Our curated library is packed full of knowledge, know-how and best practices in the fields of democracy and culture.
Read the latest on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and other critical world events in our library of democratic content. Gathered from trusted international sources, the curated library brings you a rich resource of articles, opinion pieces and more on democracy and culture to keep you updated.
Take a look at curated library below and search by keyword (i.e. Ukraine or authoritarianism) or format (i.e. article or report) and find a tailored list of resources on the topics you're most interested in.
Voting Rights of Denizens and Expats: Adjusting Democracy Indices to the Age of Mass Migration
"This measure assesses how large the overlap between those who make the law and those who are subject to it is. It is shown how some regimes—including some that have been considered strong democracies—exhibit a considerable gap between these two groups that their democratic credentials should be questioned" (Altman, 2020).
Worth the Sacrifice? Illiberal and Authoritarian Practices during Covid-19
"Excessive use of emergency powers and limitations of media freedoms have raised concerns that Covid-19 is infecting democracy itself. This paper proposes a novel conceptualization of which government responses to Covid-19 qualify as a violation of democratic standards and measure such violations" (Maerz et al., 2020).
Transforming power to put women at the heart of peacebuilding
This discussion paper brings together three regional essays commissioned to explore what needs to happen. The essays illustrate how transformative change rarely comes from within the system; rather, it often comes from outside: from disruption by protest, and from women’s, youth, local and grassroots movements.
Important step for the human rights and ecological orientation of the global economy
This treaty draft stipulates that “contracting States must oblige their companies to exercise human rights due diligence”, “obligations must apply not only to transnationally active companies, but also to local and State-owned companies”, and highlights “the significance of the terms "human rights violations" and "business relations"” (Treaty Alliance Germany, 2020).
Social democracy in the time of the virus
"Rather than worry about a Utopia that lies perpetually beyond the horizon, social democrats should be dedicated to the elimination of present evils and the expansion of practical freedoms" (Coats 2020).
The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Constitutionalism And The Rule Of Law In East Africa
"The webinar was based on two premises: the need to consider constitutionalism and the rule of law in terms of their ultimate goals, second, the adoption of a holistic perspective that enables the consideration not only of civil and political rights but also of the economic and social rights of citizens in the context of COVID-19" (IDEA, 2020).
A Democratic Doomsday?
“For years, liberal democracies have been beset by deepening political polarization, declining confidence in the rule of law, and widespread institutional decay. With the COVID-19 crisis accelerating these trends, the need for a clear strategy to defend liberal democracy has become more urgent than ever” (Ana Palacio, 2020).
Women Constitution-Makers: Comparative Experiences With Representation, Participation And Influence
"This report was developed as a follow up to the First Annual Women Constitution-Makers Dialogue held in October 2019. The workshop was jointly organized by International IDEA and the Edinburgh Centre for Constitutional Law as part of the Political Settlements Research Programme of the University of Edinburgh." (Houlihan, 2020).
Populism Will Survive The Pandemic
“The conclusion that populists’ shambolic handling of this crisis must be bad for populism as a whole is ultimately flawed...it ignores the fact that populism has been a permanent feature of modern democratic politics...even if leaders the likes of Trump and Bolsonaro were to lose power, that wouldn’t necessarily mean their exit from politics” (Yasmeen Serhan, 2020).
Why Democracy Thrives in Some Places and Not Others
“Two common beliefs about democracy are that it began in ancient Athens and, on spreading from there, remained peculiarly Western. David Stasavage, a professor of politics at New York University, finds both views mistaken. Without them, he thinks it will be easier to get hopes and fears for present-day democracy into better perspective and balance” (The Economist, 2020).
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