What are the prospects for a reimagined, more effective and inclusive democracy that might arise from the current crisis of democratic institutions in the United States? The question of what comes next turns on how we understand the current transformations of American governance--and on what our normative North Star vision of a future democracy looks like. This discussion takes these questions on, offering a diagnosis of how power and governance is being reshaped today; a normative account of what a truly egalitarian democracy ought to look like in the future, and then some reflections on the possible pathways through which such structural democratizing change can be realized.
This discussion with K. Sabeel Rahman (Cornell Law School) and Gillian Metzger (Columbia Law School) on Wednesday, September 23rd, from 12:30 to 1:30pm explores this dilemma: how do we imagine the different pathways towards a long-term vision of democracy in light of existing barriers to change? The conversation will offer a diagnosis of the most pressing barriers to change--from a hostile Supreme Court to concentrated private power--and their implications for how structural democracy reform might be advanced.
This event is hosted by Columbia World Projects and Columbia Law School Center for Constitutional Governance. The discussion will be followed by an audience Q&A. This event is free and open to the public with registration required.
