Robb Willer studies the forces that unite and divide us. As a social psychologist, he researches how moral values -- typically a source of division -- can also be used to bring people together. Willer shares compelling insights on how we might bridge the ideological divide and offers some intuitive advice on ways to be more persuasive when talki...

Deepa Narayan is an international advisor on poverty, gender and development with more than 25 years of experience working at the World Bank, the UN and NGOs.

Daily Beast columnist and co-host of the "Democracy-ish" podcast, recovering attorney, playwright, author and exhausted dad Wajahat Ali celebrates the diverse narratives of the United States and advocates for a more inclusive cultural landscape.

Award-winning journalist and author, Will Potter focuses on the animal rights and environmental movements, and civil liberties in the post-9/11 era.

María Teresa Kumar is the President and CEO of Voto Latino, a nonprofit organization committed to shaking up the American political process.

As COVID-19 continues to spread, the world is facing two existential threats at once: a public health emergency and an economic crisis. Political theorist Danielle Allen describes how we can ethically and democratically address both problems by scaling up "smart testing," which would track positive cases with peer-to-peer software on people's ce...

Was 2017 really the "worst year ever," as some would have us believe? In his analysis of recent data on homicide, war, poverty, pollution and more, psychologist Steven Pinker finds that we're doing better now in every one of them when compared with 30 years ago. But progress isn't inevitable, and it doesn't mean everything gets better for everyo...

Summer, 2016: amid populist revolts, clashing resentments and fear, writer Anand Giridharadas doesn't give a talk but reads a letter. It's from those who have won in this era of change, to those who have, or feel, lost. It confesses to ignoring pain until it became anger. It chides an idealistic yet remote elite for its behind-closed-doors world...

About this event: After a 9-year hiatus, election season is finally here! Lebanon heads to the ballot box on May 6th, and new faces have emerged in our political arena. That's why ‘The X on Your Ballot’ is the theme of our next Salon! Join us for a cozy Sunday evening with TED talks, musical performances, and riveting conversations about the state of our democracy.

Does it seem like Washington has no new ideas? Instead of looking to build the future, it sometimes feels like the US political establishment happily retreats into fear and willful ignorance. Journalist David Rothkopf lays out a few of the major issues that US leadership is failing to address -- from cybercrime to world-shaking new tech to the r...

César Hidalgo nos propone una idea radical para arreglar el sistema político roto: ¡automatízalo! En una charla que te hace reflexionar, explica la idea de cómo llegar a reemplazar a los políticos para empoderar a los ciudadanos con agentes virtuales personalizados que voten directamente en los proyectos de ley. Explora una nueva manera de tomar...

Rebecca MacKinnon looks at issues of free expression, governance and democracy (or lack of) in the digital networks, platforms and services on which we are all more and more dependent.

In Elizabeth Pisani's latest book, she explores the "improbable nation" of Indonesia.

“Lobbying” doesn’t have to be a dirty word; instead, it means using your talents and abilities to improve the world, says civic advocate Alberto Alemanno. Every weekday for the month of January, TED Ideas is publishing a new post in a series called “How to Be a Better Human,” containing a helpful piece of advice from a speaker in the TED commun...

About this event: The critically important role of public policy in maintaining a functioning, working Democracy, needs participation by citizens to be effective. As the current political landscape seems impossibly polarized, Hannah-Beth will make the case to exercise our citizenship by involvement at all levels of politics. We’ll also talk about the role of Publ...

About this event: TEDx Splaiul Independentei will be an opportunity of getting together the undiscovered and not yet public values of Romania, creating a network of change agents from all areas of expertise that can put together a coherent and innovative plan of growing Romanian democracy and giving the main directions of change in our society and offer the poss...

What can a young woman with an idea, an Internet connection and a bit of creativity achieve? That's all Siyanda Mohutsiwa needed to unite young African voices in a new way. Hear how Mohutsiwa and other young people across the continent are using social media to overcome borders and circumstance, accessing something they have long had to violentl...

About this event: TEDxYouth@BFS brings together speakers, performers, and video presentations from many disciplines, in the spirit of TED, to demonstrate how freedom in education and the practice of democracy has the ability to empower students and ultimately change the world. Please join us for an incredible day of talks and performances that will continue t...

The more we read and watch online, the harder it becomes to tell the difference between what's real and what's fake. It's as if we know more but understand less, says philosopher Michael Patrick Lynch. In this talk, he dares us to take active steps to burst our filter bubbles and participate in the common reality that actually underpins everything.

Yasheng Huang asks us to rethink our ideas about China and other large emerging economies. Lately he’s been asking, Does democracy hinder or promote economic growth?

Noah Feldman studies the intersection of religion, politics and law.

Jonathan Haidt studies how -- and why -- we evolved to be moral and political creatures.

TED Fellow Jess Kutch is the cofounder of Coworker.org, a nonprofit that helps people join together to improve their jobs and workplaces.

Which TED Talks were watched most in 2019? These talks reflect a year defined by fighting for what's right, believing in the good despite all the bad, supporting others and yourself -- and hoping for the best in the decade to come.

About this event: The world is evolving rapidly and we, citizens of our global village, are part to this continuous evolution. Is this a world of abundance or scarcity? How we understand technological changes? How we interact with our urban space. How we deal with our privacy in the cyber era? Where Greece is standing amidst those changes? How can we as a society...

Max Rashbrooke's work focuses on two of the most urgent tasks facing the world: how to renew our systems of democracy and reduce growing economic disparities to have the foundation for a flourishing and harmonious life.

About this event: The term Sarvodaya was pioneered by Mahatma Gandhi during the freedom struggle. Sarvodaya denotes the upliftment of the most downtrodden sections of the society culturally, economically and politically. While India has stepped into its Seventieth anniversary of independence by cementing democracy as its cornerstone, the modernization process acc...

When facts are false, decisions are wrong, says editor and TED Fellow Olga Yurkova. To stop the spread of fake news, she and a group of journalists launched StopFake.org, which exposes biased or inaccurate reporting in order to rebuild the trust we've lost in our journalists, leaders and institutions. Learn more about the fight against misinform...

Srdja Popovic was a founder and leader of the student movement that brought down the Milosovic regime. Now, he helps other nonviolent movements learn and grow.

Jarrell Daniels brings policy makers together with community members to improve social challenges, particularly among youth.