, Issue 1
Confronting the Past: Justice After Transitions
Read the full essay here.
January 1993, Volume 4, Issue 1
Choosing an Electoral System: The Primacy of the Particular
Read the full essay here.
July 1992, Volume 3, Issue 3
Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy
The Editors’ introduction to the Journal of Democracy‘s special issue marking the fiftieth anniversary of Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy by Joseph Schumpeter.
July 1992, Volume 3, Issue 3
The Uncertain Triumph of Democratic Capitalism
Read the full essay here.
July 1992, Volume 3, Issue 3
Capitalism & Democracy: The Missing Link
Most highly developed societies are also stable democracies. Capitalism and democracy reinforce one another and promote a desire for universal recognition.
April 1992, Volume 3, Issue 2
Exploring the End of History
A review of The End of History and the Last Man, by Francis Fukuyama.
Fall 1991, Volume 2, Issue 4
Political Corruption
The Editors’ introduction to “Political Corruption.”
Fall 1991, Volume 2, Issue 4
Political Corruption: Historical Conflict and the Rise of Standards
Read the full essay here.
Fall 1991, Volume 2, Issue 4
Democracy & Foreign Policy
A review of Exporting Democracy: Fulfilling America’s Destiny, by Joshua Muravchik and Exporting Democracy: The United States and Latin America, edited by Abraham F. Lowenthal.
Summer 1991, Volume 2, Issue 3
Debate—Proportional Representation: The Problem with PR
Read the full essay here.
Summer 1991, Volume 2, Issue 3
Debate—Proportional Representation: PR and Democratic Statecraft
Read the full essay here.
Summer 1991, Volume 2, Issue 3
Debate—Proportional Representation: Double-Checking the Evidence
Read the full essay here.
Summer 1991, Volume 2, Issue 3
What Democracy Is…and Is Not
Read the full essay here. Image credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images
Spring 1991, Volume 2, Issue 2
Democracy’s Third Wave
Read the full essay here. Image credit: UPI/Bettmann Archive/Getty Images
Spring 1991, Volume 2, Issue 2
Shortcuts to Liberty
A review of To Craft Democracies: An Essay on Democratic Transitions, by Giuseppe Di Palma.
Winter 1991, Volume 2, Issue 1
The First Democracy
A review of Pericles of Athens and the Birth of Democracy, by Donald Kagan.
Fall 1990, Volume 1, Issue 4
Debate—Presidents vs. Parliaments: Comparing Democratic Systems
Read the full essay here.
Fall 1990, Volume 1, Issue 4
Debate—Presidents vs. Parliaments: The Centrality of Political Culture
Read the full essay here.
Fall 1990, Volume 1, Issue 4
Debate—Presidents vs. Parliaments: The Virtues of Parliamentarianism
Read the full essay here.
Summer 1990, Volume 1, Issue 3
Three Paradoxes of Democracy
While democracy is the most admired form of government, maintaining it requires contending with its contradictions.
Summer 1990, Volume 1, Issue 3
Technology and Freedom
A review of Power, Press, and the Technology of Freedom: The Coming Age of ISDN, by Leonard R. Sussman.
What’s Wrong with Democracy?
How can we restore support for democracy in the world?” Journal of Democracy cofounder Larry Diamond sees three keys to reviving the drive for and commitment to democratic government: “Power, Performance, and Legitimacy.”
Does a Moral Gap Explain Democracy’s Crisis?
When people think their political system violates the moral rules they live by, they lose faith in their leaders and democracy itself. Some withdraw from politics. Others turn to anyone who promises to “clean things up.”
How Many Followers Would Plato Have?
If Plato had a Substack, it would be overlooked. The old system of gatekeeping was replaced with one that rewards engagement over truth. We need to protect the ideas an algorithm can’t measure.
How to Fight Polarization
The world increasingly appears afflicted by “us-them” divides that breed anger, resentment, and violence. But across the globe small local groups are mounting a thoughtful resistance against polarization and hate.
Why Election Observers Are Human-Rights Defenders
Election observers are the first line of defense for democratic rights and freedoms, and they work in some of the most challenging places. They deserve the same protections as human-rights defenders.
How Autocrats Weaponize AI — And How to Fight Back
Artificial Intelligence has become autocrats’ newest tool for surveilling, targeting, and crushing dissent. But this supercharged technology doesn’t need to favor tyrants. Activists must learn how to harness it in the fight for freedom.
Why Climate Action Demands Democracy
Looming “catastrophe” must not be used to justify authoritarianism. Solutions premised on unchecked power would bring their own risks of catastrophe.
How Civil Society Can Confront the China Challenge — And Win
The CCP is engaged in a sprawling campaign to undermine democracy. Governments too often can be lumbering or weak in response. Look to civil society for the creativity and skill to keep the CCP on its heels.
Is Democracy Surviving the “Year of Elections”?
Millions of voters are casting ballots in a string of elections across the globe. At the midyear point, how well is democracy holding up?
Why the Defenders of Liberal Democracy Need to Stand Up
If liberal norms and institutions are to prevail, they need to be defended from the left and the right.
Defending Democracy in an Age of Sharp Power
Explores how authoritarian regimes are deploying “sharp power” to undermine democracies from within by weaponizing universities, institutions, media, technology, and entertainment industries.
Has Liberalism Failed?
Our rising levels of inequality have put its ideals in crisis. These are the simple principles that can help bring it back from the edge.
How Women Make the World Safe for Democracy
The suffragists imagined that a greater role for women in democratic politics would lead to a more peaceful world. Few realize how right they were.
Why Sanctions Don’t Work Against Dictatorships
From Putin’s invasion to Kim’s nuclear saber rattling, the West has punished the world’s worst regimes. But have sanctions missed their targets?
Why TikTok Is a Threat to Democracy
The popular Chinese-owned app is enabling Beijing to collect data on people nearly everywhere. Not only can such platforms track people’s preferences and whereabouts, but they give the Chinese government control over a powerful tool for shaping people’s worldview.
Democracy’s Most Dangerous Assumptions
It is tempting to believe the horrors of the past will not haunt our future. Vladimir Putin is proving that we hold such beliefs at our peril.
Democracy’s Arc: From Resurgent to Imperiled (Expanded Edition)
This is the darkest moment for freedom in half a century. Whether democracy regains its footing will depend on how democratic leaders and citizens respond to emboldened authoritarians and the fissures within their own societies.
Democracy in Decline?
For almost a decade, Freedom House’s annual survey has highlighted a decline in democracy in most regions of the globe. Some analysts say this shows that the world has entered a "democratic recession." Others dispute that interpretation, emphasizing democracy’s success in maintaining the huge gains it made during the last quarter of the twentieth century.