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Area of Expertise

Canadian and U.S. politics; democracy; political institutions

David Moscrop is a politics columnist, commentator, and author of Too Dumb for Democracy? Why We Make Bad Political Decisions And How We Can Make Better Ones.

His work has appeared in outlets including The Globe and Mail, the Washington Post, the Walrus, Time Magazine, and the Guardian.

He holds a PhD in political science from the University of British Columbia, where he wrote on the psychology of democratic deliberation. For more than a decade, his work has focused on not just the issues and events of the day, but deeper happenings in Canadian and American politics, particularly political institutions and the ins and outs of democracy. He lives in Ottawa.

Why did you become a journalist?

I got into journalism at an oblique angle. I expected to become an academic, but I found the work of engaging in public discussion, debate, deliberation, and accountability more interesting and meaningful. The day-to-day sorting out of what's going on, why, what we should do, and what we shouldn't do is essential to democratic self-governance, and that takes, among others, journalists doing the work of sense-making.

14

Years in Journalism

Education

University of Ottawa, Bachelor of social sciences

University of Ottawa, MA in political science

University of British Columbia, PhD in political science

Honours & Awards

National magazine award nomination (2024)

Languages spoken

English, French (very rusty)

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