CES Special Event: How Democracies Die - A Book Discussion

Date: 

Friday, April 20, 2018, 2:15pm to 4:00pm

Location: 

Adolphus Busch Hall, Lower Level Conference room

Daniel Ziblatt
Professor of Government and CES Resident Faculty, Harvard University

 

Steven Levitsky
Professor of Government, Harvard University

Donald Trump’s presidency has raised a question that many of Americans never thought they would be asking: Is our democracy in danger? Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt have spent more than twenty years studying the breakdown of democracies in Europe and Latin America, and they believe the answer is yes. In this presentation, they will discuss their best-selling book How Democracies Die. According to their studies, democracy no longer ends with a bang – in a revolution or military coup – but with a whimper: the slow, steady weakening of critical institutions, such as the judiciary and the press, and the gradual erosion of long-standing political norms. The good news is that there are several exit ramps on the road to authoritarianism. The bad news is that, by electing Trump, we have already passed the first one.

Chair: 

Grzegorz Ekiert
Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Government, Harvard University; Director, CES, Harvard University; Resident Faculty, CES; Chair, Director's Seminar

Contact: 

 

Elaine Papoulias
epapoulias@fas.harvard.edu