Whither Democracy at Home and Abroad?
Thursday, June 1
10:30 A.M. – 11:45 A.M.
Northwest Labs
Summary:
Much has been written about the rise of authoritarianism throughout the world during the last decade. Among the questions this program will address are:
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How are democracies doing across the globe?
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What are the leading indicators that a democracy is in trouble?
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If democracy is in trouble, what are the causes?
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What can citizens do to protect and preserve their democracies?
Panelists:
Elizabeth Andersen
Elizabeth "Betsy" Andersen is Executive Director of the World Justice Project, leading its global efforts to advance the rule of law. She has more than 25 years of experience in the international legal arena, having served previously as Director of the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) and its Europe and Eurasia Division (ABA CEELI), as Executive Director of the American Society of International Law, and as Executive Director of Human Rights Watch's Europe and Central Asia Division.
Ms. Andersen is a member of the American Law Institute and the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the Board of Trustees of Williams College as well as on the governing and advisory boards of several international non-profit organizations. She is the recipient of a number of awards for her work in the international rule of law field, including a Williams College Bicentennial Medal, the American Society of International Law Prominent Woman in International Law Award, and the American Bar Association Section of International Law World Order Under Law Award.
Ms. Andersen received a B.A. from Williams College, an M.P.A. from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs, and a J.D. from Yale Law School.
Mayor John Cooper, ‘78
John Cooper is the ninth mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee. John served as an At-Large Member of Nashville Metro Council from 2015 to 2019. He was elected Mayor in 2019. Since taking office, Mayor Cooper has made Nashville’s teachers the best-paid in Tennessee, provided paid family leave to all public school employees, and increased the city’s education budget by 20% to fund better facilities and resources across Davidson County. Mayor Cooper also established an $18/hour minimum wage across all Metro departments, provided body worn cameras for police officers and recruited hundreds of new officers to the force, and created a $50 million “housing first” plan to get Nashville’s most vulnerable residents off the street and into stable housing. During Mayor Cooper’s tenure, Nashville has more than quadrupled its affordable housing resources, including a first-ever Metro Housing Division. Nashville is co-leading a private-public partnership to construct 100 megawatts of local, utility-scale solar power. In the spring of 2022, Mayor Cooper publicly set a target reduce Nashville community greenhouse gas emissions 80% from 2014 levels.
Mayor Cooper is a member of the Class of ‘78 and received an MBA from Vanderbilt University.
Archon Fung
Archon Fung is the Winthrop Laflin McCormack Professor of Citizenship and Self-Government at the Harvard Kennedy School. His research explores policies, practices, and institutional designs that deepen the quality of democratic governance. He focuses upon public participation, deliberation, and transparency. He co-directs the Transparency Policy Project and leads democratic governance programs of the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Kennedy School. His books include Full Disclosure: The Perils and Promise of Transparency (Cambridge University Press, with Mary Graham and David Weil) and Empowered Participation: Reinventing Urban Democracy (Princeton University Press). He has authored five books, four edited collections, and over fifty articles appearing in professional journals. He received two S.B.s — in philosophy and physics — and his Ph.D. in political science from MIT.
Moderator: Deval Patrick, ’78
Deval Patrick is Co-Director of the Center for Public Leadership and a professor of practice at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is also a Senior Advisor to Bain Capital and co-chair of American Bridge 21st Century Foundation, a progressive political action committee. He is the founder and, from April 2015 to December 2019, was Managing Partner of Bain Capital Double Impact, a growth equity fund that invests in commercial businesses for both competitive financial returns and positive social impact. From January 2007 to January 2015, he served as Governor of Massachusetts. He has been a senior executive in two Fortune 50 companies, a partner in two Boston law firms, and by appointment of President Bill Clinton, the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the United States Justice Department. He is a Rockefeller Fellow, a Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute, and the author of two books. Mr. Patrick earned his AB cum laude from Harvard College and his JD from Harvard Law School.