State Capture and the Meaning of Democracy with Samuel Bagg

On this episode of Virtual Sentiments, Kristen Collins speaks with political theorist Samuel Bagg about his recent book The Dispersion of Power: A Critical Realist Theory of Democracy (Oxford University Press, 2024). Instead of understanding democracy as an idealized process of collective self-rule, Bagg argues that democracy’s core purpose is to prevent any one group from capturing the state. The conversation explores how this focus on state capture reshapes debates about populism, technocracy, and liberalism, while offering a more realistic account of how power operates in modern societies. Collins and Bagg also discuss the dangers of over-intellectualizing politics, the limits of deliberative democracy, and the role of inequality and private power in shaping political outcomes. The episode closes with a forward-looking discussion of democratic renewal, emphasizing the importance of organizing, civic infrastructure, and building countervailing power in civil society as essential to resisting authoritarianism and sustaining democratic life.Show Notes:Virtual Sentiments | Deva Woodly on Civil Society and the Politics of CareAlex Opera, Adam Smith on Political Judgment: Revisiting the Political Theory of the Wealth of Nations (The Journal of Politics, 2022)Paul Sagar, The real Adam Smith (Aeon, 2018)Tyler McBrien, What is ‘State Capture’? A Warning for Americans (New York Times, 2025)Samuel Bagg, Democratic Disenchantment (Boston 50 Review, 2024)Samuel Bagg, Would you sit on a jury to review government regulations? (The Conversation, 2024)Theory of Virtual Sentiments | On Adam Smith's Critique of State Capture**This episode was recorded August 29, 2025.**If you like the show, please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and tell others about the show! We're available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you get your podcasts.Follow the Hayek Program on Twitter: @HayekProgramLearn more about Academic & Student ProgramsFollow the Mercatus Center on Twitter: @mercatus

On this episode of Virtual Sentiments, Kristen Collins speaks with Maria Pia Paganelli about Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations on the occasion of its 250th anniversary. Their conversation situates Smith as a sharp moral and political critic of monopoly and empire. Paganelli situates the book in the vibrant world of the Scottish Enlightenment and shows how Smith’s central concern was not wealth for its own sake, but the material conditions that make human flourishing possible. Together, Collins and Paganelli explore Smith’s views on trade, education, public debt, war, and justice, offering a rich and accessible portrait of The Wealth of Nations as both a foundational work of political economy and a deeply normative indictment of the British commercial system in Smith’s time. Dr. Maria Pia Paganelli is a professor of economics at Trinity University in San Antonio where she teaches classes in the principles of economics, the economics of law, Smithian economics, a study abroad course on the history of Iceland, and more. She is the author of The Routledge Guidebook of Smith's Wealth of Nations (Routledge, 2020), and co-edited the books Adam Smith and Rousseau: Ethics, Politics, and Economics (Edinburgh University Press, 2018), and The Oxford Handbook on Adam Smith (Oxford university Press, 2013).Show Notes:Adam Smith’s An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (Liberty Fund, 1982), available for free at Liberty Fund’s Online Library of Liberty.Maria Pia Paganelli, “The Adam Smith Problem in Reverse: Self-Interest in Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations and Theory of Moral Sentiments”Maria Pia Paganelli, “To Intervene or Not to Intervene: This is Smith’s Problem”Maria Pia Paganelli, “Adam Smith the Dissenter”Maria Pia Paganelli, “Adam Smith and the Morality of Political Economy: A Public Choice Reading”Maria Pia Paganelli and Reinhard Schumacher, “Do not take peace for granted: Adam Smith’s warning on the relation between commerce and war.”Maria Pia Paganelli and Reinhard Schumacher, “Smith and Hume at War: The Differing Views of Adam Smith and David Hume on Commerce and International Warfare”If you like the show, please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and tell others about the show! We're available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you get your podcasts.Follow the Hayek Program on Twitter: @HayekProgramLearn more about Academic & Student ProgramsFollow the Mercatus Center on Twitter: @mercatus

