Democracy & Transition to Authoritarianism
Money, Leverage and Politics
I recently began teaching a course on the regulation of “networks, platforms and public utilities,” using a 2022 casebook by the same name. It is from a group of progressive legal scholars who are...
Hiding Illegality in Plain Site
Much of the energy world is waiting on the Trump Administration to disperse funds that Congress directed to be used to support specific types of energy projects. The Administration's withholding of...
Political Disagreement as Apostasy
Slogans, acronyms, and memes rise and fall quickly on social media. I recently saw that the term “FAFO” was trending on Twitter. Not knowing what it was I clicked on it. Though none of the posts...
Are We Failing the Marshmallow Test?
Whatever the outcome of today's voting, we will learn something from it. And I will post some reactions to specific races and what they signify for stronger climate policy on 11/10 and succeeding...
Why My Book’s Political Predictions Might Turn Out To Be Wrong (#2) — “Will Voters Be Scared Straight?”
One of the recurring themes in Climate of Contempt is that while modern media doesn’t change human nature, it does amplify the worst aspects of human nature in powerful ways. The book recommends...
Intentional vs. Unintentional Fake News
In chapter 4 of Climate of Contempt I summarize the academic literature showing how (1) online platform algorithms mislead and anger us, and (2) political persuaders use that anger to push us toward...
World Values Survey & the Energy Transition
The most recent version of the World Values Survey (WVS) came out a little more than a year ago. The Economist had a particularly lucid and useful explanation of its conclusions, including some...
Pesky Pluralism, Part 1
One feature of the modern information environment is that it allows conspiracies and utopian fantasies of the left and right to grow undisturbed by reality. Utopian ideas are often the product of...
Transitions To Authoritarianism Sneak Up On Us — Part 2
In an earlier post I noted the growing list of scholars who warn of parallels between historical transitions from democracy to repressive dictatorships, on the one hand, and U.S. politics today, on...
‘Organizing Hatreds’ Is Bad For The Organizer – Part 2
In last chapter of Climate of Contempt, I argue that the future of the energy transition is intertwined with the future of liberal democracy. I write in chapter 6 that only voters can peacefully...
Transitions To Authoritarianism Sneak Up On People
One of the central implications of the analysis in Climate of Contempt is that the energy transition is inextricably intertwined with U.S. political dysfunction. In chapter 6 I cite scholars who...