I'm by nature optimistic, but am extremely worried because of the structural moment we live in.Rachel Beatty RiedlPolitical scientist Rachel Beatty Riedl joins host Justin Kempf to examine how extreme economic inequality and the growing power of transnational elites have contributed to democratic backsliding. Drawing on experiences from Africa and other third-wave democracies, Riedl explains how concentrated wealth can weaken states, distort political competition, and prevent citizens’ preferences from being represented equally in government.Rachel Beatty Riedl is a Professor in the Brooks School of Public Policy and in the Department of Government at Cornell University and the Peggy J. Koenig ’78 Director of the Cornell Center on Democracy. She is the coeditor of Global Challenges to Democracy: Comparative Perspectives on Backsliding, Autocracy, and Resilience with Valerie Bunce, Tom Pepinsky, and Ken Roberts and the author of many articles including “Neoliberalism and the Third Wave" in the Journal of Democracy. The Democracy Paradox is made in partnership with the <a href='https://kellogg.nd.edu/'>Kellogg Institute</a> of the <a href='https://keough.nd.edu/'>Keough School</a> of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. Read the full transcript <a href='https://democracyparadox.com/2026/08/04/11297/'>here</a>.Key Highlights<ul><li>Introduction - 0:20</li><li>The Third Wave's Broken Bargain - 4:16</li><li>Elites Without Borders - 14:50</li><li>The Reagan Test - 24:35</li><li>The Rocky Road Ahead - 34:26</li></ul>LinksLearn more about the <a href='https://democracy.cornell.edu/'>Cornell Center on Democracy</a> Read the book <a href='https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/global-challenges-to-democracy/C50D0AC769FF0AA2C62DA9337F2C03E6'>Global Challenges to Democracy: Comparative Perspectives on Backsliding, Autocracy, and Resilience</a>Read her article “<a href='https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/neoliberalism-and-the-third-wave/'>Neoliberalism and the Third Wave</a>" in the Journal of DemocracyLearn more about <a href='https://blogs.cornell.edu/rachelbeattyriedl/'>Rachel Beatty Riedl.</a>Learn more about the <a href='https://kellogg.nd.edu/'>Kellogg Institute</a><a href='http://apesofthestate.com/'>Apes of the State created all Music</a>Email comments or questions to <a href='mailto:jkempf@democracyparadox.com'>jkempf@democracyparadox.com</a><a rel="payment" href="https://www.patreon.com/demparadox">Support the show</a>

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