On this episode of Virtual Sentiments, host Kristen Collins speaks with Amit Ron and Abraham Singer, co-authors of Everyone’s Business:What Companies Owe Society (The University of Chicago Press, 2024). Together, Ron and Singer argue that businesses should move beyond profit and stakeholder models to actively protect democratic practices such as inclusion, reflexivity, and public oversight. They reject corporate claims to “civil disobedience” as prone to self-interest and warn against lobbying practices that create only the appearance of public participation. Drawing on the idea of institutional pluralism, they emphasize that democracy’s role is to continually assess and revise the work of different institutions to ensure they serve the public interest.Dr. Amit Ron is an Associate Professor in School of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Arizona State University, focusing on the history of political economy and democratic theory.Dr. Abraham Singer is an Associate Professor of Management at Quinlan School of Business at Loyola University Chicago, specializing in business ethics and political theory.Read more work from Kristen Collins.Show Notes:Abe and Amit's book, Everyone’s Business: What Companies Owe Society (The University of Chicago Press, 2024)Virtual Sentiments, S3E1 "Kris Rose on Deliberative Democracy and Meta's Community Forums"Virtual Sentiments, S3E5 "Alice Siu on Deliberative Polling and the Future of Democratic Dialogue"Virtual Sentiments, S1E4 "Jennifer Forestal on Designing Democratic Digital Spaces"Kevin Elliot’s Democracy for Busy PeopleMark Warren’s article, "Political Corruption as Duplicitous Exclusion"Pierre-Yves Néron's Seeing Like a Firm: Social Justice, Corporatiosn and the Conservative OrderScherer and Palazzo's 2007 article, "Toward a Political Conception of Corporate Responsibility: Business and Society Seen From a Habermasian Perspective"If you like the show, please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and tell others about the show! We're available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you get your podcasts.Follow the Hayek Program on Twitter: @HayekProgramLearn more about Academic & Student ProgramsFollow the Mercatus Center on Twitter: @mercatus

**Content Warning** This episode includes discussions of sexual assault and attempted murder, which may be distressing for some listeners. Please listen with care.On this episode of Virtual Sentiments, host Kristen Collins speaks with Susan Brison, author of Aftermath: Violence and the Remaking of a Self (Princeton University Press, 2002; 20th Anniversary Edition, 2023). In this conversation, Brison reflects on trauma, gendered violence, and the limits of traditional philosophy. She shares the story of her own rape, the trial that followed, and how it shaped her research and philosophy. Their conversation explores the feminist claim that “the personal is political,” emphasizing how trauma disrupts trust and identity, and how recovery requires relational support. Brison also critiques the punitive criminal justice system, advocating for restorative approaches that promote healing over retribution.Dr. Susan Brison is Susan and James Wright Professor of Computation and Just Communities and Professor of Philosophy at Dartmouth College where she is also Director of the Susan and James Wright Center for the Study of Computation and Just Communities.Read more work from Kristen Collins.Show Notes:APA Studies's special issue on Susan's work, "Feminism and Philosophy"Judith Herman's Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence—From Domestic Abuse to Political TerrorNancy Sherman's Afterwar: Healing the Moral Wounds of Our SoldiersJonathan Shay's Achilles in Vietnam: Combat Trauma and the Undoing of CharacterRobin Dembroff's "Real Men on Top"Linda Martin Alcoff's Rape and ResistanceMary Ann Franks's "Democratic Surveillance"If you like the show, please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and tell others about the show! We're available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you get your podcasts.Follow the Hayek Program on Twitter: @HayekProgramLearn more about Academic & Student ProgramsFollow the Mercatus Center on Twitter: @mercatus

On this episode of Virtual Sentiments, host Kristen Collins chats with Deva Woodly on her book, Reckoning: Black Lives Matter and the Democratic Necessity of Social Movements (Oxford University Press, 2021), which draw from on-the-ground interviews with leaders in the Black Lives Matter Movement to comment on social movements and their role in democracy. In response to our current political moment, Woodly offers an alternative vision rooted in care, mutual aid, and solidarity economies, and highlights the ongoing erosion of the old order and the emergence of new democratic practices. The episode is both an urgent call to action and a hopeful reminder that democratic reconstruction begins with the small, collective acts of everyday life.Dr. Deva Woodly is a Professor of Political Science at Brown University. Woodly's work develops the concept of radical Black feminist pragmatism, offering a political vision grounded in care, solidarity, and participatory democracy. Her research and public commentary illuminate how movements like Black Lives Matter are reshaping our political landscape from the ground up.Read more work from Kristen Collins.Show Notes:Robert Putnam's Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American CommunityAlexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in AmericaErik Olin Wright's How to Be an Anti-Capitalist in the 21st CenturyBernard Harcourt's Cooperation: A Political, Economic, and Social TheoryIf you like the show, please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and tell others about the show! We're available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you get your podcasts.Follow the Hayek Program on Twitter: @HayekProgramLearn more about Academic & Student ProgramsFollow the Mercatus Center on Twitter: @mercatus

