What If Kings Are Good for Democracy?

About this episode

The episode explores the debate around constitutional monarchy and its potential impact on democracy, featuring discussions on political dynasties and authoritarianism.

What does it mean when people start calling Donald Trump a king? And why are some political theorists — on both the right and left — exploring the possibility of leaving democracy behind? All this debate got co-host Tom Ginsburg thinking about an argument he’s been turning over in his head for years: could constitutional monarchy actually be the best form of government? Is it possible that constitutional monarchy actually strengthens democracy? Do monarchs serve as symbols of national unity that modern republics are missing? And is America’s obsession with political dynasties — the Obamas, the Bushes, the Kennedys — actually more monarchical than we’d like to admit? This wide-ranging conversation takes us from Thailand to the United Kingdom, from the founding ideals of the U.S. Constitution to the rise of populist leaders. Along the way, Tom and Claudia debate whether democracy is still holding strong — or if we’re inching toward something more authoritarian.

People in this episode

Host: Tom Ginsburg

Guest: Claudia

Topics covered

• constitutional monarchy
• democracy
• political theory
• populism
• national unity
• political dynasties

Keywords

• constitutional monarchy
• democracy
• Donald Trump
• political dynasties
• populism
• national unity

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: U.S. Constitution

Places: Thailand, United Kingdom

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