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,...
USA
VLAHOS: Making Public Meetings More Deliberative
How to Bring Public Meetings Into the 21st Century
Global
The Pact of the Future A United Nations Reset?
In New York, the Summit of the Future is wrapping up after two Action Days open to civil society and two...
Canada
SPEECH 'Come With Us If You Want to Live'
Why the deliberative democracy movement needs to get more aggressive
China
NOEMA: China's Hinterland Becomes a Dreamscape
A Swiss-style village, a Prague-like city, and other new urban places in China
USA
COLUMN A Tale of Two Cities, Bay Area Edition
Kamala Harris' Oakland approaches the White House. The real Oakland struggles with local democracy and...
Mongolia
Ancient Rituals, Modern Governance
Not enough Mongolian women are being elected to local office
USA
COLUMN Ugly Dogs & Lotttery Democracy
A citizens assembly in Northern California.
Global
Can 'Activated Citizenship' Fix 'Voice Insecurity'?
Marjan Ehsassi's new book, Activated Citizenship: The Transformational Power of Citizens Assemblies, delivers...
France
COLUMN Stop the Democracy In-Fighting
We need democracy ecosystems, not democracy waves.
USA
COLUMN A Hole in the Capital Ground
An office building for state will take local parkland and cost $1.2 billion