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.
Social Media, News Consumption, and Polarization: Evidence from a Field Experiment
The authors demonstrate that “exposure to pro-attitudinal news increases affective polarization compared to counter-attitudinal news”, yet shows that “individuals are not easily persuaded by the political leaning of their news exposure”, thus suggesting a “ long-term increase in affective polarization, without an equivalent change in political opinions (Mason 2015)”.
Participation vs representation: Councillor attitudes towards citizen engagement
"Using a survey of local councillors, this research explores how their awareness and perceptions of citizen participation is affected by political party or political situation. This includes a councillor's personal partisan identity, but also the political balance of the council. The survey identified partisan and structural factors that shape the perceptions of local representatives of citizen participation" (Parsons and Rumbul, 2021).
World Report 2021
"World Report 2021, Human Rights Watch’s 31st annual review of human rights practices and trends around the globe, reviews developments in more than 100 countries" (Human Rights Watch, 2021).
Advancing Universal Representation A Toolkit for Advocates, Organizers, Legal Service Providers, and Policymakers
“This fact sheet provides a summary of insights and tools that are explored in more detail in Advancing Universal Representation: Module 2—Building the Movement by the Vera Institute of Justice, National Immigration Law Center, and Center for Popular Democracy” (Center for Popular Democracy, 2021).
New Report On Covid-19 And Democracy Calls For Urgent Measures By Governments And Civil Society
A new report, ‘Global Democracy and COVID-19: Upgrading International Support’, highlights how some governments are using the public health crisis to further curtail democratic activities and provides recommendations for policymakers and civil society to counteract the negative impacts of Covid-19 on democracy.
When Sanctions Violate Human Rights
This report examines how sanctions can violate human rights, particularly when states employ little transparency, and develops recommendations to prevent against human rights abuses committed through sanctions by nation-states.
Securing Supplies: How to Prevent Another Covid-19 Breakdown
According to AEI,, “the Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated the vulnerability of global supply chains during crises”, and it is impossible for any contemporary liberal democracy to build “all its needs domestically.” The report highlights that “governments must work with the private sector to exercise crisis scenarios”. (AEI, June 2021).
The Rise of Insurgent Europeanism
“Civil society in Europe and its attitudes towards the European project have changed dramatically in the past decade of multiple crises. This study mapped, tracked and monitored developments in European civil society from 2018 to 2020, revealing the nature and implications of these changes” (Cooper, Dunin-Wąsowicz, Kaldor, Milanese, Rangelov, 2021).
Democracy Report 2021. Autocratization Turns Viral
"Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) produces the largest global dataset on democracy with almost 30 million data points for 202 countries from 1789 to 2020." This report details the state of democracy in 2020 and presents data for democratically advancing and declining states around the world and global challenges.
Community Power: The Evidence
This report draws out six benefits from community power – and presents four shifts and four recommendations we need for it to flourish. It also explores the ‘evidence paradox’ that is holding back community power – looking at how to overhaul the way we measure success.
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