Building back trust of institutions that have resulted in perilous levels of economic and political inequality will take time. Misinformation spurred by social media presents the definition of a wicked problem. We do not quite know how to address historical levels of polarization that have resulted in disdain for those who do not share our political beliefs. The concept of democracy means that ideas and reforms must come from the people, but these notions do not have concrete definitions. The concept of democracy means that ideas and reforms must come from the people, but these notions do not have concrete definitions.Īlternatively, the playbook for reviving democracy has not yet been written. Rather than outwardly rigging elections, leaders restrict access to the vote, promote disinformation, and use populist rhetoric in an attempt to maintain some semblance of support for their effort. A new playbook, known as stealth authoritarianism, leads emerging and established dictators alike to cloaking their authoritarian policies in democratic disguise. The desired outcome for authoritarians is relatively clear: to control their populations as much as possible. The reality is that this extraordinary moment of democratic erosion dictates that the solutions themselves are uncertain. To create a new form of democracy, we need to explore innovations geared toward reviving democracy at the local level. The best place for this policy experimentation is often not the federal government, but rather the area of government most primed for experimentation: cities. Rather than intensive policy exhortations, reviving democracy requires curiosity and a genuine interest in learning from reforms that have worked in diverse contexts. Politicians urge immediate action, noting the imperative to address increasing political polarization, modernize and improve election systems, fight disinformation, promote civics education-the list is endless. As both the importance and fragility of democracy become ever more apparent, exhortations for reform and actions abound. The fight between democracy and authoritarianism is displayed in increasingly explicit terms as Russia continues its brutal and illegal invasion in Ukraine.
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