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Programme examining the ideas and forces which shape public policy in Britain and abroad.

Programme examining the ideas and forces which shape public policy in Britain and abroad, presented by distinguished writers, journalists and academics.

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Analysis: How to Dismantle a Democracy

How to Dismantle a Democracy

BBC Radio 4 - Analysis, How to Dismantle a Democracy

How governments manipulate the law and bureaucracy to take democracies apart.

How modern democracies aren't taken apart by strong-arm tactics or military coups, but by quiet, insidious methods to consolidate the power of authoritarian leaders.

Democracies do not die in military coups. They are dismantled slowly, by libel laws, through tax audits, and procedure. Democracies are dismantled by bureaucrats and judges, not by soldiers and heavy-handed policing. It has always been thus, from ancient Rome to present-day Tunisia. The program outlines the tricks of the trade that imperceptibly kill democracies – and how examples in Mexico, Turkey, India and Poland illustrate that the autocratic playbook is nearly always the same. With Anne Applebaum, historian and staff writer at The Atlantic, Amy Slipowitz, research manager at Freedom House, Greta Rios, co-executive director, People Power, David Runciman, professor of politics at the University of Cambridge, Professor Larry Diamond, Stanford University, Jennifer Gandhi, professor of political science and global affairs, Yale University, Renata Uitz, professor of law and government at Royal Holloway, The University of London.


Presenter: Matt Qvortrup
Producer: Bob Howard
Editor: Clare Fordham

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