In this episode of Physics World Weekly we’re looking at how applied mathematics can help to understand how instabilities arise in democracies. You will hear an extended interview with Karoline Wiesner from the University of Bristol, who uses complex systems theory to analyse human systems.

Wiesner was the lead author on this recent paper in the European Journal of Physics, which applied a complex systems approach to evaluating the idea that democracy is under threat. Wiesner is interviewed by Physics World’s general physics editor Hamish Johnston who reported on the original paper at the end of last year.

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