Latin America: Democracy with Development
Latin America’s hard-won democratic gains must be defended by addressing he economic disparities fueling a drift toward populism.
October 2010
Volume 21, Issue 4
Democracy Support and Development Aid
Democracy Support and Development Aid: The Elusive Synthesis
The lines between the development-aid and democracy-aid communities have been blurring, in terms of both organizational boundaries and activities on the ground, but the convergence is far from complete.
Democracy Support and Development Aid: The Case for Principled Agnosticism
The development community now agrees with the democracy community that politics matters, but the two communities still differ in their understanding of what drives changes in institutions.
Democracy Support and Development Aid: Getting Convergence Right
Development specialists and democracy-support experts should recognize—and maximize—each other’s relative strengths and comparative advantages.
Liberation vs. Control: The Future of Cyberspace
Are technologies giving greater voice to democratic activists in authoritarian societies, or more powerful tools to their oppressors?
The Upsurge of Religion in China
Religion in various forms is burgeoning in the PRC today, and the ruling Chinese Communist Party cannot decide what to make of it—or do about it.
Yemen’s Multiple Crises
Yemen today finds itself gripped by a set of crises that threatens its very unity as a country. Only a turn toward democratic dialogue offers a way out.
Success Stories from “Emerging Africa”
A group of countries in sub-Saharan Africa are showing they can sustain economic growth, reduce poverty, and achieve better governance at the same time.
The Meanings of Democracy
The Meanings of Democracy: Introduction
Read the full essay here.
The Meanings of Democracy: Anchoring the “D-Word” in Africa
Efforts to do comparative research on political attitudes have been complicated by varying understandings of “democracy.” The Afrobarometer is exploring new techniques to overcome this difficulty.
The Meanings of Democracy: Solving an Asian Puzzle
Over the years, the Asian Barometer Survey has yielded some surprising results. A new typological analysis helps to make sense of them.
The Meanings of Democracy: The Shadow of Confucianism
How can Chinese claim strongly to support both democracy and their authoritarian regime? The answer may lie in a Confucian concept of democracy.
The Meanings of Democracy: What Arabs Think
Arabs express a clear preference for democracy, which they define in ways similar to citizens elsewhere in the world. But their authoritarian regimes are not listening.
African Elections as Vehicles for Change
Since the return of multipartism in sub-Saharan Africa, open-seat elections have been the most likely to yield opposition victories, suggesting that term limits may significantly contribute to democratic consolidation.
Reformism vs. Populism in the Philippines
May 2010, Benigno Aquino III bested a crowded field to win the presidency. The election, which was remarkably clean and orderly, gave a clear victory to the reformist narrative that has long vied with populism in the Philippines.
The Authoritarian Challenge
A review of Victorious and Vulnerable: Why Democracy Won in the 20th Century and How It Is Still Imperiled by Azar Gat.
Election Watch
Reports on elections in Burundi, Colombia, Ethiopia, Guinea, Philippines, Poland, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Slovakia, and the Solomon Islands.
Documents on Democracy
Excerpts from: remarks by Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt, U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton, and president of the European parliament Jerzy Buzek given to mark the tenth anniversary of the Community of Democracies; the inaugural address of president of the Philippines Benigno S. (Noynoy) Aquino III.