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,...
KUNIGAMI, OKINAWA
COLUMN: A Planetary Game of Local Warnings
6,500 Miles Away From Home, a Possible Tsunami Taught Local Lessons
TOKYO
NEWSLETTER: Local Is Not a Level; Growing Grätzloasen; Democracy Camping
Also: Pati's Revolt, Viennese Parks, Taiwanese AI
Digital Democracy and e-Governance
Digitalisation Can Divide Us or Empower Democracy — We Decide
Town halls are moving online, we are able to sign petitions from the comfort of our own homes, and collective...
BASSERSDORF
SWI Democracy on Your Doorstep
The Lessons of Swiss Municipal Assemblies
WASHINGTON DC
NATIONAL CIVIC REVIEW The Geography of Discontent
And What Democratic Innovations Can Do About It
OHE HTEIN TWIN VILLAGE
ASIA DEMOCRACY CHRONICLES Local Education As a Weapon of War
In Myanmar, Schools Are Bombed, Teachers Hunted—and Education Is Defiance
A monument to the victims of the Rana Plaza tragedy stands in front of the garment factory that collapsed on April 4, 2013. (Photo: Piyas Biswas)
DHAKA
ASIA DEMOCRACY CHRONICLES Life in the Rubble
Survivor's of Bangladesh's work industrial disaster are still waiting for justice
MBODIENE, SENEGAL
COLUMN The Rich Ignore Governance in Their Urban Utopias
From Borneo to Cancun, Plans for Future Cities Omit Local Democracy and Self-Rule
Referendum
Taiwan’s Nuclear Referendum: A Democratic Tightrope Act
Taiwan is preparing for a high-stakes national referendum this month amid rising geopolitical tension,...
Photo of 2 young people shaping heart with their hands
International Youth Day
What is Missing for Effective Youth Participation: Power, Not Passion
On this International Youth Day, how can we move beyond symbolic gestures and hashtags to ensure that youth...