The Heights

Scholars at Clough Center Talk Warn of Looming “Sudden Decline” in U.S. Democracy

Alexa Allers and Nathan Yarnell • October 11, 2025

Jonathan Laurence warned that democracy in the United States will decline gradually and then suddenly, in line with current trends in democratic countries.

“What Comes Next?”: Panelists Reflect on the Future of Democracy

Elizabeth Maher • November 8, 2024

2024 marks the greatest electoral mobilization in human history, with over two billion voters participating in democratic processes in 70 countries, according to Jonathan Laurence, professor of political...

Landemore Calls for a New System of Democracy That Empowers Individuals

Jake Jansen • October 10, 2024

Modern democracies are broken, but there is a way to fix them, according to Hélène Landemore. “I have good news and bad news,” Landemore said. “Bad news is electoral politics, it seems to me,...

Cox Unpacks Southern Romanticism and Racism in American History

Annika Engelbrecht • December 10, 2023

The belief that the South is the only region of the United States with racist ties creates a false narrative of American history, according to Karen Cox.

BC Community Members Shares What the Constitution Means to Them at Clough Event

Angelina Li • September 17, 2023

Co-sponsored by the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, the Clough Center hosted its second annual forum, “What the Constitution Means to Us,” in celebration of Constitution and Citizenship Day on Thursday evening. Members of the BC community shared what the words of the Constitution mean to them.

Bouie Highlights the Importance of Local and Regional News in Upholding U.S. Democracy

Karyl Clifford • March 17, 2023

Rebuilding democracy starts within local communities, according to New York Times columnist and former CBS political analyst Jamelle Bouie.

Russian Journalist and Nobel Prize Laureate Dmitry Muratov Speaks at BC’s Clough Colloquium

Alexis Thomas • October 13, 2022

Members of the Boston College community and the public flooded Gasson 100 to hear Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov speak on Tuesday night.

Jonathan Laurence Named Director of BC’s Clough Center

Sofia Laboy • March 1, 2022

Political science professor Jonathan Laurence was named the director of Boston College’s Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy on Feb. 17.

Panelists Discuss Democratic Reform, Ranked-Choice Voting

Joseph Nuzzi • October 4, 2020

The Good Governance Project, a new initiative of the The Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy, held its inaugural kick-off event on Oct. 1 with a virtual panel of guest speakers who discussed the country’s dire need for democratic reform.

DiBello Studies Gender in Ecuador’s Public Health Sphere

Maddie Phelps • January 21, 2020

“During the quiet moments where I would get to hold the fact that my experience was so unique—like a bus ride back that I’d have by myself—I’d just think about how I had been so wonderfully welcomed into the lives of people who didn't necessarily have to welcome me.”

Summer Spent on the Hill

Isabella Cavazzoni • November 11, 2018

“For better or worse, internships are still the best way to land a job on the Hill. There’s no better way to meet the people and learn the skills necessary to succeed here,” Mike Demakos, BC '16 said.

Journey of Discovery: Omeed Alidadi’s Time in Tajikistan

Cole Dady • September 10, 2017

"Before I went to Tajikistan, I was more afraid to take risks," said Omeed Alidadi, one the Heights' 'Seniors to Watch.'