Democracy Examined
Democracy Examined is an online project with the goal of informing the public about ongoing issues relating to democracy around the world. We offer a critical take on the health of global democracy and its struggle against authoritarianism, exploring issues of elections, human rights, and political justice, while also presenting intelligent solutions to problems of democracy at home and abroad.
The opinions expressed by the authors of these articles do not necessarily reflect RDI’s views.


Warfare on the Public Square: The Danger of Armed Militias
January 6, 2021

Democratic Shortsightedness: False Prophets?
December 22, 2020


Democratic Shortsightedness: The Overlooked Threat
December 9, 2020



The Decline of Local News and Deterioration of Civil Discourse
November 12, 2020

How Do Dictatorships Turn Into Democracies?
November 11, 2020

How Do Democracies Turn Into Dictatorships?
November 2, 2020

The Dangerous History Of Court Packing
October 29, 2020



The Intersection of Hope and Technology in Global Protest Movements
October 21, 2020

Wheat as a Cold War Weapon
October 20, 2020

TikTok: A Popular Democratic Crisis
October 14, 2020





The Politicization of Science is a Novel, Uniquely American Issue. Why?
September 24, 2020

#BoycottMulan is Growing Stronger, and Disney is Predictably Saying Nothing
September 22, 2020

The Post Office Shouldn’t Be Profitable
September 18, 2020

Not the First Time: Foreign Interference in the Election of 1940
September 14, 2020




Navalny, Belarus, and COVID-19: Vladimir Putin’s Ultimate Crisis
September 3, 2020


Citizen Journalists Take Back the News in East Lansing, Michigan
August 28, 2020

COVID-19 and the Invitation to Authoritarianism
August 26, 2020