Democracy

Vanderbilt Magazine talks with Associate Professor of History Paul Kramer about his Writing for Social Change course, in which students complete their own pieces of social reporting on issues that matter to them, and why this kind of writing is, as he says, “necessary for any kind of substantial democracy.” Read More

The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy is launching a series of conversations and interviews this summer featuring experts on the important issues facing America today. Guests include New York Times national political correspondent Jonathan Martin, American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Yuval Levin, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and more. Read More

For the first time since the Vanderbilt Poll–Nashville was established in 2015, more than half of respondents say they believe the city is headed in the wrong direction. Davidson County voters are concerned about affordable housing and crime, but give positive marks to Mayor John Cooper and other local leaders. Read More

Democracy is still struggling in the Americas, with citizens reporting high skepticism about electoral democracy, according to the newly released 2021 Pulse of Democracy report from Vanderbilt University’s LAPOP Lab. Read More

In remembrance of the 20th anniversary of the events of Sept. 11, 2001, Chancellor Daniel Diermeier and the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy will host a virtual discussion, “9/11: Two Decades Later,” on Friday, Sept. 10, at noon CT. The event will feature faculty historians and legal scholars Jon Meacham, Samar Ali and Ganesh Sitaraman. Read More

Researchers at Vanderbilt's Latin American Public Opinion Project Lab have found that when faced with the COVID-19 health crisis, Haitians rallied around their president, despite his struggle to maintain order and support prior to the pandemic. Read More

Divisive party politics continue to dominate attitudes among Tennessee residents on key social issues, including the state’s response to COVID-19, willingness to get vaccinated and questions about whether the 2020 presidential election was “stolen,” according to the latest Vanderbilt University poll. Read More

The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy and Vanderbilt Divinity School will present a discussion on the role that religious faith plays in politics as explored in "Faithful Presence: The Promise and the Peril of Faith in the Public Square," a new book by former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam. The virtual event is scheduled for Tuesday, May 25, from noon to 1 p.m. CT. Read More

Presidential rhetoric expert Vanessa Beasley presents the history of the U.S. president's annual address to Congress—and what to expect in tonight's address. Read More

Davidson County voters have slightly less confidence in their elected officials and core institutions compared to last year; however, a majority of Nashville residents still think the city is “generally headed in the right direction,” according to the latest Vanderbilt Poll-Nashville. Read More

Legislative effectiveness scores are at the core of the research conducted at the Center for Effective Lawmaking, co-directed by Vanderbilt‘s Alan Wiseman. Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Gary Peters, D-Mich., along with Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, and retired Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., were the most effective Republican and Democratic lawmakers in the recently completed 116th Congress, according to new research from the center. Read More

A panel of Vanderbilt political science faculty explored the factors that led to the Jan. 6 riot in a virtual event, “Dissent, Disorder and Democracy: What Led to the U.S. Capitol Insurrection.” Hosted by the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy, the panel also engaged with the event’s serious implications for the strength of the nation's democracy. Read More

On the heels of the launch of The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy, several Vanderbilt University faculty have been tapped for their expertise relevant to the Biden administration’s transition, the presidential inaugural address and the predominant theme of unity in America. Read More

Former Vice President Al Gore and the 66th Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice each will provide timely conversations with Vanderbilt’s Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential historian and biographer, on Thursday, Jan. 14, to support the debut of the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy. Read More

After months of exploring how higher education could play a meaningful and active role in bridging longstanding partisan fissures, Vanderbilt University today launched the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy, which aims to strengthen the nation’s democratic institutions by advancing evidence-based research in the national discourse on unity. Read More

Many Nigerians feel democracy has failed them. History professor Moses Ochonu proposes three changes in order to save the nation's political framework. Read More

In response to what he sees as a “multi-decade crisis of democracy,” Paul Kramer, associate professor of history, has developed an undergraduate course aimed at “activating citizens.” “The skills we need to make democracy work need to be constantly renewed,” said Kramer. These skills include… Read More

Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons has created a new lecture series that aims to connect Vanderbilt to a growing dialogue around the world about relationships between art, democracy and justice. Read More

Five free public events are part of the Summer Institute presented by Vanderbilt's Public Theology and Racial Justice Collaborative June 4-8. Read More

Vanderbilt Debate hosted three top debaters from University College Dublin for a spirited exhibition debate at the First Amendment Center on whether social media enhances or undermines democracy. Read More