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Government

Democracy Works

by Penn State McCourtney Institute for Democracy

Today: #178 in Government on our combined chart.

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Oct 3#178

About the show

The Democracy Works podcast seeks to answer that question by examining a different aspect of democratic life each week — from voting to criminal justice to the free press and everything in between. We interview experts who study democracy, as well as people who are out there doing the hard work of democracy day in and day out. The show’s name comes from Pennsylvania’s long tradition of iron and steel works — people coming together to build things greater than the sum of their parts. We believe that democracy is the same way. Each of us has a role to play in building and sustaining a healthy democracy and our show is all about helping people understand what that means. Democracy Works is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

Latest episodes

  • Who pays for American democracy?

    September 21, 2026 · 53 min

    Our guest this week argues that you can't talk about the history of democracy in America without talking about the history of taxation in America. After listening to this interview, we agree and we think you will, too.  Vanessa Williamson…

  • Political status and the DSA summer

    August 31, 2026 · 49 min

    While we were away over the summer, it was hard to miss stories about Democratic primary elections and seeming rise of the Democratic Socialists of America — followed almost immediately about the challenges DSA candidates will face in…

  • How to create social change that sticks

    May 18, 2026 · 39 min

    Changing the world is difficult. One reason is that the most important problems, like climate change and democracy reform are structural. They are larger than any one person can solve on their own, yet we're bombarded with information…

  • Talk Nerdy: Black Evidence with Candis Watts Smith

    May 4, 2026 · 1 hr 5 min

    Democracy Works host Candis Watts Smith joins Cara Santa Maria on the Talk Nerdy podcast to discuss her new book, Black Evidence: A History and a Warning. From Reconstruction to Redemption, from the enactment of landmark civil rights…

  • When politics enters the doctor's office

    April 20, 2026 · 32 min

    From the COVID-19 pandemic to debates over vaccines and the Make America Healthy Again movement, politics and medicine are intertwined in ways not seen in previous generations. When politics enters the doctor's office, what does it mean…

  • The Declaration of Independence and democracy renovation

    April 6, 2026 · 47 min

    Danielle Allen's work straddles the line between past and present. On one hand, she's on the road this year talking about America's 250th anniversary in the context of her book on the Declaration of Independence. On the other hand, she's…

  • Janet Napolitano on higher education and democracy

    March 16, 2026 · 35 min

    What is the role of higher education in a democracy? To what extent should American universities respond to the demands of those in power? Are we meeting this moment? As a former governor, cabinet secretary, and university president…

  • Is public media still public?

    March 2, 2026 · 21 min

    Ayesha Rascoe, host of NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday and Weekend Up First, joins us to discuss what it's like being a political reporter in a polarized country and what the "public" in public media looks like amid the loss federal…