For the first time ever the Journal of Democracy is devoting a set of articles to the state of democracy in the United States.

“The 2016 U.S. Election”

The populist convergence: William A. Galston examines the factors that have shaken many Americans’ trust in elites and institutions, and the implications for liberal democracy of the present “Populist Moment” in the United States and other Western countries.

Are social media undermining democracy? Nathaniel Persily assesses the impact on the 2016 U.S. election and the democratic process more broadly of growing Internet phenomena such as bots, trolls, livestreaming, and the social-media fueled spread of sensationalist fake news.

How nationalism endures: Ghia Nodia, in “The End of the Postnational Illusion,” considers why nationalism has defied social-scientific predictions to remain a potent force in modern polities around the globe.

The April issue also features:

For the complete Table of Contents, visit www.journalofdemocracy.org.

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The Journal of Democracy is published quarterly in January, April, July, and October. Members of the press who wish to receive electronic access to the current issue should email our managing editor. To subscribe, visit https://www.press.jhu.edu/cgi-bin/order.cgi?oc_id=32. For more information, please visit our website or send us an email.