Democracy at Risk

Scenes of migrants stranded at the southern borders of the European Union and the United States have become increasingly regular news items, causing debates on immigration policies to intensify. Meanwhile, child migrants face dangerous conditions, detention, and deportation. How are these policies enacted in the EU and US and in comparison to the standards set by international law? By Nicole Johnson, intern at the HBS North America Office. 

The presidential election this year in the United States, like in many years before, is going to hinge on the outcome in just a couple of "swing states." Why is it that just a few jurisdictions in the country hold the keys to the White House, while other whole regions are largely irrelevant to presidential campaigns? What is the Electoral College and where did it come from? How could a modern democracy still maintain a system that is clearly anti-democratic? Is there any real possibility of reform?

The journey from Sarajevo to Budapest was longer than intended after the October 3rd general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The mood of the BiH passengers reflected more or less the mood of the country – is BiH going to make political progress?

How can the current legislative back lock be overcome? This policy paper discusses Filibuster Reform, Cloture and Reconciliation as means to improve legislative outcome in the American Senate.