Democracy Indexes – Promoting, Supporting and Strengthening Democracy
Democracy is the fundamental principle that people should be able to govern themselves, setting up institutions and laws that protect individual rights and provide opportunities for people to develop and express their own ideas, values and opinions. It is also a commitment to impartial and transparent government and the legitimacy of its decisions and actions. Democracy is also a system of governance that requires cooperation and compromise by all members of society to deliver essential services, uphold core values and respond to crises.
The idea of democracy has been central to some of the most enduring expressions of human genius and courage, from Pericles in ancient Athens to Vaclav Havel in the modern Czech Republic and from Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence in the United States to Andrei Sakharov’s last speech in prison in Soviet Russia. Yet it can be difficult to sustain and promote, especially in times of global change and uncertainty. As many countries around the world struggle to uphold democracy or defend its principles against threats from authoritarian governments, populist movements and extremist groups, it is crucial to understand what democracy looks like in practice, and how best to promote, support and strengthen it.
As the world grapples with challenges from terrorism, climate change and economic insecurity, upholding democracy requires vigilance by all citizens, and a willingness to challenge those who would violate its core values for their own political or personal gain. It is a struggle that will not end, but it can be made easier by building a broad coalition of government officials, civil society organisations and other non-governmental actors that is committed to strengthening democratic governance worldwide.
ECPR and its partners are at work developing an array of democracy indices that will allow us to track trends in global democratic health, highlight areas for concern, and identify opportunities for further progress. These indices will help us better understand the relationship between democracy and different outcomes in areas such as poverty alleviation, human development and gender equality, while also providing a more granular analysis of how democracy is evolving from country to country.
In addition to our democracy indices, we are working with partners to establish a global network of “democracy laboratories” and an annual summit that will bring together leaders from a wide range of sectors – from business to universities – who are committed to advancing democratic principles. The work we do will make it possible to build a more holistic approach to democracy that moves beyond the rhetoric of US hegemony and embraces partnership and solidarity with governments, civil society organisations and all other partners in this critical effort.
There are a number of existing democratic indices that are available today, though they differ in how they are measured and how they are used. For example, some focus on governance structures, others in the context of electoral processes and pluralism, and still others look at democratic deficits and fragility. Nevertheless, they all share the goal of establishing a yardstick for evaluating democracy.
Democracy is the fundamental principle that people should be able to govern themselves, setting up institutions and laws that protect individual rights and provide opportunities for people to develop and express their own ideas, values and opinions. It is also a commitment to impartial and transparent government and the legitimacy of its decisions and actions. Democracy is also a system of governance that requires cooperation and compromise by all members of society to deliver essential services, uphold core values and respond to crises. The idea of democracy has been central to some of the most enduring expressions of human genius and courage, from Pericles in ancient Athens to Vaclav Havel in the modern Czech Republic and from Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence in the United States to Andrei Sakharov’s last speech in prison in Soviet Russia. Yet it can be difficult to sustain and promote, especially in times of global change and uncertainty. As many countries around the world struggle to uphold democracy or defend its principles against threats from authoritarian governments, populist movements and extremist groups, it is crucial to understand what democracy looks like in practice, and how best to promote, support and strengthen it. As the world grapples with challenges from terrorism, climate change and economic insecurity, upholding democracy requires vigilance by all citizens, and a willingness to challenge those who would violate its core values for their own political or personal gain. It is a struggle that will not end, but it can be made easier by building a broad coalition of government officials, civil society organisations and other non-governmental actors that is committed to strengthening democratic governance worldwide. ECPR and its partners are at work developing an array of democracy indices that will allow us to track trends in global democratic health, highlight areas for concern, and identify opportunities for further progress. These indices will help us better understand the relationship between democracy and different outcomes in areas such as poverty alleviation, human development and gender equality, while also providing a more granular analysis of how democracy is evolving from country to country. In addition to our democracy indices, we are working with partners to establish a global network of “democracy laboratories” and an annual summit that will bring together leaders from a wide range of sectors – from business to universities – who are committed to advancing democratic principles. The work we do will make it possible to build a more holistic approach to democracy that moves beyond the rhetoric of US hegemony and embraces partnership and solidarity with governments, civil society organisations and all other partners in this critical effort. There are a number of existing democratic indices that are available today, though they differ in how they are measured and how they are used. For example, some focus on governance structures, others in the context of electoral processes and pluralism, and still others look at democratic deficits and fragility. Nevertheless, they all share the goal of establishing a yardstick for evaluating democracy.