Civic Studies » democratic reform overseas

an international discussion of polarization

Peter — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 18:16:00 +0000

Last October, THE CIVICS Innovation Hub and the European School of Politics convened an international group in Istanbul for a conversation about “trust and polarisation.” Kameliya Tomova has written a nice summary. I’ll paste the portion that mentions me below and recommend the rest as well. (Note that I was talking here about the world, not necessarily or specifically […] Continue reading →

notes from the West Bank

Peter — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 15:41:20 +0000

I spent the Thanksgiving break in the West Bank (via Israel). I visited two Palestinian universities, Bethlehem and An-Najah. I presented at both institutions and met students, faculty, administrators, and alumni, hoping to create or strengthen relationships and perhaps contribute just a bit to Palestinian higher education. Collaborative relationships with outside colleagues represent “social capital” […] Continue reading →

Trump, Modi, Erdogan

Peter — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 18:07:21 +0000

I am flying back to the USA after a meeting in Istanbul with activists and NGO leaders from six or more countries. (By the way, I don’t think that all of them could have met in the USA because of our government’s visa policies and treatment of visitors.) One of the many benefits of the […] Continue reading →

teaching Civic Studies in Kyiv

Peter — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 13:08:02 +0000

This reflection is originally published on From Many, We the Charles F. Kettering Foundation blog series that highlights the insights of thought leaders dedicated to the idea of inclusive democracy. I went to Kyiv, Ukraine, June 2–7, 2025, to offer a short course on Civic Studies at the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE). I wanted to […] Continue reading →

from Ukraine (1)

Peter — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 13:06:05 +0000

I am aboard a train from Warsaw to Kyiv, well into Ukrainian territory now. I hope to write something of substance about my week in this country, but my main reflections should wait until I have listened and learned and found the right voice. I don’t want to pretend to any real knowledge based on […] Continue reading →

Where have lower-educated voters moved right? (a look at 102 countries over 35 years)

Peter — Sat, 30 Nov 2024 15:59:02 +0000

I believe that left parties should draw their votes from lower on the socio-economic hierarchy, so that they can compete by offering more governmental support. Right parties should draw their votes from the upper end, so that they can compete by promising economic growth. This debate and competition is healthy. In contrast, when left parties […]

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class inversion in France

Peter — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 16:10:12 +0000

After the 2022 French election, I wrote: The left should represent the lower-income half of the population; the right should represent the top half. When that happens, the left will generally advocate government spending and regulation. Such policies may or may not be wise, but they can be changed if they fail and prove unpopular. […]

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UK election results by social class

Peter — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 15:25:14 +0000

One of my obsessions is the social-class inversion that has been visible in several countries in the 21st century, in which parties of the left draw their strongest support from highly educated, “professional” voters and those on the right appeal best to the working class. Under those circumstances, left parties will block bold economic initiatives […]

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setbacks for authoritarianism?

Peter — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 16:48:30 +0000

It’s easy to imagine authoritarianism as a ratchet: a device that can be tightened but not loosened again. An authoritarian leader and/or party wins an election, perhaps with a substantial base of authentic supporters. Instead of blatantly overturning the constitution in a “self-coup,” the government uses a whole range of available tools to discourage opposition […]

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Lea Ypi, Free: A Child and a Country at the End of History

Peter — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 16:22:38 +0000

Lea Ypi is a political theorist who has written a prize-winning memoir entitled Free: A Child and a Country at the End of History (Norton, 2021). You don’t have to be interested in political theory, philosophy–or any academic discipline–to enjoy and benefit from this book. It is an engrossing story about coming of age during […] Continue reading →