Why it is worth to support and protect democracy worldwide
Autocratization trends are the new normal worldwide. Nationalist populists undermine democracy from within, citizens do not feel represented, and social polarization is growing. At the same time, great powers such as China and Russia undermine the legitimacy of democratic values and norms in global politics. In view of the problems of representation in the cradles of democracy, politicians in Europe and North America are no longer prioritizing the promotion of democracy. Rather, it has developed into a good tone to strictly reject the autocratic model à la China. It only seems clear what democrats do not want. However, if and why it is relevant to protect and support democracy internationally remain open questions.
This special provides answers to these questions. We compile findings from democratization research and policy advice of the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) and its partners in the global South and North. On these pages you will find studies and policy recommendations on the value of democracy, the democratic dividend and the motivation and effects of international democracy promotion.
Projects
IDOS is a founding member of the research network "External Democracy Promotion" - a network of leading scientists whose research and policy advice deals with the successes and challenges of international democracy promotion worldwide.
"What is it worth, democracy?", is a project that proves that the thesis of "The rest against the West" lacks empirical evidence. Value orientations in societies of the global South and of OECD donors play an important, and also beneficial role in effectively promoting democracy.
In the project "Supporting Sustainable Peace" we show that democracy promotion is a relevant component of successful peacebuilding.
IDOS research shows that the impact of programmes to support governance and democracy is better than their reputation.
The question of whether democracy makes a difference for the cohesion of a society and how democracy can be effectively promoted is addressed in the project "Social Cohesion in Africa".
Democratic foundations as a prerequisite for an effective and integrated implementation of the 2030 Agenda is the subject of research in the project “Implementing the Agenda 2030: Integrating Growth, Environment, Equality and Governance".
Team
Publications
Could the first political group with a vision please stand up?
Koch, Svea / Niels Keijzer / Christine Hackenesch
The Current Column of 13 May 2024
The Republic of Senegal at a political turning point as President Faye takes office
Grütjen, Klaus (2024)
Policy Brief 12/2024
La République du Sénégal à un tournant politique: l’investiture du Président Faye
Grütjen, Klaus (2024)
External Publications
The dream of dictatorship
Mross, Karina
The Current Column of 24 April 2024
2024 – Asia’s bumper election year
Lorch, Jasmin
The Current Column of 4 March 2024
Security policy is not development policy
Leininger, Julia / Anna-Katharina Hornidge (2024)
Bonn: German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), The Current Column of 21 February 2024
What works in democracy support? How to fill evidence and usability gaps through evaluation
Leininger, Julia / Armin von Schiller (2024)
in: Evaluation, first published 21.12.2023
The European Union’s governance approach to tackling disinformation – protection of democracy, foreign influence, and the quest for digital sovereignty
Kachelmann, Matthias / Wulf Reiners (2023)
in: L'Europe en Formation 396, 11-36
On the edge: delays in election results and electoral violence in Sub-Sahara Africa
Saibu, Ghadafi
Discussion Paper 19/2023
Civil society between repression and cooptation: adjusting to shrinking space in Cambodia
Lorch, Jasmin (2023)
in: Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs 42 (3), 395-420
The supply and demand of democracy in Africa today
Isbell, Thomas (2023)
The Current Column of 20 November 2023
Can public participation deepen democracy? Insights from Nakuru City in Kenya
Gutheil, Lena (2023)
in: Megatrends Afrika Policy Brief 18 (October 2023)
The (un)intended effects of EU development cooperation on democracy
Keijzer, Niels / Nathan Vandeputte (2023)
published on blogs.idos-research.de, 08.02.2023
Autocratisation: the end of the end of history?
