Since its origins, democracy has been a work in progress. Today, many question its resilience.
How to Fix Democracy, a collaboration of the Bertelsmann Foundation and Humanity in Action, explores practical solutions for how to address the increasing threats democracy faces. Host Andrew Keen interviews prominent international thinkers and practitioners of democracy.
Eric Liu | How to Live Like a Citizen: Rebuilding Democracy from the Ground Up
What does it mean to be a citizen, not simply in a legal sense, but as an active member of the community? Andrew Keen speaks with Eric Liu, CEO of Citizen University and author of Live Like a Citizen, about what citizenship requires in an era of polarization and declining trust in democratic institutions.
Liu argues that resilient democracy depends not only on politics and institutions, but on the everyday habits, relationships, and choices of citizens themselves. He outlines eight essential practices: seeing, listening, feeling, joining, fighting, changing, imagining, and committing. They discuss the corrosive effects of social media, the importance of local communities and civic participation, the relationship between economic inequality and democracy, and why rebuilding democratic culture starts from the ground up.
At the heart of the conversation is a simple idea: democracy is not something we inherit and take for granted. We practice it and have to keep practicing it together.
18 Sept 2026
John Ralston Saul | Can "Boring" Save Democracy? Lessons from Canada
What can Canada teach us about building resilient democracies? In this episode of How to Fix Democracy , Andrew Keen speaks with Canadian award-winning essayist and novelist John Ralston Saul about the country's long democratic tradition, the role of dialogue and negotiation in managing differences, and the importance of embracing Canada's complexity. They also discuss Canada's evolving relationship with the United States, the Arctic, and the role middle powers can play in a changing world. Saul argues that sometimes the seemingly "boring" work of talking, negotiating, and finding compromises is precisely what keeps democracy together.
26 Aug 2026
R.T. Rybak | Standing Up for Democracy
What makes democracy resilient? Former Minneapolis mayor and current Minneapolis Foundation CEO R.T. Rybak argues that the answer starts at the local level. Drawing on decades of experience in public services, journalism and philantrophy, he explores how civic participation, local leadership, and strong communities can strengthen democracies in times of crisis. From responding to authoritarian pressures to fostering long-term civic engagement, this conversation examines why democracy is never finished, it is something citizens build together every day.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
3,481,164
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.9 / 5
18 ratings
Spotify
4.6 / 5
12 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 74 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
74
Social presence
0
YouTube
93
Engagement
90
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Guest appearances
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