democracy – Looks Like New

How has racism held back economic democracy?

MEDLab — Thu, 26 Dec 2024 10:00:00 +0000

How connected is the struggle for racial justice and the fight for a democratic economy? How has racism hindered the fight, and how can activists work together for a better future on both fronts? This month on, Looks Like New, MEDlab director Nathan Schneider hosted a group conversation of 100+ guests to understand these questions. This event hosted Jason Spicer, an assistant professor at Baruch College’s Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, and findings from his recently published book, Co-Operative Enterprise in Comparative Perspective: Exceptionally Un-American. This presentation is followed by a response from Jessica Gordon Nembhard of John Jay College, whose book Collective Courage is the definitive history of the African-American cooperative. This event seeks to broadcast just how much racism has actively held back the future of a democratic economy. Both Jason Spicer and Jessica Gordan Nembhard stress how important knowing the connection between a democratic economy and the struggle for racial justice is.

Is online life heading into dark forests?

MEDLab — Thu, 28 Nov 2024 08:00:00 +0000

In an ever more messy online media environment, it can be hard to know where to let ourselves be truly creative. This month on Looks Like New, MEDLab community fellow Andy DiLallo spoke with Yancey Stricker, best known as a co-founder and former CEO of Kickstarter. Strickler’s story started on a farm in Virginia before he became a music journalist and founder of a leading tech company. Most recently, he co-founded Metalabel, a new platform that fosters creative expression and meaningful collaboration among artists. He has also been a leading storyteller about life online, including through his influential 2019 essay, “The Dark Forest Theory of the Internet.”

What Comes After Democracy?

MEDLab — Fri, 29 Jul 2022 00:00:58 +0000

Democracy seems to be in crisis around the world. Aspiring dictators are on the rise in many countries, and the flows of information are under the control of often-unaccountable tech companies. Could democracy be on its way out? This month, we hear from one of the most celebrated scholars of politics and media working today, Zizi Papacharissi. Her latest book, After Democracy, draws from interviews with 100 people around the world to explore the state of democracy and whether it has a future.

What is direct democracy?

MEDLab — Wed, 01 Apr 2020 15:43:01 +0000

Today’s guest is Evan Ravitz, a proponent of direct democracy, who served on the City of Boulder’s Campaign Finance and Elections Working Group. Ravitz has been critical of the City of Boulder’s delays in rolling out a voter approved initiative allowing electronic signatures to be submitted to get an initiative on the ballot.

What is next for democracy?

MEDLab — Thu, 25 Apr 2019 16:55:25 +0000

We’re in a moment of crisis for democracy around the world. But democracy doesn’t just need defense. Santiago Siri believes it needs a better offense—to evolve in order to address the shortcomings that led to the crisis in the first place. In his native Buenos Aires, he was a founder of Partido de la Red, an internet-based political party that tried to hack the representative system with direct voter participation. Now, he is working with the blockchain technology that underlies Bitcoin to bring democratic practices into everyday life. His latest experiment has been to help the Democratic caucus of the Colorado state House of Representatives choose their priorities for the coming session.