Constitutions provide the basic laws and principles of government for modern states. They determine the powers and duties of those who govern, and guarantee rights and freedoms to those who are governed. Yet few countries politics can be understood through these documents alone. Constitutions have, in Walter Bagehot’s famous formulation, “secrets” which don’t always align to “the traditional theory, as it exists in all the books”. This podcast looks at the different efficient secrets of democratic constitutions, as well as the challenges to them, to gain deeper insights into the unstable and fractious politics of the twenty first century – a time when democratic politics finds itself under increasing attack. The podcast is part of a broader project, the Oxford Constitutional Studies Forum, which brings together scholars of law and politics to understand the challenges faced by liberal democracies across the world today.
Democratic Backsliding: Constitutions and the Secret State
In this, the last episode of our first season, we’ll look at one final issue which bears on the question of backsliding – how democratic constitutions deal with the secret state. Even in democratic states some aspects of state activity are difficult or impossible to make fully transparent and accountable to the public. This is because some actions must necessarily be covert in order to be effective – from the operation of intelligence services to military operations and sensitive weapo...
24 Mar 2022
Backsliding Special: Brian Klaas on “Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us”
An important aspect of backsliding is understanding how individuals with corrupt motives gain and then abuse their power to undermine democracy. So, in this special episode, recorded at a seminar earlier this year, I spoke to Brian Klaas – author of the new book Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us. Brian’s book draws on over 500 interviews with people from presidents and philanthropists to rebels, cultists, and dictators to answer the question of whether power corrupts, or are c...
17 Mar 2022
Is the UK Experiencing Democratic Backsliding?: Parties, Politics and Public Opinion
The United Kingdom is one of the worlds longest standing democracies, with an even longer tradition of constitutional government and the rule of law. However, in recent years increasing questions have been raised about whether British democracy is in decline. In the second of two episodes on this topic, we explore decreasing public trust in politics, the weakening of the party system, and increasing threats to the territorial integrity of the state. To what extent is UK backsliding rela...
10 Mar 2022
Is the UK Experiencing Democratic Backsliding?: Courts, Parliament and the Rule of Law
The United Kingdom is one of the worlds longest standing democracies, with an even longer tradition of constitutional government and the rule of law. However, in recent years increasing questions have been raised about whether British democracy is in decline. In the first of two episodes on this topic, we look at issues around the rule of law in the UK; from issues causes by the removal of the supranational framework of the EU, to attacks on Parliament and proposed reforms to judicial review ...
24 Feb 2022
Democratic Backsliding: Constitutions, Human Rights and Democracy
One of the key roles of constitutional law is to provide a strong underpinning for human rights protections. But what role do human rights play in building robust democratic institutions? Are human rights an aspect of democratic politics, or a precursor? And what happens to human rights protections when democratic backsliding begins to occur? This episode looks at these questions with expert practitioners and theorists in constitutional and human rights law. With Kate O’Regan, Nick Barber an...
17 Feb 2022
Democratic Backsliding: Constitutional Law versus Authoritarian Politics
Where democracies have collapsed, or never existed, constitutions and laws continue to exist and may still provide some protection to citizens. On the other hand, they may be subverted to serve the ends of autocrats. Can constitutional law still be a force for democracy in military regimes? How are constitutional norms and conventions shaped by non-democratic contexts? Do courts respond to public opinion even where the government is no longer elected?
10 Feb 2022
Democratic Backsliding: The Politics of Backsliding
The second episode looks at the political process of backsliding and what happens to constitutions when this occurs, with experts on political institutions and the theory of (de)democratisation. What is democratic backsliding, why does it start, and when does it lead to transitions to authoritarianism? What kind of political regimes are more resistant to the impairment of democracy? And what can democracies do to prevent backsliding from occurring in the first place? Music: Old Street by ORA...
3 Feb 2022
Democratic Backsliding: What is a Democratic Constitutional State?
This episode explores some of the fundamental foundations of the constitutional democratic state with experts in political and constitutional theory. What basic rights and duties of citizens are entailed by the concept of a democratic constitution? Do democratic constitutions have to resemble an ‘ideal’ type? Can the concept of democracy be applied to entities other than states, such as multinational federations? And how can we build the redress of historic injustices into modern constitution...
30 Jan 2022
Efficient Secrets Season 1: Democratic Backsliding
In this season of the Efficient Secrets podcast, I’m going to be talking to experts at the University of Oxford, along with some other guests, about how constitutional studies can help us understand democratic backsliding – the increasingly prevalent process by which consolidated democracies begin to degrade the rights and freedoms supposedly guaranteed by their constitutions. This podcast is part of a broader project, the Constitutional Studies Forum, which will bring together scholars of l...
Contact Efficient Secrets
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Efficient Secrets?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