On this episode of Virtual Sentiments, host Kristen Collins chats with Alice Siu on how deliberative polling fosters informed, respectful public dialogue. They discuss the method’s use in both in-person and on AI-assisted virtual forums, its role in shaping policy, and its potential to reduce polarization. Alice highlights the importance of teaching deliberative skills in schools and how real-time, structured conversations can strengthen democracy.Dr. Alice Siu is an Associate Director at Stanford University’s Deliberative Democracy Lab and a senior research fellow at the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law. Read more work from Kristen Collins.Show Notes:Alice’s book chapter, “Reimagining Democracy: The Role of Technology and Deliberation”Alice's paper for the American Political Science Review, "Can Deliberation Have Lasting Effects?"Alice’s paper for the American Political Science Review, “Is Deliberation an Antidote to Extreme Partisan Polarization? Reflections on ‘America in One Room’”Results of Alice’s work with Meta, April 2024, April 2025, “Results of First Global Deliberative Poll® Announced by Stanford’s Deliberative Democracy Lab”New York Times article, “She Is in Love With ChatGPT”S1E4, Jennifer Forestal on Designing Democratic Digital SpacesS3E1, Kris Rose on Deliberative Democracy and Meta's Community ForumsIf you like the show, please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and tell others about the show! We're available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you get your podcasts.Follow the Hayek Program on Twitter: @HayekProgramLearn more about Academic & Student ProgramsFollow the Mercatus Center on Twitter: @mercatus

On this episode of Virtual Sentiments, host Kristen Collins chats with Hannah Gais on the far-right rallies and social media presence on platforms like Telegram and X. Hannah explores the events of the Unite the Right rally, the storming of the capital on January 6th, the far-right in the wake of the first and second Trump presidencies, and the dangers of expanding domestic terrorism laws. **This episode was recorded in December 2024.Hannah Gais is a journalist and researcher focused on the radical right at the Southern Poverty Law Center.Read more work from Kristen Collins.Show Notes:Hannah's work with Cassie Miller, "Capitol Insurrection Shows How Trends On The Far-Right’s Fringe Have Become Mainstream"Hannah’s 2021 New Republic article, "A New 'War on Terrorism' Is the Wrong Way to Fight Domestic Extremists"Brennan Center report co-authored by Mike German, "Fighting Far-Right Violence and Hate Crimes"Hannah’s work drawing connections between more extreme figures and more mainstream figures like Tucker Carlson, "In Rural Pennsylvania, Extremists Declare ‘Victory is Ours’" and "For CPAC Attendees, ‘America Is Under Attack’"Hannah's article, "welcome to america"On Terrorgram indictments, "That's three strikes, run for your life"If you like the show, please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and tell others about the show! We're available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you get your podcasts.Follow the Hayek Program on Twitter: @HayekProgramLearn more about Academic & Student ProgramsFollow the Mercatus Center on Twitter: @mercatus

