The Global State of Democracy 2019 | International IDEA
The Global State of Democracy | International IDEA
The report, packaged as a “global health check of democracy” aims to influence the global democracy debate, by nuancing the current doom and gloom narrative and proposing solutions to current challenges.
The 2019 report analyses six key global challenges to democracy:
- the crisis of representation of political parties and the rise of populism;
- patterns and conditions of democratic backsliding;
- the empowerment of civil society in a shrinking civic space;
- managing electoral processes in challenging environments;
- corruption and the role of money in politics; and
- the impact of information communications technologies on democracy.
The report also provides an in-depth analysis of the state of democracy in the different regions of the world: Africa and the Middle East, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific and Europe.
The report mainly targets policymakers and civil society organizations working at the national, regional or international levels, either implementing, supporting or advocating for democratic reforms, but also opinion-makers, students and academics interested in democracy and governance issues.
In December 2020, International IDEA published an interim GSoD report (GSoD In Focus Special Brief 2020) which assesses the state of democracy prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 and 11 months into the pandemic and as of end November 2020.
The idea of democracy continues to mobilize people around the world, but the practice of existing democracies has disappointed and disillusioned many citizens and democracy advocates.
Democratic erosion is occurring in different settings and contexts. New democracies are often weak and fragile. Older democracies are struggling to guarantee equitable and sustainable economic and social development. The share of high-quality democracies is decreasing and many of them are confronted with populist challengers.
At the same time, democratic transitions occur in political regimes that seemed staunchly undemocratic and popular democratic aspirations continue to be expressed and defended around the world. Despite the challenges, democracy has proven resilient. Democracies have also shown, with some exceptions, to provide better conditions for sustainable development.
International IDEA’s report The Global State of Democracy 2019: Addressing the Ills, Reviving the Promise provides a health check of democracy and an overview of the current global and regional democracy landscape. It analyses the encouraging democratic trends as well as the key current challenges to democracy. The Report draws on data from the Global State of Democracy (GSoD) indices and lessons learned from International IDEA’s on-the ground technical assistance to understand the current democracy landscape. It aims at informing strategies, programmes and policy interventions in support of democracy.
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