Global Democracy Series - Measuring the State of Democracy with Political Scientists Michael Coppedge and Brigitte Seim

Interviewed by Kellogg Doctoral Student Affiliate Patrick McQuestion, political scientists Michael Coppedge (University of Notre Dame) and Brigitte Seim discuss measuring democracy through the Varieties of Democracy, or V-Dem, Project. V-Dem aims to conceptualize and measure different forms of democracy, emphasizing the importance of disaggregating data to gain a nuanced understanding of democratic trends. Our guests discuss the project's approach to conceptualization, the role of practitioner-academic partnerships, and the importance of measuring and mitigating anti-democratic phenomena online. They also explore various strategies for promoting democracy and addressing polarization, with a focus on understanding patterns of behavior in settings with malicious governments.