Can a dystopian novel help us predict America’s future? And what can we learn from an Italian ere shaped by an attention-seeking populist? Clare and Zim sit down with Adriano Tedde, Lecturer in Strategic and American Studies at Deakin’s Centre for Future Defence and National Security, to explore how Italy’s past mirrors modern America and how popular culture may act as a crystal ball for what lies ahead.

Welcome to Season Two of Presidency Upending!
In this first episode, Clare and Zim dive into the complexities of U.S. politics with one of America’s leading experts on election law, Professor Edward B. Foley from Ohio State University.

Foley offers historical context and clarity on some of the most perplexing features of American politics, from the Electoral College and campaign finance to the intricacies of social choice theory and the growing challenge of political polarisation.

The answer to which, Foley believes, may lie in the work of Melbourne’s very own Edward Nanson, a 19th-century professor whose innovative electoral system inspired Foley’s visit to Australia.

Learn more about Professor Foley’s research here:
👉 ERRN Working Paper 2025-1: Foley, Nanson’s Method and American Democracy

In this episode, Clare and Zim go meta by interviewing a podcast expert on their podcast. Maria Rae, Senior Lecturer in Politics and Policy at Deakin University's School of Humanities and Social Sciences has published extensively on the cultural influence of this burgeoning medium. Join Clare and Zim as they explore the many ways podcasts are shaping political discourse and pepper Maria with such burning questions as, "How are podcasts swaying the political leanings of the masses?" and "What can we do to get more followers?”