We discuss the role of political parties in representing your interests and turning those interests into public policies that meaningfully make a difference in your life. Since the 1980s, both major political parties have adopted neoliberal policies, marked by declining responsiveness to major policy areas, and instead prioritizing pro-market and anti-state policies for economic growth and reliance on the private sector.

Didi’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:

Get engaged on the local level so you can be part of the solution.
Support the party builders!

Didi Kuo is a Center Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University and the author of The Great Retreat: How Political Parties Should Behave and Why They Don’t.

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https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-retreat-how-political-parties-should-behave-and-why-they-don-t-didi-kuo/21705105?aid=11259&ean=9780197664193&listref=books-we-re-reading-in-2025&new-list-page=true

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Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: Didi Kuo

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis

How Political Parties Should Behave: Didi Kuo