When Democracy Listens: Purdue Professor Guest Edits Special Issue of Political Communication

Mary (Molly) Scudder, Associate Professor of Political Science at Purdue University, recently edited a special issue of Political Communication on the topic of democratic listening. The special issue, “Democratic Listening: Principles, Practices, and Possibilities,” was published in July 2025.

Scudder co-edited the issue alongside Michael Neblo at The Ohio State University. They were awarded the special issue editorship through a competitive selection process. The issue helps close the gap between normative political theory – which has established the democratic significance of listening – and empirical scholarship on this key aspect of political communication. Before this special issue, only one article in Political Communication had ever used “listening” as a keyword.

Drawing attention to a pervasive yet under-explored aspect of political communication, the special issue brings together leading scholars in political science and communication. The 10 articles, including Scudder and Neblo’s introductory essay, investigate when and how listening occurs, the obstacles to effective listening, and its implications for democratic representation, deliberation, and policymaking. The peer-reviewed articles employ philosophical, observational, and experimental methods, providing a systematic account of how and why listening matters for politics.

Scudder and Neblo’s introductory essay, “Listening as Power in Political Communication,” sets the stage for a conversation that spans disciplines, bringing communication in political science to highlight the transformative potential of listening in an era marked by polarization and democratic strain.