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.
Hidden in Plain Sight: Racism, White Supremacy, and Far-Right Militancy in Law Enforcement
"The government’s response to known connections of law enforcement officers to violent racist and militant groups has been strikingly insufficient" (German, 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).
Stocks are Soaring. So is Misery
“The economy probably doesn’t feel so great to the millions of workers who still haven’t gotten their jobs back and who have just seen their unemployment benefits slashed. The $600 a week supplemental benefit enacted in March has expired, and Trump’s purported replacement is basically a sick joke” (Paul Krugman, 2020).
You Have Awakened a Sleeping Giant
“This moment is unlike any in recent Thai history. A new generation of activists has moved from expressing coded criticism of the monarchy to publicly calling for wholesale reform” (Tom Felix Joehnk and Matt Wheeler, 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).
Supporting Deliberative Systems with Referendums and Initiatives
“This article builds on this literature to argue that referendums and initiatives can serve deliberative systems by incentivising representatives to engage in recursive representation – namely, conversation-like exchange at the mass level with the represented deemed essential to deliberative systems” (el-Wakil, 2020).
Elevating Women Peacebuilders amidst Covid-19
This brief examines womens’ role in peacebuilding and the Women, Peace, and Security agenda highlighting how the participation of women in peace processes is essential to the durability and quality of post-conflict peace in the context of Covid-19 and womens’ leadership during the pandemic" (Yayboke and Abdullah, 2020).
When Corruption Funds the Political System: A Case Study of Honduras
In this report, Sabet explores four most salient types of corruption in Honduras: embezzlement of social development funds, procurement corruption, organized crime corruption, and patronage abuses in the bureaucracy. While each is distinct, in all four cases, corrupt proceeds help fund political campaigns, making corruption a core input to the political system. Sabet explores several potential sources of accountability to prevent and respond to these challenges.
A Turbulent Decade: The Changes in Chinese Popular Attitudes Toward Democracy
This paper “investigates the changes in popular attitudes toward democracy” where “Results show that online discussion around democracy has decreased and voices questioning democracy have become pronounced” and “increasing doubts about democracy are not necessarily translated into a strong authoritarian legitimacy.” (Zhang 2020)
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