Governance scholar and University of Pittsburgh professor Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili, Ph.D. on the forces that decide whether conflicted nations unify or unravel.

In "We the People," Harvard historian Jill Lepore examines how the U.S. Constitution became unamendable and its implications for the health of the democracy.

Duke sociologist Dr. Christopher Bail on the tech’s potential to foster empathy in an age of division.

An atheist's case for why American democracy needs a more Christlike Christianity.

Americans have gone through three historic junctures like what we're witnessing today — and they happen on an uncanny 80-year cycle.

How much can you know about someone from a single belief?

"The evolution of digital media makes stricter regulation of online behavior not only feasible but inevitable," writes media ecologist Andrey Mir.

The electoral reform also known as instant-runoff voting promises bridge-building and broad appeal instead of culture war and gridlock.

In today’s political climate, how can we come together and seek some common ground or understanding? What are the mechanics of doing that? Is there some script or set of […]

"We’re acting more like fans of a football team going to a game than a banker carefully choosing investments."

In "Not Born Yesterday," author and cognitive scientist Hugo Mercier makes the case that misinformation is overrated — and other human foibles are underrated.

Throughout the world, traditional political organizations are increasingly seen as dysfunctional. But can democracies live without them?

Most counties in the U.S. have only one local newspaper, often one that publishes weekly instead of daily.

The outrage machine is fueled by toxicity. But there are practical steps that we can take to recapture control over our emotions.

There are three barriers we need to overcome to have better, more productive arguments.

Social media has made yelling past each other all the easier.

We asked our experts where they see the biggest blockers right now for more progress. Essentially, from their various areas of focus, what did they see as the largest impediments to driving progress forward around the world and how they would prioritize the necessary interventions? The answers were appropriately varied from the philosophical to the political to the technological.

It actually furthers the partisan divide.

Cable news has a bigger effect, study finds.

An upstart third party is unlikely to dislodge the status quo in the current system.

A new study shows that political partisans are more likely to remember things that didn't happen — as long as it fits their narrative.

Polarization or misunderstanding?

Elon Musk's successful bid to take over Twitter has fragmented the internet along predictably partisan lines. But only time will tell whether this is a good or bad thing.

Social media distorts the reality of the public sphere.

The ranking is encouragingly diverse, with the top 10 featuring representation from five regions.

Is hope more realistic than despair? Aquinas thinks so.

The problems that Americans face are often too complex for fact-checking alone.