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Christopher Witko

Public policy professor examines how 'tools of democracy' can address inequality

1/30/19

Political polarization at the federal level makes it unlikely that solutions to address economic inequality will come from Washington, but individual states are taking action, according to Chris Witko, associate director of Penn State’s School of Public Policy. Witko discusses some of these policies on this week’s episode of the Democracy Works podcast, produced by the McCourtney Institute for Democracy and WPSU Penn State.

Nick Jones

Are land-grant universities still 'democracy’s colleges?'

12/3/18

University systems around the country face funding cuts from their respective states and a growing anti-intellectual sentiment from constituents. Executive Vice President and Provost Nick Jones discusses these issues on the latest episode of the Democracy Works podcast.

Matt Jordan, associate professor of media studies in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications

Podcast: Finding the truth in an era of 'fake news'

8/16/18

Matt Jordan, an assistant professor of media studies in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, joins the Democracy Works podcast to discuss "fake news" and the role of social media in a democracy.

Brad Vivian

Democracy Works podcast examines how public remembers Charlottesville events

8/8/18

Bradford Vivian, professor of communication arts and sciences and director of the Center for Democratic Deliberation in Penn State's McCourtney Institute for Democracy, opens the second season of the Democracy Works podcast with a discussion about public memory, Confederate monuments, and last summer’s Unite the Right rally and counterprotests.

Stephanie Keyaka

Penn State student fights for change in Charm City

7/5/18

Stephanie Keyaka is working for Baltimore City Councilman Zeke Cohen this summer as part of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy’s Nevins Fellows program. She also is the incoming editor-in-chief of The Underground

Jud Mathews

Penn State Law professor discusses what makes a constitutional crisis

7/2/18

Jud Mathews, Penn State Law associate professor of law and affiliate professor in the School of International Affairs, has spent his career studying the U.S. Constitution. He discussed what a constitutional crisis is and how close the U.S. is to one right now on the latest episode of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy’s Democracy Works podcast.

Paul Clark

Paul Clark weighs in on public-sector unions in latest Democracy Works podcast

6/26/18

A ruling expected by the Supreme Court this week could reduce the power of public-sector unions, which would cause ripple effects throughout government and on democracy at large. Paul Clark, director of the School of Labor and Employment Relations at Penn State, discussed the implications of the ruling and the role that public-sector unions play in society on the latest Democracy Works podcast.

Forrest Briscoe

When the 'business of business' bleeds into politics

6/11/18

What does it mean for democracy when a company steps in where the government normally would? Forrest Briscoe, professor of management and organization in the Smeal College of Business, discusses the increasing intersections between business, government and civic life on the latest episode of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy’s Democracy Works podcast.

World in Conversation Executive Director Laurie Mulvey

Is conversation the answer to what divides us?

5/21/18

We’ve all been there: A family dinner or other event where the conversation turns toward a topic will lead to disagreement. Maybe it’s politics, or perhaps it’s something else entirely. Either way, it seems like it’s not even worth trying to have a conversation. Laurie Mulvey, executive director of Penn State’s World in Conversation project, offered insight into how to handle those situations — and why it’s important to do so — on the latest episode of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy’s Democracy Works podcast.

Jennifer Van Hook

Sociology professor talks U.S. census on McCourtney Institute podcast

5/8/18

Jennifer Van Hook, Roy C. Buck Professor of Sociology and Demography in the College of the Liberal Arts, recently discussed the implications of the citizenship question and the work that goes into designing and implementing new census questions on the McCourtney Institute for Democracy’s Democracy Works podcast.