Efficient Secrets
Efficient Secrets
Latest Episodes
Efficient Secrets Season 1: Democratic Backsliding
In this season of the Efficient Secrets podcast, I’m going to be talking to experts at the University of Oxford, along with some other guests, about how constitutional studies can help us understand democratic backsliding – the increasingly pre...
Democratic Backsliding: What is a Democratic Constitutional State?
This episode explores some of the fundamental foundations of the constitutional democratic state with experts in political and constitutional theory. What basic rights and duties of citizens are entailed by the concept of a democratic constitut...
Democratic Backsliding: The Politics of Backsliding
The second episode looks at the political process of backsliding and what happens to constitutions when this occurs, with experts on political institutions and the theory of (de)democratisation. What is democratic backsliding, why does it start...
Democratic Backsliding: Constitutional Law versus Authoritarian Politics
Where democracies have collapsed, or never existed, constitutions and laws continue to exist and may still provide some protection to citizens. On the other hand, they may be subverted to serve the ends of autocrats. Can constitutional law stil...
Democratic Backsliding: Constitutions, Human Rights and Democracy
One of the key roles of constitutional law is to provide a strong underpinning for human rights protections. But what role do human rights play in building robust democratic institutions? Are human rights an aspect of democratic politics, or a ...