Impeachment Is Good for a Healthy Democracy. But What About for the U.S.?
Trump is impeachable, but the process might exacerbate political tensions without resolving anything.
Democracy
The Decade Populism Went Mainstream
Roughly five times as many people live under populist governments now compared to 10 years ago.
In Hong Kong, Police Shot a Man While Protesters Set Another on Fire
Escalating violence in Hong Kong
Obama, Trudeau, and the Morality of Electoral Interference
Barack Obama's recent endorsement of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is an example of why not all foreign efforts to influence elections are wrong.
Mapmaker: The Gerrymandering Game
What if politics were a strategic, underhanded, zero-sum game that was actually kind of fun?
Hong Kong Dissidents Win 1 Demand—Now There's 4 More to Go
Today, Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam withdrew the controversial extradition bill that set off protests.
My Contribution to the Inquiry Symposium on Jason Brennan's Book "Against Democracy"
The article is now available on SSRN.
China Escalates Hong Kong Conflict By Detaining Consulate Staffer
Simon Cheng Man-kit, a staffer at the British Consulate in Hong Kong, hasn't returned from a trip he took to mainland China nearly two weeks ago.
Hong Kong's Market Is Providing Gas Masks and Protest Gear Despite Government Crackdown
Despite police harassment and border confiscations, protest supplies continue to make their way to dissidents.
Hong Kong Cops Beat and Blind Protesters As PRC Sends Trucks and Tanks to the Border
Nine people were injured during the weekend's protests in Hong Kong, including one woman who might be permanently blind after a violent encounter with the police.
H.L. Mencken on Independence Day: 'We Have Borne Rascality Since 1776, and We Continue To Survive'
The sage of Baltimore on impeachment, the press, and the people
Don't Watch This Week's Democratic Debates
Do anything else. Literally anything else. Please.
Why We Shouldn't Treat Survivors and Victims as Authorities on Policy Issues
The dispute over Harvard's decision to rescind the admission of Parkland shooting survivor/gun rights activist Kyle Kashuv should remind us of the reasons why we should not have given any special status to his views in the first place. The same goes for most others in similar situations.
Perils of "Democratic Socialism"
The seemingly new version of socialism advocated by many on the left today has all too many flaws in common with old kind.
The Rights and Wrongs of Electoral Interference
Russia's interference in the 2016 election was wrong. But the reasons why are harder to pin down than you might think. Not all foreign interference in elections is unjustified. Far from it, in fact.
In New Zealand, a Democracy Turns Against Itself
Under pressure, democracies have a nasty habit of acting like panicked crowds.
Reforming Democracy
A new symposium outlines several ideas for improving our democratic system. All are worth considering. But none are likely to be as good as expanding opportunities for people to "vote with their feet."
Democracy in Decline?
If its recent record is any indication, Winston Churchill might have been wrong about democracy.
Why the Demand for Fake News is a Far More Serious Problem than the Supply
Canadian columnist Andrew Coyne explains why efforts to combat fake news by cutting off supply are barking up the wrong tree.
Should Longtime Expats Have the Right to Vote in Elections?
A Canadian Supreme Court decision striking down a law denying the right to vote to expats who have resided abroad for over five years raises broader questions about democratic theory.
Introduction to my book "Democracy and Political Ignorance: Why Smaller Government is Smarter" Now Available on SSRN
The Introduction to the revised second edition summarizes the rest of the book, and is available for free.
Foot Voting and the Future of Liberty
My book chapter on this subject from the "Cambridge Handbook of Classical Liberal Thought" is now available on SSRN.
Jeff Flake: America 'By No Means Immune' to Authoritarianism
"The road to democracy is not irreversible-not in Moscow, not in America, not anywhere."
Should We Let Children Vote? The Troubling Implications of Standard Reasons for Rejecting a Flawed Idea
Few will agree with Cambridge political scientist David Runciman's proposal to lower the voting age to 6. But standard reasons for rejecting the idea raise serious questions about many adult voters, too.
Political Ignorance and George H.W. Bush's Defeat in the 1992 Election
Bush lost because voters punished him for the recession of the early 1990s - an event he did not cause. This is just one example of a broader phenomenon of voters rewarding and punishing politicians for things they do not control.
Why a New Brexit Referendum Would Not be a "Betrayal" of Democracy [updated with response to Ryan Bourne]
If referenda are a legitimate mechanism for making political decisions, then it is also legitimate for them to be overruled by new referenda. Those who live by the referendum sword risk dying by it.
Libertarian Critiques of Democracy Can't be Refuted by Showing that it's Better than Dictatorship
Democracy is clearly superior to despotism. But libertarians are still right to worry about voter ignorance and advocate tighter constraints on government power.
Texas State Rep Wins Uncontested Election From His Jail Cell
Barring an early release, Rep. Ron Reynolds will miss the entire 2019 legislative session.
Political Ignorance and the Midterm Elections
It is not yet clear who will win. But widespread political ignorance already ensures many of us will be losers.
No, We're Not on the Brink of Civil War. But the Reasons Why We're Not Are Far From Entirely Reassuring.
Contrary to the fears of some pundits, the U.S. is not on the brink of civil war. But the explanation for that is far from entirely reassuring.
Google and Privatized Authoritarianism
The tech giant appears willing to do almost anything to win access to the vast Chinese market.
Jeffrey Rosen on "Madison's Nightmare"
Legal scholar and National Constitution Center President Jeffrey Rosen explains how many of the Constitution's safeguards against "mob rule" have frayed. His description of the problem is compelling, though he is less strong on possible solutions.
Ben Sasse Explains Why the Politicization of the Supreme Court Is a Dangerous Thing
"Government is about power. Government is not just another word for things we do together," said Sasse.
Democracy Is Not the Central Value of the Constitution
Efforts on both right and left to make the democracy-promotion the key focus of constitutional law should be rejected.
The Democracy Theorist in the Age of Trump
Saving liberal democracy one platitude at a time
Fight the Populist Right, the Progressive Left, and the Governments They Control
Democrats and Republicans reject individualism and free speech and both have become dangerous to our liberty.
Can We Help Save Democracy by Requiring Voters to Pass a Test of Political Knowledge?
Economist Dambisa Moyo is right to worry about the dangers of political ignorance. But her proposed solution for the problem falls short.
My New Article on "Foot Voting, Decentralization, and Development"
This forthcoming article discusses how we can massively expand economic opportunity by making it easier for people to "vote with their feet," both domestically and through international migration.
Why We Shouldn't Give Special Credence to the Political Views of Young People and Victims
Recent events such as the student walkout to promote gun control raise the issue of how much credibility we should give to the political views of the young, and victims of crime. At least as a general rule, there is no reason to give those views any special credence.
'Democracy Vouchers' Help Incumbents, Establishment Candidates Coast to Victory
Seattle's vouchers, passed to give outsiders a leg up, instead act as campaign welfare for well-established candidates.
Catalonians Declare Independence, But Can They Hold It?
Rights are theoretical unless you can defend them.
Cyrus Vance Is a Product of Dangerous One-Party Rule
When elected officials regularly run unopposed, there's no democratic accountability.
Seattle's Democracy Voucher Program Sees Its First Fraud Investigation
The alleged fraud highlights the ways in which the controversial program has failed to help outsider candidates.
Seattle's 'Democracy Vouchers' Serve as Campaign Welfare for Well-Established Candidates
A program intended to empower voters has instead funneled public money to most organized and funded campaigns.
The Price of Press Bias
When the press tilts in favor of higher taxes and more regulation, democracy is indeed distorted.
