Democracy Works

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The Democracy Works podcast seeks to answer that question by examining a different aspect of democratic life each week — from voting to criminal justice to the free press and everything in between. We interview experts who study democracy, as well as people who are out there doing the hard work of democracy day in and day out.The show’s name comes from Pennsylvania’s long tradition of iron and steel works — people coming together to build things greater than the sum of their parts. We believe that democracy is the same way. Each of us has a role to play in building and sustaining a healthy democracy and our show is all about helping people understand what that means.Democracy Works is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

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Recent Episodes
  • An update on the states
    Apr 7, 2025 – 00:45:53
  • The problem(s) with platforms
    Mar 24, 2025 – 00:46:06
  • Lessons from Charlottesville and January 6
    Mar 3, 2025 – 00:45:51
  • Christianity as a democratic institution
    Feb 17, 2025 – 00:33:51
  • The power of practicing peace
    Feb 3, 2025 – 00:43:25
  • Pushing back against political violence
    Jan 20, 2025 – 00:45:33
  • Democracy reform in 2025 and beyond
    Jan 6, 2025 – 00:39:27
  • Season finale: Reflecting on a new political era
    Dec 23, 2024 – 00:44:03
  • Sustaining democracy during wartime
    Dec 9, 2024 – 00:46:35
  • Telling America's story at the National Archives
    Nov 25, 2024 – 00:43:11
  • Bad Watchdog: The Red Herring
    Nov 18, 2024 – 00:41:04
  • How strong is support for democracy?
    Nov 11, 2024 – 00:33:49
  • How the Supreme Court could shape the 2024 election
    Oct 28, 2024 – 00:45:41
  • Eddie Glaude Jr. on the peril of outsourcing democracy
    Oct 14, 2024 – 00:45:31
  • Liberalism is a lifestyle
    Sep 30, 2024 – 00:38:43
  • The immigration stories that aren't told
    Sep 16, 2024 – 00:41:12
  • How the National Popular Vote could change presidential elections
    Sep 2, 2024 – 00:47:30
  • Making Peace Visible: In search of good conflict
    Jul 8, 2024 – 00:33:21
  • Season finale: Protests, debates, and the "meh" election
    Jun 3, 2024 – 00:36:34
  • How elected strongmen weaken democracy
    May 20, 2024 – 00:41:51
  • 30 years of democracy in South Africa
    May 6, 2024 – 00:44:31
  • David Hogg on leaders we deserve
    Apr 22, 2024 – 00:48:44
  • Democracy is the sum of us
    Apr 8, 2024 – 00:45:51
  • Cassidy Hutchinson on what comes after January 6
    Mar 25, 2024 – 00:40:16
  • How discontent destabilizes demoracy
    Mar 11, 2024 – 00:38:17
  • A different take on social media and democracy
    Feb 26, 2024 – 00:36:17
  • How to combat political extremism
    Feb 12, 2024 – 00:37:09
  • A different kind of political divide
    Jan 29, 2024 – 00:39:58
  • Tim Alberta on evangelicals and Republicans
    Jan 22, 2024 – 00:33:13
  • How election officials are preparing for the year ahead
    Jan 15, 2024 – 00:37:06
  • Finding hope in 2024
    Jan 1, 2024 – 00:30:45
  • Year in review: Media, mental health, and threats to democracy
    Dec 18, 2023 – 00:45:25
  • Making Peace Visible: The state of democracy in India
    Dec 11, 2023 – 00:37:30
  • Does mandatory civic education increase voter turnout?
    Dec 4, 2023 – 00:39:17
  • A deep look at political loss
    Nov 20, 2023 – 00:40:37
  • When populism and democracy collide
    Nov 6, 2023 – 00:41:21
  • Understanding union voters
    Oct 23, 2023 – 00:38:33
  • A conflict at the heart of our political disagreements
    Oct 9, 2023 – 00:41:43
  • What can we learn from early democracies?
    Sep 25, 2023 – 00:33:52
  • Building better bureaucracy
    Sep 18, 2023 – 00:45:06
  • Tim Miller on why Republicans stuck with Trump
    Sep 11, 2023 – 00:37:11
  • "Democracy '24" on the debate stage
    Sep 4, 2023 – 00:33:13
  • When the People Decide: Libraries as civic spaces
    Aug 7, 2023 – 00:24:09
  • A deep dive on parties and political reform
    Jul 24, 2023 – 00:41:10
  • Democracy Paradox: The democratic crisis you haven't heard about
    Jul 10, 2023 – 00:49:18
  • Village SquareCast: Can curiosity save us?
