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Susan Stokes

Susan Stokes

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Susan Stokes is Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago and Faculty Director of the Chicago Center on Democracy. She is the author, most recently, of the forthcoming Trash-Talking Democracy: Why Leaders Erode Their Democracies and How to Stop Them (Princeton University Press, 2025).

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  1. Inequality Spurs Democratic Backsliding
    sstokes4_Scott OlsonGetty Images_trump Scott Olson/Getty Images

    Inequality Spurs Democratic Backsliding

    Jul 11, 2024 Susan Stokes shows that countries with fairer economies are less likely to succumb to authoritarian populism.

  2. Neutralizing Trump’s Big Lies
    sstokes3_Jabin BotsfordThe Washington Post via Getty Images_trump Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

    Neutralizing Trump’s Big Lies

    Jun 27, 2023 Susan Stokes sees reason to believe that even Republican voters can be persuaded to face facts.

  3. No Impunity for Insurrectionists
    sstokes2_SERGIO LIMAAFP via Getty Images_brazil SERGIO LIMA/AFP via Getty Images

    No Impunity for Insurrectionists

    Jan 10, 2023 Susan Stokes explains why indicting former leaders like Jair Bolsonaro or Donald Trump is both right and necessary.

  4. The Global Struggle for Democracy Is in Ukraine
    sstokes1_ Chris McGrathGetty Images_ukraine russia Chris McGrathGetty Images
    Free to read

    The Global Struggle for Democracy Is in Ukraine

    Mar 4, 2022 Susan Stokes hopes that Russia’s invasion will instill a renewed sense of common purpose among free societies.

  1. odinga2_Buda MendesGetty Images_g20summitrio Buda Mendes/Getty Images

    The G20 Must Help Africa Close the Climate-Finance Gap

    Raila Amolo Odinga urges world leaders to ensure the continent's governments can invest in resilience and clean energy.
  2. brown114_John MooreGetty Images_who John Moore/Getty Images

    Crunch Time for the WHO

    Gordon Brown

    To prevent unnecessary deaths from treatable diseases, the World Health Organization must be empowered to fulfill its mandate as the leading global emergency responder. If its $7.1 billion fundraising campaign falls short, we risk being caught unprepared again when the next pandemic arrives.

    calls on wealthy countries to ensure that the World Health Organization can confront emerging threats.
  3. COP29 Financial Inclusion is Climate Action Event Thumbnail

    PS Events: COP29 Live From Baku Session 2

    PS editors present our second session from COP29, Financial Inclusion is Climate Action.
  4. pisaniferry149_ThierryMonasseGettyImages_vonderleyen_green_industry Thierry Monasse/Getty Images

    The EU Needs a Strong Clean Industrial Deal

    Jean Pisani-Ferry, et al. tout a strategy that combines decarbonization with measures to boost competitiveness and social cohesion.
  5. ggray1_DanielBeloumouOlomoGettyImages_neonatal_ward_cameroon Daniel Beloumou Olomo/Getty Images

    The World’s Babies Need Antibiotics, Not Just Vaccines

    Glenda Gray urges the international community to help African countries prevent infant deaths from treatable infections.
  6. bp how trump won Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

    How Trump Did It

    Not only did Donald Trump win last week’s US presidential election decisively – winning some three million more votes than his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris – but the Republican Party he now controls gained majorities in both houses on Congress. Given the far-reaching implications of this result – for both US democracy and global stability – understanding how it came about is essential.

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    The Big Picture

  8. pistor38_Beata ZawrzelNurPhoto via Getty Images_capitalismprotest Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    Capitalism Is Driving Democracy’s Death Spiral

    Katharina Pistor

    The post-election blame game in the United States will not only tear apart the Democratic Party, but will also distract from the elephant in the room. Democracy has been eroded by a socioeconomic regime that puts price signals above people's needs, undermining the capacity for consensus and collective decision-making.

    argues that the financialization of the global economy has come at the expense self-governance.
  9. anheier26_Markus Lenhardtpicture alliance via Getty Images_reichstag Markus Lenhardt/picture alliance via Getty Images

    What Germany’s Next Government Must Do

    Helmut K. Anheier argues that whoever wins the upcoming snap election must make progress in four key areas.

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