The latest Cambridge Analytica leaks show just how compromised voting - one of the pillars of democracy - has become.
The Dispersion of Power: A Critical Realist Theory of Democracy
Abstract The Dispersion of Power is an urgent call to rethink centuries of conventional wisdom about what democracy is, why it matters, and how to make it better. Drawing from history, social science, psychology, and critical theory, it explains why elections do not and cannot realize the classic ideal of popular rule, and why prevailing strategies of democratic reform often make things worse. Instead, Bagg argues, we should see democracy as a way of protecting public power from capture—an alternative vision that is at once more realistic and more inspiring. Despite their many shortcomings, real-world elections do prevent the most extreme forms of tyranny, and are therefore indispensable. In dealing with the vast inequalities that remain, however, we cannot rely on standard solutions such as electoral reform, direct democracy, deliberation, and participatory governance. Instead, Bagg shows, protecting and enriching democracy requires addressing underlying inequalities of power directly. In part, this entails substantive policies attacking the advantages of wealthy elites. Even more crucially, deepening democracy requires the organization of oppositional, countervailing power among ordinary people. Neither task is easy, but historical precedents exist in both cases—and if democracy is to survive contemporary crises, leaders and citizens alike must find ways to revive and reinvent these essential democratic practices for the twenty-first century.
Substack Data | Chaotic Era
A newsletter about politics, media, and online influence in Democracy’s chaotic era. Written by Kyle Tharp.
Johnny Harris — How billionares stole America's elections
American elections are for sale. It wasn’t always this way.
When Do Parties Lie? Misinformation and Radical-Right Populism Across 26 Countries - Petter Törnberg, Juliana Chueri, 2026
The spread of misinformation has emerged as a global concern. Academic attention has recently shifted to emphasize the role of political elites as drivers of mi...
The architecture of the internet creates risks for democracy
Will democracy survive the internet? Do we need to choose between Facebook’s surveillance capitalism or democracy? Layered lines of evidence can inform questions like these. When considered together, the evidence gives rise to a concerning picture, as summarized in a recent report for the European Commission that I co-led.
Priorities | celeste4sos.com
The right to vote, better representation and election integrity.
AI didn’t sway the election, but it deepened the partisan divide
Artificial intelligence was predicted to disrupt the 2024 election. It ended up shaking people’s faith in truth rather than influencing their vote.
Election Disinformation in Different Languages is a Big Problem in the U.S.
And it’s driving a wedge between voters in non-English communities Mis- and disinformation about elections predate the endless scroll of modern social media services. [1] Yet easy access to online information channels and amplification tools enable false narratives to spread at a massive scale. When false narratives are combined with data voids and unique cultural […]
Experts Warn of AI Swarms Hijacking Democracy With Fake Citizens
Researchers warn of the growing risk of massive AI swarms manipulating popular sentiment and upending democracy as we know it.
Do AI and bogus respondents threaten polling’s future?
Courtney Kennedy, vice president of methods and innovation, answers some common questions about the current polling landscape in the U.S.
SimPolitics
For more than six decades, the public has been promised that computers will revolutionize politics, both nationally and internationally. In SimPolitics, Fenw...
The attacks on Sam Altman are a warning for the AI world
A politician’s home was also attacked after voting to rezone for a data center.
Deepfakes, Elections, and Shrinking the Liar’s Dividend
Heightened public awareness of the power of generative AI could give politicians an incentive to lie about the authenticity of real content.
