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,...
Austria
#OurDemocracyLocal Erwin Mayer
Our new feature asks about your local democracy story.
Botswana
Radical Democrats in Desert
Diamonds and deliberation.
Ireland
COLUMN: Bono for Mayor
An elected Dublin mayor could change world
Global
VIDEO
Singapore
Show Us the Money
Health care and a lack of democracy.
Art Credit: Public domain via Wikimedia
Global
Dracula Discută Democrație
'Democrația și vampirii au multe în comun'
Georgia
20 Days in the Caucasus
Inspiring struggles for democracy in lands of conflict.
Photo Credit: George M. Groutas via Flickr CC BY 2.0 Deed
Global
What is 'Smart Democracy'?
Also: how to meet me; summer school, vampires, comparing French and Nepali towns
Spain
Citizen Power in Action: A Legislative Initiative for Migrant Rights...
A current citizen initiative in Spain (Iniciativa Legislativa Popular, or ILP in its Spanish terminology) has...
Germany
My Local Ballot Is Too Big!
What to do about voter confusion? Here's a tool.