GANDHINAGAR: Professor Ben Ansell, the ever-quotable author, is convening a timely new podcast series: “What’s Wrong with Democracy?” As the largest democratic election in history unfolds in India—a six-week behemoth encompassing over a billion voters—Ansell posits a crucial question: can the very scale of participation become a challenge to the system itself?
Each week, “What’s Wrong with Democracy?” will dissect a different facet of the contemporary democratic landscape. Here, Ansell welcomes a roster of guests—academics, journalists, activists, and the like—to dissect the forces working for and against popular rule.
Technology’s seductive uses, the ever-present rumble of global conflict, the opaque machinations of Artificial Intelligence, and the potent energy of protest will all be laid bare on the dissection table in this podcast.
The series, a production of Tortoise Media with backing from the Open Society Foundations, kicks off with a deep dive into the Indian elections. By examining the world’s largest democracy in microcosm, Ansell hopes to glean insights applicable to the democratic project writ large. Can a billion voices truly be heard? Or does such sheer scale introduce a cacophony that drowns out the will of the people? Tune in to find out.