    Jun 26, 2023 – 00:46:04
  • Democracy-ish: Can America's democracy be saved?
    Jun 12, 2023 – 00:39:24
  • Democracy needs serious people
    May 29, 2023 – 00:32:44
  • Gen Z's fight for democracy
    May 15, 2023 – 00:47:12
  • Think Inclusive: Facing the Anti-CRT Movement
    May 8, 2023 – 01:21:37
Recent Reviews
  • IvyVirginia
    Food for thought
    This show approaches each topic from a thoughtful POV and offers up perspectives from people who have expert knowledge. They don’t hammer a point or yell and rant, but instead discuss and deliberate. A perfect example of how democracy works by Democracy Works!
  • justin kempf
    Leader in Podcasts on Democracy
    Jenna has been a large help for my own podcast, Democracy Paradox. Her leadership of the Democracy Group has influenced many democracy podcasts. Eternal thanks to her contours work!
  • MimiWuj
    Deep Analysis; Better Than Anything on Mainstream
    I appreciate this group’s analysis, as it seeks to understand our political culture dispassionately and not to fan the outrage we see in shoddy and “clickbait” journalism.
  • mizsimone
    More than just politics!
    The Democracy Works podcast is a great snapshot of our country and how the workings of the government influences each of us as Americans. Jenna Spinelle is always on point bringing thought provoking content to her listeners with every episode.
  • klavery74
    Timely and Authoritative
    The Democracy Works podcast adds much needed perspectives to the public discourse. It is both timely and authoritative, lifting up some of the best voices in the field and making them accessible to the general public.
  • WhitCPA
    Timely issues, analysis and context
    This podcast is incredibly important right now and provides so much insight with thoughtful interviews, expert analysis, and the full context behind each issue. From conversations on gerrymandering, to police reform, to congressional oversight, there are so many engaging episodes here. Give it a listen, you won’t regret it!
  • Clay116021
    A great podcast!!
    The Democracy Works podcast is exactly what we need right now – the conversations are informative, inviting, entertaining, and relevant. I highly recommend subscribing if you’re looking for an unbiased, fact-based examination of democratic life.
  • Awesome Sauce Infinity
    Not only are the conversations great …
    … but so is the format. Allowing the two hosts who are academics to react to the interview conducted by the host who is a journalist keeps the show moving in a really interesting way.
  • shiningman1
    Inspiring and important!
    So pleased to see this kind of thoughtful engagement on the topic of democracy. It’s a fragile thing, democracy, and subject to evolution or disintegration. Without respectful debate and thoughtful reflection, it cannot survive. Thanks for being a part of the evolutionary side!
  • Dustin Ramsdell
    So necessary and relevant
    I love the focus of this show, it's very important to our current climate and makes sure that we can all be better engaged citizens. Keep up the great work!
  • Luna843
    Very interesting
    Great show and they get first rate guests. This team is really hitting their stride now. Some of the recent shows have been off the chart amazing. Great guests and great topics.
  • nyvonne722daisy
    Fascinating
    I love the wide range of topics
  • emma_rohan
    broad range of topics with strong core focus
    I appreciate that the podcast explores such a wide range of topics and people that connect to the central theme of building and sustaining democracy. The show's consistent structure makes it a great experience for the listener, and benefits from skillfully executed interviews in every episode.
  • Thejawasarecoming
    Solid content on Democracy
    Very well done and professional with interesting guests and topics. Not a lot of alternative views but very good on aspects of democracy.
  • Sara Shein
    episode : a brief history of people power
    I’m enjoying this podcast immensely. The host and the author teased out a lot of major themes about the history of democracy and how it affects the way we think and act in our. “Democratic republic”. Thanks Jenna - another trip to the library to get your guests book !
  • HowardSalter
    Great Approach
    This is a great approach to highlighting something that we don't always consider having grown up with democracy. The host provides great insight into the everyday operations of democracy.
  • matt kirschner
    Production A+
    This show isn’t my usual listen but I enjoyed the format. How the show was structured was great and the host are very well spoken! Also I enjoyed the production quality.
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