Good Authority

What can Europe do to reverse democratic backsliding? Dan Kelemen on resisting democratic erosion

The European Union prides itself on being a cooperative community of liberal democracies. Yet, the E.U. increasingly faces problems with countries that are backsliding. Listen to Good Authority editor Erik Voeten interview Dan Kelemen, the McCourt Chair at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. Dan has written extensively about these issues and has been a vocal critic of the European Commission and European politicians for ignoring Hungary’s democratic backsliding.

What can be done about the unfolding sovereign debt crisis? Layna Mosley, an expert on the politics of debt, shares her expertise.

The World Bank estimates many low- and middle-income countries are at high risk of debt distress. Should they cut spending, which may increase poverty and create social unrest? Should they default on their debts, which will make it harder to access credit markets in the future? Good Authority editor Erik Voeten speaks with Princeton Professor Layna Mosley, an expert on the politics of sovereign debt, to answer these questions and more.

What happened at COP28? Insights from climate policy expert Joanna Lewis

To take stock of the December 2023 COP28 in Dubai, Good Authority editor Erik Voeten speaks with climate policy expert Joanna Lewis, who was there and who has been going to the annual Conference of Parties, or COPs, for over 20 years.

What didn’t happen in 2023

Hear editors Erik Voeten, Elizabeth N. Saunders, and Kim Yi Dionne's conversation about some of what didn't happen in world politics (but could have) in 2023. Topics include (avoiding) nuclear war, (not ending) conflicts in Ukraine and Sudan, and (not) deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda, among others.

How will the Israel-Hamas war end? Civil wars expert Barbara Walter weighs in.

With mounting casualties, an expanding humanitarian crisis, and rising global political tensions, the question of how the Israel-Hamas war might end is on everyone’s mind. Good Authority’s Erik Voeten spoke with Barbara F. Walter, a leading expert on civil wars, violent extremism and domestic terror. 

Welcome to Good Authority

Good Authority's mission is to bring insights from political science to a broader audience. Here, political scientists draw on their expertise and the discipline’s research to provide in-depth analysis, illuminate the news, and inform the political conversation.