Mross, Karina / Jörn Grävingholt / Julia Leininger (2023)
n: Annual Report 2021-2022 - German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), 14-18
International democracy promotion in times of autocratization: from supporting to protecting democracy
Leininger, Julia (2022)
Discussion Paper 21/2022
Identifying pathways to peace: how international support can help prevent conflict recurrence
Mross, Karina / Charlotte Fiedler / Jörn Grävingholt (2022)
in: International Studies Quarterly, 66 (1)
The impact of urbanisation on political regimes in Africa: A literature review
Gutheil, Lena (2022)
in: Megatrends Africa Working Paper 03 (December 2022)
Civil society participation in urban governance in Africa: supporting CSOs’ political voice for a transformation of citizen–state relations
Gutheil, Lena (2022)
Policy Brief 2022 05, 14.07.2022S (SWP, IDOS, IfW)
Protection against autocratisation: how international democracy promotion helped preserve presidential term limits in Malawi and Senegal
Leininger, Julia / Daniel Nowack (2022)
in: Third World Quarterly 43 (2), 309-331
What role do local elections play for societal peace in Nepal? Evidence from post-conflict Nepal
Fiedler, Charlotte / Karina Mross / Anna Berg / Prakash Bhattarai / Dorothea Drees / Tim Kornprobst / Alexandra Leibbrandt / Philipp Liegmann / Maleen Riebsamen (2022)
Discussion Paper 4/2022
Protecting democracy from abroad: democracy aid against attempts to circumvent presidential term limits
Nowack, Daniel / Leininger, Julia (2021)
in: Democratization 29 (1), 154-173
Process tracing the term limit struggle in Malawi: the role of international democracy promotion in Muluzi's bid for a third term
Nowack, Daniel (2021)
in: Africa Spectrum (55) 3, 291-320
Disaggregating democracy aid to explain peaceful democratisation after civil wars
Mross, Karina (2021)
in: European Journal of International Security, first published 17.12.2021
The significance of the independence referendum for New Caledonia
Kaiser, Frederike (2021)
The Current Column of 29 November 2021
Protecting democracy: the relevance of international democracy promotion for term limits
Leininger Julia / Daniel Nowack (2021)
Briefing Paper 21/2021
Three misconceptions in the debate about Afghanistan: Why Germany should promote democracy now more so than ever
Leininger, Julia (2021)
The Current Column of 31 August 2021
About the need for a public debate about social cohesion and democracy
Leininger, Julia / Armin von Schiller (2021)
The Current Column of 28 April 2021
Time is ripe for a global democracy summit
Lindberg, Staffan / Julia Leininger (2021)
The Current Column of 19 January 2021
Undoing “America First” at the UN
Hendra, John / Silke Weinlich (2021)
The Current Column of 18 January 2021
The struggle for minds and influence: the Chinese communist party’s global outreach
Hackenesch, Christine / Julia Bader (2020)
in: International Studies Quarterly, 09.06.2020
What the EU should do for democracy support in Africa: ten proposals for a new strategic initiative in times of polarisation
Hackenesch, Christine / Julia Leininger / Karina Mross (2020)
Discussion Paper 14/2020
Tackling the pandemic without doing away with democracy
Leininger, Julia (2020)
The Current Colum of 27 April 2020
More donors, more democracy
Ziaja, Sebastian (2020)
in: The Journal of Politics 82 (2), 433-447
Gradual, cooperative, coordinated: effective support for peace and democracy in conflict-affected states
Fiedler, Charlotte / Jörn Grävingholt / Julia Leininger / Karina Mross (2019)
in: International Studies Perspectives, 1-24
The negotiation of democracy promotion: issues, parameters and consequences
Poppe, Annika Elena / Julia Leininger / Jonas Wolff (eds.)(2019)
Democratization 26 (5), (Special Issue), London: Routledge Taylor & Francis
First peace, then democracy? Evaluating strategies of international support at critical junctures after civil war
Mross, Karina (2019)
in: International Peacekeeping 26 (2), 190-215
The relevance of social policies for democracy: preventing autocratisation through synergies between SDG 10 and SDG 16
Leininger, Julia / Anna Lührmann / Rachel Sigman(2019)
Discussion Paper 7/2019
First Peace, then Democracy? Evaluating Strategies of International Support at Critical Junctures after Civil War
Mross, Karina (2019)
International Peacekeeping, 26:2, 190-215
Democracy support and peaceful democratisation after civil war
Mross, Karina (2019)
Briefing Paper 7/2019
Aid, political conditionality, and other international efforts to support democracy in Africa
Hackenesch, Christine(2019)
in: Nic Cheeseman (ed.), Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics, Oxford: Oxford Univ. Pr.
