Post-Election Debriefing: The Future of American Democracy
Friday, December 4
The 2020 presidential election tested the political system and pushed American democracy close to the brink. President Donald J. Trump and many of his supporters continue to claim that the election was beset with fraud.
This Democracy 20/20 panel will look back at a turbulent election cycle and consider how effectively the U.S. political system will weather historic challenges. Some key questions we’ll discuss include:
- Will the 2020 election ultimately show American democracy to be resilient, or will our political institutions and norms deteriorate toward authoritarianism?
- How will the Biden presidency shape these trends?
- What will this election mean for Congress, the states, the Republican and Democratic parties—and the future of American politics?
WATCH IT HERE:
Panelists:
Frances Lee is Professor of Politics and Public Affairs at Princeton University. Her most recent book, coauthored with James M. Curry, is The Limits of Party: Congress and Lawmaking in a Polarized Era (2020). She is also author of Insecure Majorities: Congress and the Perpetual Campaign (2016) and Beyond Ideology: Politics, Principles, and Partisanship in the U.S. Senate (2009).
Christopher S. Parker is the Stuart A. Scheingold Professor of Social Justice and Political Science in the department of political science at the University of Washington, Seattle. Parker is the author of Change They Can’t Believe In: The Tea Party and Reactionary Politics in America (Princeton).
Paul Pierson is the John Gross Professor of Political Science at the University of California at Berkeley. He is the author of numerous books, most recently Let Them Eat Tweets: How the Right Rules in an Age of Extreme Inequality, with Jacob S. Hacker.
Moderator:
Robert C. Lieberman is Krieger-Eisenhower Professor of Political Science at Johns Hopkins University. He is a scholar of American political development, race and politics, public policy, and democracy and the author of several prize-winning books. His most recent book is Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy (with Suzanne Mettler). He is a co-convenor of the American Democracy Collaborative. He previously served as provost of Johns Hopkins and as dean of the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.
Democracy 20/20: A webinar series sponsored by the American Democracy Collaborative, Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, and the Institute of Politics and Global Affairs
Democracy 20/20 brings together historical and comparative experts to promote deeper understanding of the challenges these unsettling times pose for American democracy. Beginning in June 2020, the series continues through the 2020 election. The stakes for American democracy have never been higher—so please join us for these critical conversations.
AMERICAN DEMOCRACY COLLABORATIVE 