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,...
Global
Democratic Shake Up: The Return Of Engaged Citizens
Since the premature announcement of 'the end of history' after the collapse of the Soviet Union, democratic...
Switzerland
‘The ECI needs to become stronger’
The New European Movement of Switzerland is one of the few organisations defying the current political trend...
Switzerland
Towards Universal Participatory Budgeting
"Participatory budgeting" where everyone can have a say on how public money is used - has become all the rage...
Making Direct Democracy Truly Democratic
When students take three days off work and class to head to the bright sunshine of the California coast, you...
Hungary
‘We need to awake from apathy and powerlessness"
In Country in focus, Democracy International takes a closer look at advances in direct democracy and citizen...
With The President Out of The Country, Oregonians To Reinvent Democracy
Modern Direct Democracy by Initiative and Referendum in the United States was first known as the "Oregon...
France
Monsieur Macrons Sense of Direct Democracy
Two-thirds of French voters chose Emmanuel Macron over Marine Le Pen in Sunday’s presidential elections,...
Re-thinking US Democracy In The Trump Era
Donald Trump´s term as US president, now 100 days old, could re-ignite a long-standing debate about the...
European Union
EU Commission up for more direct democracy
On 11 April 2017, in a rare moment of positive international news for more democracy, the European Commission...
European Union
Europe Offers Direct Democracy A Second Chance
In a rare moment of positive international news for more democracy, the European Commission has announced it...