Cultural values, attitudes, and democracy promotion in Malawi: how values mediate the effectiveness of donor support for the reform of presidential term limits and family law
Nowack, Daniel(2018)
Discussion Paper 27/2018
Lessons learnt from impact-oriented accompanying research: potentials and limitations to rigorously assessing the impact of governance programmes
Funk, Evelyn / Lisa Groß / Julia Leininger / Armin von Schiller(2018)
Discussion Paper 28/2018
The EU and China in African authoritarian regimes: domestic politics and governance reforms
Hackenesch, Christine(2018)
Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave MacMillan
Democracy promotion in Africa
Leininger, Julia(2018)
in: Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (ed.), (PRIF Report 13/2018), 30-33
Governing the transformations towards sustainability
Leininger, Julia / Ines Dombrowsky / Dirk Messner / Anita Breuer / Constantin Ruhe / Hannah Janetschek / Hermann Lotze-Campen(2018)
in: Elmar Kriegler / Dirk Messner / Nebojsa Nakicenovic / Keywan Riahi / Johan Rockström / Jeffrey Sachs / Sander van der Leeuw / Detlef van Vuuren (eds.), Transformations to achieve the sustainable development goals; Report prepared by The World in 2050 Initiative, Laxenburg: International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), 107-126
Method factors in democracy indicators
Elff, Martin / Sebastian Ziaja (2018)
Politics and Governance, 6 (1), 92–104.
Supporting peace after civil war: what kind of international engagement can make a difference?
Fiedler, Charlotte / Jörn Grävingholt / Karina Mross(2018)
(Briefing Paper 23/2018)
On the effects of international support to peace and democracy in Kenya and Kyrgyzstan in the aftermath of interethnic violence
Fiedler, Charlotte(2018)
in: Journal of Asian and African Studies 53 (2), 314– 329
Demokratieförderung schafft Stabilität
Leininger, Julia(2017)
in: Wolfgang Ischinger / Dirk Messner (Hrsg.), Deutschlands neue Verantwortung: die Zukunft der deutschen und europäischen Außen-, Entwicklungs- und Sicherheitspolitik, Berlin: Econ, 194-197
Post-conflict societies: chances for peace and types of international support
Fiedler, Charlotte / Karina Mroß(2017)
(Briefing Paper 4/2017)
It's institutions, not theology! Muslim actors’ influence on democratization in Mali
Leininger, Julia(2016)
in: Politics and Religion 9 (4), 815-842
Assessing the potential of ICTs for participatory development in Sub-Saharan Africa with evidence from urban Togo
Breuer, Anita / Jacob Groshek(2016)
published on International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society doi:10.1007/s10767-016-9235-5
It’s domestic politics, stupid! EU democracy promotion strategies meet African dominant party regimes
Hackenesch, Christine (2015)
in: World Development 75/2015 (Special Issue: Political Conditionality and EU Foreign Aid), 85–96
Supporting democracy abroad: an assessment of leading powers
Faust, Jörg / Julia Leininger(2014)
Washington D.C.: Freedom House
Conflicting objectives in democracy promotion: avoiding blueprint traps and incomplete democratic transitions
Leininger, Julia / Sebastian Ziaja(2014)
Briefing Paper 11/2014
Struggling for stability: international support for peace and democracy in post-civil war Nepal
Grävingholt, Jörn / Lennart Bendfeldt / Linda Berk / Yvonne Blos / Charlotte Fiedler / Karina Mroß(2013)
Discussion Paper 27/2013
Democracy promotion in the age of social media: risks and opportunities
Breuer, Anita(2011)
Briefing Paper 12/2011
Events
Informal Discussion
Die Demokratie braucht Hilfe! Welche Rolle kann Deutschland in Europa und der Welt spielen?
Berlin, 04.04.2019
Workshop
Whither the “End of the Liberal Order“. Do Societal Values Influence the Effectiveness of Democracy Support?
Bonn, 07.12.2017 bis 08.12.2017
Video: 75 years principal law Germany
Highlight
Could the first political group with a vision please stand up?
Koch, Svea / Niels Keijzer / Christine Hackenesch
The Current Column of 13 May 2024
