Academic freedom is an indicator of a healthy democracy: Spooner

“A country’s institutional commitment to academic freedom is a key indicator of whether its democracy is in good health,” writes University of Regina Professor Marc Spooner. Spooner discusses some of the warning signs that democracy may be in danger, including bans on certain areas of study, elimination of tenure, and the loss of protection of academic freedom. The author says that a democracy enables faculty to speak truth, which can be used to inform and disrupt processes and policies and act as a check on the government. “As more countries flirt with democratic backsliding, we should all be concerned,” writes Spooner. “A country’s tolerance and respect for academic freedom serves as a key indicator of the health of its democracy; let’s not ignore this important warning.” The Conversation Note: Archived stories may contain dead links or be missing source links.