How Democracies Die

The SNF Agora Institute and the Ivy Bookstore present an evening with Daniel Ziblatt, Eaton Professor of the Science of Government at Harvard University and SNF Agora Institute visiting scholar, as he discusses his latest book, How Democracies Die.

Mason Hall Auditorium

In this New York Times bestselling book, Ziblatt and his Harvard colleague and co-author, Steven Levitsky, explore the question that many of us never thought we’d be asking: Is our democracy in danger? Having spent more than twenty years studying the breakdown of democracies in Europe and Latin America, they believe the answer is yes. Democracy no longer ends with a bang—in a revolution or military coup—but with a whimper: the slow, steady weakening of critical institutions, such as the judiciary and the press, and the gradual erosion of long-standing political norms. The good news is that there are several exit ramps on the road to authoritarianism, but as their book makes strikingly clear, democracy requires vigilance.

After his talk, Ziblatt will take questions from the audience and will be available to sign books.