Yascha Mounk is a lecturer on government at Harvard University and a Fellow in the Transatlantic Academy of the German Marshall Fund. Published regularly in the New York Times and Die Zeit, he is working on a book about the crisis of liberal democracy. Before joining the panel at a Zócalo/NPR Berlin event, “Is Populism Undermining Western Democracy?” Mounk laughed in the Zócalo green room about his strange past in management consulting.
Where would we find you at 10 a.m. on a typical Saturday?
Trying to get back to sleep in my bed.
What superpower would you most like to have?
Knowing the future.
What’s the strangest job you’ve ever had?
Management consultant [big laugh].
What’s your favorite spot in Berlin?
The Landwehr Canal in Kreuzberg.
What is your favorite train ride?
From Rome to Pisa along the Tyrrhenian Sea.
What does it take to get you on a dance floor?
Alcohol.