Podcast
Oxford University Professor Pepper Culpepper joins Terms of Engagement hosts Archon Fung and Steven Richer to discuss corporate excess, bipartisan popular anger, and his new book “Billionaire Backlash: The Age of Corporate Scandal and How It Could Save Democracy.”
The United States is experiencing record levels of inequality amid the rising political and economic influence of finance, tech, and corporate leaders. But popular discontent from across the political spectrum is also growing, as issues including the impact of technology platforms, financial industry practices, and high-profile scandals involving prominent individuals are increasingly contributing to popular anger over wealth concentration, corporate power, and public accountability.
University of Oxford Professor Pepper Culpepper believes that public hostility can be channeled into real political change. Together with Harvard University Professor Taeku Lee, he’s co-written a new book: “Billionaire Backlash: The Age of Corporate Scandal and How It Could Save Democracy.” He joins Terms of Engagement hosts Archon Fung and Stephen Richer to discuss how rising populist sentiment against corporate power and inequality could impact the future of democracy.
Pepper Culpepper is the Blavatnik Professor of Government and Public Policy at the University of Oxford and Vice-Dean of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government. With Taeku Lee, he is the author of “Billionaire Backlash: The Age of Corporate Scandal and How It Could Save Democracy.” His book “Quiet Politics and Business Power” was awarded the Stein Rokkan Prize for Comparative Social Science Research, and he has written or edited three other books on European politics. His public commentary has appeared in Le Monde, the New Republic, and the Washington Post, among others. Originally from the American south, he has lived and worked in France, Germany, Japan, and Italy. He now resides in Oxford with his family.
Archon Fung is the Winthrop Laflin McCormack Professor of Citizenship and Self-Government at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Director of the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. His research explores policies, practices, and institutional designs that deepen the quality of democratic governance with a focus on public participation, deliberation, and transparency. He has authored five books, four edited collections, and over fifty articles appearing in professional journals. He received two S.B.s — in philosophy and physics — and his Ph.D. in political science from MIT.
Stephen Richer is the former elected Maricopa County Recorder, responsible for voter registration, early voting administration, and public recordings in Maricopa County, Arizona, the fourth largest county in the United States. Prior to being an elected official, Stephen worked at several public policy think tanks and as a business transactions attorney. Stephen received his J.D. and M.A. from The University of Chicago and his B.A. from Tulane University. Stephen has been broadly recognized for his work in elections and American Democracy. In 2021, the Arizona Republic named Stephen “Arizonan of the Year.” In 2022, the Maricopa Bar Association awarded Stephen “Public Law Attorney of the Year.” In 2023, Stephen won “Leader of the Year” from the Arizona Capitol Times. And in 2024, Time Magazine named Stephen a “Defender of Democracy.”
The views expressed on this show are those of the hosts alone and do not necessarily represent the positions of the Ash Center or its affiliates.
Coming soon!
Podcast
Harvard Law School Professor Guy-Uriel Charles joins Terms of Engagement hosts Archon Fung and Stephen Richer to discuss the US Supreme Court’s decision to effectively dismantle the Voting Rights Act, its political aftermath, and what voting rights advocates can do to achieving electoral fairness in its wake.
Podcast
Princeton University Professor Kim Lane Scheppele, who studies the nexus of autocracy and constitutional democracy, joins Terms of Engagement hosts Archon Fung and Stephen Richer to discuss the recent resounding electoral defeat of Hungary’s longtime authoritarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, and its potential ripple effects.
Podcast
The relationship between Silicon Valley and the Democratic Party has undergone a dramatic shift over the past decade, with many tech leaders moving away from their once-strong political alignment. This special episode of Terms of Engagement explores what drove that change and what it means for the future of democracy, political power, and the influence of technology elites.
