Stories

ADDIS ABABA
NEWSLETTER The Planetocracy Is Coming, So Wear Your White Hats
Also: Impact Investing Against Democracy; Sub-Saharan Local Covenant; Cat-Mayor-Martyr
COPENHAGEN
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS BRUNO? Copenhagen
At a Local Election That Captured the Public Imagination
STANFORD
NOEMA A New Governing Ecosystem Is Evolving
Institutions of citizen deliberation are a counterweight to partisan electoral politics.
Image by Asia Democracy Chronicles
BANGKOK
ASIA DEMOCRACY CHRONICLES Our Era of 'Performative' Democracy
Asia Democracy Network Finds 'Democracies' Suppress Dissent, Erode Accountability, Consolidate Elite Power
SACRAMENTO
COLUMN The Write-In Candidate Is an Insurance Policy
A Top Two System and a Strange Governor's Race Create Peril
Photo by Derek Giovanni via Flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0
LOS ANGELES
COLUMN How America Became Too Crazy for Califonia
The U.S. Is No Good at Being Nuts. Best to Leave That to the Golden State
Participants visiting Srebrenica Memorial Centre
Reflections from our 2025 youth exchange and its lessons for Europe today
Remembering the Past and Strengthening Democracy
LOS ANGELES
PLEASE DONATE: A Historic Democracy Opportunity for LA
A Plan to Have a Sortition-Lottery Based Assembly of Everyday Angelenos Rewrite the City Charter Lacks the...
Photo by Joe Mathews
SAN FRANCISCO
COLUMN The Cat Mayor of 16th Street On Being Martyred by AI
KitKat Was Killed by a Waymo Robotaxi. But He Lives On.
BANGALORE
VIDEO Democracy From the Ground Up: Participation in Big Cities
An Event, With Reports From Chennai, Bangalore, Mexico City, Lagos, Los Angeles—And the World
Image created by Joe Mathews with Google Gemini
LOS ANGELES
COLUMN Dear UN, Send Election Observers to California
When international intervention is necessary in sub-national voting.
FLORES ISLAND
ASIA DEMOCRACY CHRONICLES A Murky Shade of Green
Geothermal ambitions clash with the indignenous peoples of an Indonesian village.