Democracy Works
Penn State McCourtney Institute for Democracy
4.7from 92 ratings
- 337
- Episodes
- 53
- Transcribed
- 92
- Ratings
- Daily
- Cadence
- 2018
- First episode
About Democracy Works
The Democracy Works podcast seeks to answer that question by examining a different aspect of democratic life each week — from voting to criminal justice to the free press and everything in between. We interview experts who study democracy, as well as people who are out there doing the hard work of democracy day in and day out. The show’s name comes from Pennsylvania’s long tradition of iron and steel works — people coming together to build things greater than the sum of their parts. We believe that democracy is the same way. Each of us has a role to play in building and sustaining a healthy democracy and our show is all about helping people understand what that means. Democracy Works is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.
- Publisher
- Penn State McCourtney Institute for Democracy
- Category
- education · government
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 12 Mar 2018
- Latest episode
- 5 Oct 2026
Latest episodes
53 of 337 episodes have a transcript.
5 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT
How identity fuels political divides
21 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
Who pays for American democracy?
31 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT
Political status and the DSA summer
Inside a recent episode
How identity fuels political divides
Published 5 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] And ultimately, the referendum comes down in favor of the United Kingdom removing itself from the European Union, both economically and socially. And the other thing I think is worth mentioning is that the phrase that oriented the Brexit, the pro-Brexit campaign was take back control. And think about that in terms of identity and what it was at stake in the minds of so many of the people who voted for leaving. And while this is a comparative case, one of the things that I find so interesting to your point, Chris, about the timing of Brexit is how interwoven a lot of these politics and strategies are. […]
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See plansWho has been a guest on Democracy Works
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
- Candis Watts Smith
- Julianna Pacheco
- Danielle Allen
- Janet Napolitano
- Ayesha Rascoe
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
- Apple Podcasts (US)
- 4.7 / 5
- 76 ratings
- Spotify
- 4.7 / 5
- 16 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 63 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
- Quality
- 87
- Social presence
- 0
- YouTube
- 0
- Engagement
- 98
Contact Democracy Works
- Guest appearances
- Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Questions about Democracy Works
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes daily, based on its RSS feed.
Does Democracy Works take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
Where can I read transcripts?
53 of 337 episodes have a transcript on Pod Engine. Full transcripts are available with a Pod Engine plan.
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