Democracy’s Unfinished Promise: Alex Hertel-Fernandez
June 25th, 2026
”You need durable organization people power.”
We discuss the intersection of policymaking on economics and democracy, the harm of intense concentration of wealth, and the need for building durable civil society.
Alex Hertel-Fernandez is a labor policy scholar and the Herbert H. Lehman Professor of Government at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. He’s also the author of State Capture: How Conservative Activists, Big Businesses, and Wealthy Donors Reshaped the American States — and the Nation.
Your civic action toolkit recommendations from Alex are:
Join an organization in your community
Be in community with other people
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https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight
Early episodes for Patreon supporters:
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Credits:
Host: Mila Atmos
Guest: Alex Hertel-Fernandez
Executive Producer: Zack Travis
Executive Editor: Mila Atmos