Is political hobbyism hurting democracy? inFocus with Dr. Eitan Hersh on his book "Politics is for Power"

Episode 4 November 26, 2021 00:40:23
Is political hobbyism hurting democracy? inFocus with Dr. Eitan Hersh on his book "Politics is for Power"
inFocus with David Coletto
Is political hobbyism hurting democracy? inFocus with Dr. Eitan Hersh on his book "Politics is for Power"

Nov 26 2021 | 00:40:23

/

Show Notes

Are you a political hobbyist? Do you read the Hill Times or iPolitics just for fun? Do you tune into the Sunday morning political shows and talk about politics with your friends or families – like if you were talking about your favourite sports team?

Well, if you are – you might be hurting democracy.

 

On this episode of inFocus, I’m joined by Dr. Eitan Hersh, an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at Tufts University. His research focuses on civic participation, voting rights, and the relationship between election rules, strategies, and the behavior of voters.

In January 2020, he published his second book “Politics is for Power” - A groundbreaking analysis of political hobbyism—treating politics like a spectator sport—and an urgent and timely call to arms for the many well-meaning, well-informed citizens who follow political news, but do not take political action.

In this interview, we discussed his research and the findings of his book and what they mean for American and Canadian politics and the future of our democracies.

I hope you find my interview with Eitan Hersh useful and informative.

Other Episodes

Episode 12

September 19, 2021 00:10:42
Episode Cover

Election '21 Briefing - It's too close to call as Election 44 wraps

In this episode of inFocus, pollster David Coletto from Abacus Data shares the latest results from his final survey of the 2021 Canadian election...

Listen

Episode 18

April 23, 2025 00:06:33
Episode Cover

Liberals lead by 3 in the latest Abacus Data poll

With just days left before Canadians head to the polls, David Coletto breaks down the latest Abacus Data polling and what it tells us...

Listen

Episode 7

September 06, 2023 00:50:34
Episode Cover

inFocus: How can foreign aid spending become a political winner?

On August 30, the Globe and Mail published an editorial highlighting the fact that Canada’s foreign aid spending is in decline – again. They...

Listen