Alasdair S. Roberts

Mar 23

Conversation about “Four Crises” on SiriusXM Insight, March 23

I talked about Four Crises of American Democracy with John Fugelsang on his SiriusXM Insight show, Tell Me Everything, on March 23. Listen to the interview here. Fugelsang says: “The political climate in the 2016 presidential election has only reinforced the perception that we are in a state of crisis. Roberts’ new book is amazing in how well it distills and explains the root causes of the crises facing our democracy and how they might be addressed. It is informative and also compulsively readable.”

Mar 13

Interview with KPFA’s Mitch Jeserich

I talked about Four Crises of American Democracy with Mitch Jeserich, host of KPFA’s Letters and Politics, on March 13. Listen to the interview here.

Mar 2

World Bank blog discusses “Four Crises of American Democracy”

On a World Bank blog, Sina Odugbemi discusses Four Crises of American Democracy. Odugbemi says that the book “furnishes us with a way of thinking about what might be wrong with liberal democracy in any specific national context that is as elegant and as thought-provoking as anything that I have encountered recently.” Read the review.

Feb 22

Conversation on federal spending at Mizzou Law

I participated in a conversation about the longterm sustainability of federal entitlement programs with Curtis Dubay at Mizzou Law today. The conversation was sponsored by the Mizzou Law’s chapter of the Federalist Society and moderated by 3L Hannah Mudd.

Feb 20

Harris visits Law and Public Policy class

Judge Jeff Harris visited with my Law and Public Policy class at Mizzou Law today. Judge Harris, presently circuit judge of Missouri’s 13th Judicial Circuit, talked to the class about his experience in all three branches of Missouri government. His visit was hosted by a student team consisting of EC Duckworth, Ariel Kiefer, Cailynn Hayter, and Ellen Henrion.

Feb 16

Review of “Four Crises” in Public Administration Review

Michael Spicer writes a review of Four Crises of American Democracy, in Public Administration Review: “Roberts’ thoughtful and elegant defense of democracy is to be welcomed, coming as it does at a time when serious doubts about the capacity of ordinary democratic politics and institutions to address our problems are being voiced, both on the right and left of our political spectrum. It is also a healthy reminder to critics of our system of all ideological hues that the real world alternatives to democratic politics and institutions are not necessarily likely to serve us much better. Moreover, packing as it does a wide range of modern history into less than 200 pages of text, it is a refreshingly accessible read and a much-needed reminder both to social scientists and citizens in general about the importance of paying attention to history and what it can teach us about democracy.” The review is available here.

Feb 15

Address to International Conference of Information Commissioners

Screen Shot 2017-06-20 at 11.23.09 AM I’m looking forward to giving the keynote speech to the International Conference of Information Commissioners in Manchester, UK on September 20, 2017. The working title is “Defending the open society.” The meeting will be jointly hosted by the UK Information Commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, and the Scottish Information Commissioner, Rosemary Agnew. More information about the conference here.

Feb 13

Review of “Four Crises” on The Complete Review

Michael Orthofer reviews Four Crises of American Democracy for The Complete Review: “Roberts’ overview of American democracy and how it has adapted and changed over the years is both very enjoyable and thought-provoking. . . . Roberts’ book is a reminder both of the enduring (though not unassailable) stability of democracy, and the more basic issues always surrounding it.” Read the review.

Feb 10

Talk about “Four Crises” at Truman Library

I enjoyed talking about Four Crises of American Democracy at the Truman Library in Independence MO yesterday. Slides from the talk here. Thanks to the Library staff for their hospitality!

Feb 6

Talk for Mizzou Canada Days

I’ll give a talk for Mizzou’s Canada Days (March 6 to 10) on Tuesday, March 7, from noon to 1pm in Memorial Union N206. The topic: “The Canadian style of governing.” More details on Canada Days here.