Berggruen Institute Co-Founder Nathan Gardels

If You’re Not Participating in the Process, You’re Going to Get Screwed by It

Nathan Gardels wearing a black sweater and black-rimmed glasses stares slightly to the left with his mouth open slightly to smile.

Nathan Gardels is the editor-in-chief of Noēma magazine and the co-founder of the Berggruen Institute. Before moderating the Zócalo event “Is This What Direct Democracy Looks Like?”—presented in partnership with the Berggruen Institute, the Public Policy Institute of California, and the Pepperdine School of Public Policy—he sat down in our green room to talk about books, birds, and the most beautiful movie he’s ever watched.

March 24, 2023

Is Something Rotten With the State of Presidencies? | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Journalist Tess Bacalla

We’re in a Mess, but I’ve Not Given Up Hope

March 17, 2023

Tess Bacalla is editor-in-chief of Asia Democracy Chronicles. She is also a journalism lecturer at De La Salle University in Manila. Before sitting on a panel for the Zócalo event “Are …

An elderly man with white hair and glass and wearing a black jacket places a pink sheet of paper into a white ballot box. His other hand holds two other pieces of paper, one white and and one yellow. A younger man in a gray sweater stands behind him holding his own papers.

A Letter From Taiwan: Where Democracy Has Become a Rollercoaster

A Voting Activist on the Rocky Ride Toward Increased Citizen Participation

by Sam Chang | March 15, 2023

What are the obstacles and opportunities facing democracy today? Zócalo is publishing a series of letters to highlight how the world’s democratic ideals are faring in practice. From Taiwan: Negative …

Is Something Rotten With the State of Presidencies?

Zócalo Heads to Mexico City to Understand Executive Power—And Why It Isn’t Always Best for Democracy

by Talib Jabbar | March 6, 2023

Last week, Zócalo Public Square held our first-ever event just steps from our organization’s namesake and inspiration, Mexico City’s Plaza de la Constitución, otherwise known as the Zócalo, one of …

California Doesn’t Need a New Abortion Measure

Prop 1 Might Have Good Intentions, But It Puts Fundamental Rights at Risk

by Joe Mathews | August 16, 2022

California’s leaders shouldn’t put fundamental rights up for a vote. But the legislature and governor have nonetheless chosen to add Proposition 1 to this November’s ballot.

At first glance, Prop 1 …

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of California’s Direct Democracy

Keep the Mail-In Ballots. Lose the Money and Special Interests. Give the People More Information

by Jackie Mansky | May 12, 2022

While majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and independents in California agree that the state’s system of direct democracy is a good thing, they also agree that it needs some fixing, especially …

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