Strategies for Global Democratic U-turns

Jonathan Katz
Fellow in Governance Studies
Brookings Institution
 

Recent years have seen a trend of democratic backsliding in the U.S. and globally. There is an urgent need for pro-democracy actors to have a detailed, evidence-based plan of how to apply the brakes to the backsliding—and sustain durable democracy progress.    
 
Jonathan Katz will join a member of the Notre Dame community to discuss the Brookings Democracy Playbook 2025 which addresses rising threats to democracy and how pro-democracy actors in the U.S. and globally can play a critical role in safeguarding democratic institutions. The discussion will explore the forthcoming Democracy Playbook, based on global fieldwork and research, which will offer practical strategies informed by scholarship and practitioner experience to help spark and sustain democracy U-turns worldwide.

Copresented with the Keough School of Global Affairs

Jonathan Katz is a Fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution and co-editor of Brooking’s Democracy Playbook 2025. An expert on democracy, anti-corruption, and international development, he has held senior positions at the U.S. Department of State, USAID, and in Congress, including serving as national security fellow to Senator Amy Klobuchar. Katz previously led democracy initiatives at the German Marshall Fund, where his work focused on democratic resilience, free media, and governance reforms across Europe and Eurasia.