2,234 Descriptions of Democracy: An Update to Democracy’s Ontological Pluralism [This research note was first published in Democratic Theory. It is accompanied by three appendices: A (appendix a), B (appendix b), and C (appendix c).] Citation guide: Jean-Paul Gagnon. 2018. “2,234 Descriptions of Democracy: An Update to Democracy’s Ontological Pluralism”. Democratic Theory, 5(2): 92-113. Abstract: […]

Opportunity in the Crisis of Democracy [This editorial, first published by Democratic Theory, is co-authored with George Vasilev.] Citation guide: George Vasilev and Jean-Paul Gagnon. 2016. “Opportunity in the crisis of democracy”. Democratic Theory, 3 (1): 1-5. Booming Crisis Literature The literature on the crisis of democracy is booming. Take a glance, for instance, at the number […]

Democracies and Their Crises Reconsidered [This conversation with Wolfgang Merkel was first published in Democratic Theory. The talk was recorded at the University of Canberra during an international symposium.] Citation guide: Wolfgang Merkel and Jean-Paul Gagnon. 2016. “Democracies and Their Crises Reconsidered”. Democratic Theory, 3 (1): 91-108. Defining democracy Gagnon: How do you define democracy? Merkel: In […]

SeeClickFix Empowers Citizens by Connecting Them to Their Local Governments [This practitioner’s note, first published by Democratic Theory, is co-authored with Ben Berkowitz – founder of SeeClickFix. The idea that first drew me to this integrated civic platform is that of the “businesses of democracy” – firms that are able to stay afloat financially in […]

What is Democratic Theory? [Rikki Dean, Hans Asenbaum and I began considering the question “what is democratic theory?” at a Participatory and Deliberative Democracy conference held in London. This essay was originally published by Democratic Theory.] Citation guide: Rikki Dean, Hans Asenbaum and Jean-Paul Gagnon. 2019. “What is democratic theory?” Democratic Theory, 6 (2): v-xx. What […]

The case for extending measures of democracy in the world “Beneath”, “Above”, and “Outside” the national level [Originally published by Political Geography, co-authored with Dannica Fleuss, this article recognizes that various types of democracy can be found in all political jurisdictions. This means that we need to establish a new way for measuring the extent […]

How Uber opens cities only to close them [First published by The Conversation, co-written with David Carter and Fanny Thornton, this essay came out of discussions we had about the possibility of home-grown, city made, alternatives to Uber where better deals can be negotiated locally.] Citation guide: Gagnon, Jean-Paul, David Carter, and Fanny Thornton. 2016. […]

Realizing Interspecies Democracy: The Preconditions for an Egalitarian, Multispecies, World [This conversation with Janneke Vink and Sue Donaldson first appears in Democratic Theory.] Citation guide: Janneke Vink, Sue Donaldson, Jean-Paul Gagnon. 2021. “Realizing Interspecies Democracy: The Preconditions for an Egalitarian, Multispecies, World”. Democratic Theory, 8 (1): 71-95. Abstract: Sue Donaldson, Janneke Vink, and Jean-Paul Gagnon discuss the problem […]

What animal could a democracy be? Ape, fox, lion…how about jellyfish? [This article is part of the Democracy Futures series, a joint global initiative with the Sydney Democracy Network. The project aims to stimulate fresh thinking about the many challenges facing democracies in the 21st century. It is inspired by the Old Canberra Inn – a pub close to […]

Grandiose Citizenship and the Dialectic of the Citizen and the Self [First published by the Canadian Journal of Political Science, this review essay began with an idea inspired by the work of Roberto Esposito which is that a self (a person) can hold or practise multiple forms of citizenship.] Referencing guide: Gagnon, Jean-Paul. 2017. “Grandiose […]