John Austin | „Authoritarianism grows where people no longer see a future.“

In this episode, we talk to US academic John Austin about the state of democracy in the United States and the growing authoritarian and anti-democratic currents that are increasingly shaping politics and society there. John Austin worked for many years in Michigan, in the heart of the American Rust Belt, and studied Public Administration at Harvard University. From this perspective, he analyses the structural causes of political radicalisation: the decline of industrial regions, the disintegration of local communities and the loss of prospects for the future, which has become deeply inscribed in the political self-image of many people. In our discussion, we draw parallels between the Rust Belt and the Ruhr region. We discuss why structurally weak regions in the USA and Germany are becoming politically alienated in a surprisingly similar way – and why economic decoupling, institutional mistrust and cultural insecurity are preparing the ground for authoritarian proposals. An episode about democracy under pressure, about regional inequality as a human rights issue – and about what it takes to strengthen democratic resilience in times of profound upheaval.