On this episode of Virtual Sentiments, host Kristen Collins chats with Eileen Hunt on her latest book, The First Last Man: Mary Shelley and the Postapocalyptic Imagination (2024), which focuses primarily on Mary Shelley's 1826 novel, The Last Man, the first major modern pandemic novel. Hunt explains the tragic life events that motivated Mary Shelley's darker themes*, how the novel relates to our Covid-19 experience, and more.*This episode features conversation on topics including suicide, suicidal ideation, and death.Eileen Hunt is a Professor of Political Science and a political theorist whose scholarly interests cover modern political thought, feminism, the family, rights, ethics of technology, and philosophy and literature. She has published five solo-authored books, including her recent trilogy on Mary Shelley and political philosophy for Penn Press.Read more work from Kristen Collins.Show Notes:60 Words Podcast with Congresswoman Barbara LeeCongresswoman Barbara Lee's Speech on 9/14/01Max Weber's "Politics as a Vocation"Max Weber's The Vocation LecturesIf you like the show, please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and tell others about the show! We're available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you get your podcasts.Follow the Hayek Program on Twitter: @HayekProgramLearn more about Academic & Student ProgramsFollow the Mercatus Center on Twitter: @mercatus

On this episode of Virtual Sentiments, host Kristen Collins chats with Roos Slegers on the uncanny valley, Freud, and cyborg science fiction. They explore the uncanny valley and Freud’s concept of the uncanny, connecting them to ETA Hoffmann’s “The Sandman”, Donna Haraway’s “Cyborg Manifesto”, and contemporary AI debates. While Mori’s uncanny valley describes discomfort with almost-human robots, Freud links the uncanny to repressed fears, particularly around gender and sexuality. Roos critiques Freud’s reading of “The Sandman”, highlighting its deeper commentary on romantic ideals and the preference for submissive, artificial women—paralleling modern AI assistants like those in the American sci-fi film, Her. Haraway’s cyborg offers an alternative, challenging rigid binaries and embracing technology’s potential for transgression and liberation. They critique how today’s AI and transhumanist movements reinforce traditional hierarchies rather than dismantling them, urging a more critical and playful engagement with technology’s role in shaping human identity.Dr. Roos Slegers is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Tilburg University in the Netherlands.Read more work from Kristen Collins.Notes: Masahiro Mori, 1970, “The Uncanny Valley"Sigmund Freud, 1919, “The Uncanny"Donna Haraway, 1985, “Cyborg Manifesto”ETA Hoffman, 1817, “The Sandman” Meghan O’Gieblyn, God, Human, Animal, Machine: Technology, Metaphor, and the Search for Meaning Metaphor, and the Search for Meaning, 2021If you like the show, please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and tell others about the show! We're available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you get your podcasts.Follow the Hayek Program on Twitter: @HayekProgramLearn more about Academic & Student ProgramsFollow the Mercatus Center on Twitter: @mercatus

Season 3 is here!On this episode of Virtual Sentiments, host Kristen Collins interview Kris Rose on deliberative democracy and Meta's community forums. Kris discusses Meta’s efforts to incorporate public input into decision-making through the Oversight Board and Community Forums. The Oversight Board, an independent body with binding authority over content moderation decisions, provides external accountability, while Community Forums proactively engage users on emerging technologies and policies. In particular, they focus on Meta’s Generative AI Community Forum, held in the US, Germany, Spain, and Brazil, which aimed to gather diverse perspectives on the principles that should guide AI development and use. Kristen also raises several concerns including selection biases, lacking transparency, and the potential influence of political pressures on corporate decision-making.**This conversation was recorded in August 2024Kris Rose is a Governance Director at Meta, where he works across the company to drive thought on emerging trends at the intersection of technology, society, and governance. He also leads the team's community governance work, including community forums and other pilots focused on empowering user voice in the company's decision making. Prior to this role, Kris helped launch the company’s Oversight Board, served as a geopolitical analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency for a decade—to include a secondment as the President’s Daily Brief (PDB) briefer to then US Vice President Mike Pence—and most recently served as a Senior Advisor at the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) during the Biden administration. Kris holds a Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown University and is a Term Member with the Council on Foreign Relations.Read more work from Kristen Collins.Notes: Stanford University’s Deliberative Democracy Lab’s Deliberative Polling MethodologyMeta’s 2023 Community Forum on Generative AI, conducted in collaboration with Stanford University’s Deliberative Democracy Lab and the Behavioral Insights TeamMeta’s January 7, 2025 Policy AnnouncementMeta’s Transparency ReportsIf you like the show, please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and tell others about the show! We're available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you get your podcasts.Follow the Hayek Program on Twitter: @HayekProgramLearn more about Academic & Student ProgramsFollow the Mercatus Center on Twitter: @mercatus