Democracy

Teaching Citizenship

Education’s most important job is to teach students to take an active role in their democracy, starting in their own communities.

Amazon’s Empire

Our best writers take on the retail giant.

Is Philanthropy Anti-Democratic?

Most charitable foundations are endowed in perpetuity. But John Stuart Mill argued eternal rights make for bad governance.

Selling Outrage

Yochai Benkler argues that the mainstream media is our best hope for tempering the radical right. 

The Digital is Political

The political ideas we have held for centuries are ill-equipped to respond to today's challenges.

Who Supports Brazil’s New Strongman?

Far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro is within an inch of the presidency.

Think Different

Apple—now worth a trillion dollars—redistributes more wealth upward than any country or corporation on the planet.

Populism Isn’t The Problem

The charge of populism says at least as much about those making it as it does about their opponents.

Be Realistic: Demand the Impossible

The revolutionaries of 1968 didn't succeed, but the world still needs turning upside down.

Hoverboarding While Black

In the era of digital neighborhoods, social networks embolden a new kind of racial surveillance.

Democracy Is a Habit: Practice It

John Dewey cautioned that institutions alone won’t save us.

Liberalism and the Left

American politics has seen the fiercest resurgence of left-liberal conflict since the 1960s.

The Democratic Coming Apart

Joshua Cohen talks to David Runciman about his book How Democracy Ends.

The Devolution of the Modern President

Trump may be egregious, but he is also a symptom of a much bigger problem facing modern presidents: the inability to govern.

Why the President Needs More Power

Given congressional dysfunction, the most promising path to effective government may be to enhance presidential power—at least in select ways.

Promise and Populism in Mexico

A ‘dangerous’ populist will likely be elected president this weekend—and he may be just what the country needs.

Free the Beach

American beaches used to be common property. Now access to many of them is controlled by wealthy whites.

The Slow and Fast Assault on Public Education

Striking teachers and student activists have a common enemy.

The App that Makes You a Terrorist

In the Turkish government’s rush to root out conspirators, the threshold for guilt is low.

Strangers in Their Own Land

A Boston Review Book Talk with Arlie Hochschild

Democracy vs. the Algorithm

As it turns out, self-government and social connection are not the same thing.

Brazilian Democracy in Peril

Brazil has been in disarray since 2016’s presidential impeachment, but after the murder of the country’s most exciting progressive politician, Brazilians must decide whether to be outraged or resigned.

Growing Up Under Mugabe

On the enduring legacy of a dictatorial ruler.

Two Cheers for Polarization

We may not like it, but when it comes to U.S. politics, polarization may very well be part of the solution.

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