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,...
Switzerland
“Money plays a growing role in Swiss democracy”
In a conversational democracy like the Swiss one citizens’ association must work very hard to have the...
Switzerland
Why populists should avoid direct democracy
A coalition of rightwing populist parties in the European Parliament is very clear about what they believe in...
Switzerland
Think Democratic! The Swiss 'Denknetz'
"We must think together to develop political expertise!” This is the core commitment of the Swiss think tank...
Austria
Austria Continues With A Black Eye
Austrians and their young democratic state experienced a true roller-coaster-ride recently. They failed to...
Switzerland
A New Way To Use The Popular Referendum
This is a first for Switzerland. Citizens are challenging a parliamentary decision to a nationwide vote...
Direct Democracy: The Other Side Of American Democracy
In US elections a great deal of attention, and much of the money, focuses on events at the national level....
United Kingdom
Brexit Mix Bag Do Not Offer More Democracy
Britain´s Supreme Court has ruled that the government needs parliamentary consent to start the Brexit process...
Will "We The People" Survive No. 45?
In at least one respect, the new US administration under President Trump has been very well prepared: within...
Philippines
Direct Democracy A Solution With Limitations
Amid presidential threats of introducing martial law in the Philippines, there is another much more hopeful...
"The Most Important Office In A Democracy Is The Citizen"
In his farewell speech the 44th president of the United States of America, Barack Obama, offered a lot of the...