EP 1010 Have Public Officials All but Written the Public Out of How Democracy Really Works?

It might seem on paper that the world’s democracies, as part of their first act, have done a great job of building mechanisms and approaches to make the whole system work–voting and elections, safeguards for them, and ways to expand the franchise.  Yet, particularly in the United States, where money plays such a key role and lobbyists make a living representing special interests, have we done all we could to engage the public in an ongoing effort to plug them in to have a say between elections on a host of issues? Constant polling and town halls with elected officials may make us feel as if we’re being heard, but an objective look would say we’re not really a big part of the lawmaking process.  So how do we re-engage in a way that is genuine and that averts the backsliding that we now see in democracies?  Our guest, Peter Macleod, and co-author, along with Richard Johnson, of the book, “Democracy’s Second Act: Why Politics Needs the Public,” joins us to discuss.

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