Stories

Member Story
Shadows of the Past: How Soviet Inferiority Narratives Hinder Democracy in Moldova and Ukraine
Post-Soviet countries like Ukraine and Moldova are deeply influenced by inferiority narratives — pervasive beliefs of national inadequacy rooted in Soviet-era legacies. This article examines how these narratives shape...
IDC Theme of the Month
From Backsliding to Breakthrough: Civil Society as Democracy's Last Line of Defence
Democracy does not vanish overnight; instead, it erodes step by step. Authoritarianism grows in the cracks, but so does civic resistance. Around the world, civil society is proving that when democratic institutions weaken,...
Photo source: US Fish and Wildlife Service, Creative Commons License 2.0
USA
COLUMN: This Little Fish Speaks Volumes About Governance
The California Delta smelt is being scapegoated by Trump and farmers. Here's what the nearly extinct fish...
Public domain, by Matthew Brady, U.S. Library of Congress, via Wikimedia Commons
California
COLUMN: This Dead Senator Can Stop Trump
John Conness was an Irish immigrant who stood up for citizenship and human rights. His words still matter.
Via People Powered
India
VIDEO: 5 Ways That Locals Can Govern on Climate Change
In Uttarakhand in the Himalaya, local communities tackle climate change, a People Powered video shows..
Photo credit by photosmash from Getty Images Signature
Bangladesh
How much should we have to pay for being treated as equals?
2024 was no ordinary year. It was the year when over a billion people worldwide showed up to make their...
Town Charter of Flensburg, 1284 via Wikimedia. CC BY-SA 3.0,
USA
NATIONAL CIVIC REVIEW How to Charter Local Change
Transforming City Charter Processes Through Democratic Innovation
Photo by Seanydelight via Wikimedia. CC BY-SA 3.0
USA
COLUMN: Shut Up and Leave Land to the Locals
The U.S. Government Blames Los Angeles for Fires on Federal Lands.
Photo via ADC by Shutterstock / Rhushikesh Panchal)
Pakistan
ASIA DEMOCRACY CHRONICLES Wrestling Over a River's Waters
In Pakistan's Sindh, Residents Fear the Impact of a Canal Project on the Indus River
Via The Future of Where
USA
FUTURE OF WHERE How To Build A New Town
Five Lessons From 150 Years of Trying To Build Better Suburbs
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LOTTO_Haus_in_Magdeburg.jpg#/media/File:LOTTO_Haus_in_Magdeburg.jpg
Congo
NEWSLETTER Snake Bites, Local AI, and Paying for Lottery Democracy With...
Our January newsletter visits rural Congo, and reflects on the fires.
Public Domain via Wikipedia
USA
COLUMN: A Failure to Plan Is a Failure of imagination
L.A. ignored planning and governing responsibilities for 50 years. Will the fires change that?