How has democracy been impacted by over a year of pandemic response and emergency? How have states ensured the democratic accountability of their actions in response to the global health emergency? What lessons can be learned for now, and for the future? This panel examines democratic practices, and highlights the best – and most concerning – developments.
What’s the future of the free world? What does the ‘free world’ even mean? Recent reports from leading democracy assessment bodies depict a shrinking democratic atlas that is more fragmented than it has been for decades after a steep decline in every world region.
Curating analysis of these developments since early April through the COVID-DEM project, and reading across the 62 published contributions to this outstanding symposium, there are clear commonalities across all democracies affected. Beyond these commonalities, the effect of the COVID-19 response on the democratic system has been – and will be – starkly uneven across democracies worldwide, due to the different democratic ‘starting point’ of each state as the pandemic hit.
Latest Global Research Update Just Issued The first Global Research Update on the global platform Democratic Decay & Renewal (DEM-DEC) for 2020 is now available here, covering late December 2019 to early February 2020. In each Update I write an editorial on key themes to help users to navigate the Update, and to provide some limited commentary, especially on very recent research. 1 The Fierce Urgency of 2020 In January 2017, in my inaugural column for the ICONnect Blog, I urged an end to the complacency bedeviling any real effort to address threats to democracy worldwide. Borrowing a phrase ... continue reading
October was a month of protest, with large-scale protests everywhere from Chile to Hong Kong to Lebanon, as citizens push for democratic government, removal of corrupt politicians, or a more equitable economic system (or all three). Will these protests produce change?
Latest Global Research Update Just Issued The latest Global Research Update on the global platform Democratic Decay & Renewal (DEM-DEC), covering 1 August until 30 September 2019, is now available here. In each Update I write an editorial on key themes to help users to navigate the Update, and to provide some limited commentary, especially on very recent research. 1 Soul-Searching 30 Years After 1989 As 2019 draws to an end we find ourselves reflecting intensely on the legacy and meaning of 1989 as a pivotal year that seemed to usher in a new democratic era. The German Marshall ... continue reading
Twelfth Global Research Update since DEM-DEC was launched This twelfth monthly update was issued on 26 July 2019 and is now available on DEM-DEC. Sincere thanks to DEM-DEC Research Editors Kuan-Wei Chen and Anant Sangal, who assisted in production of this Update. Additions in the July Update include: New research worldwide from June-late July 2019 A significant list of additions suggested by DEM-DEC Users A growing list of forthcoming research, and Resources recently added to the DEM-DEC Links section Identifying Themes In each monthly I select key themes. The aim is simply to provide ‘added value’ by helping users to ... continue reading
Tenth Global Research Update since DEM-DEC was launched This tenth monthly update was issued on 17 May 2019 and is now available on DEM-DEC. Sincere thanks to DEM-DEC REsearch Editors Kuan-Wei Chen and Anant Sangal, who assisted in production of this Update. Additions in the May Update include: New research worldwide from April and early May 2019 A significant list of additions suggested by DEM-DEC Users A growing list of forthcoming research, and A list of resources recently added to the DEM-DEC Links section Identifying Themes In each monthly Update DEM-DEC Director Dr Tom Gerald Daly selects key themes. The ... continue reading
We’ve Had a Name Change! The Democratic Decay Resource (DEM-DEC) has been renamed Democratic Decay & Renewal (DEM-DEC). This is to highlight that our mission is focused both on anatomising the threats facing liberal democracy worldwide and on finding solutions – immediate, medium-term and long-term. Ninth Global Research Update since DEM-DEC was launched This ninth monthly update was issued on 11 April 2019 and is now available on DEM-DEC. Sincere thanks to DEM-DEC REsearch Editors Kuan-Wei Chen and Anant Sangal, who assisted in production of this Update. Additions in the April Update include: New research worldwide from March and early ... continue reading
Eighth Global Research Update since DEM-DEC was launched This eighth monthly update was issued on 7 March 2019 and is now available on DEM-DEC. Sincere thanks to DEM-DEC Research Editor Kuan-Wei Chen, who assisted in production of this Update. Additions in the March Update include: New research worldwide from February 2019 A significant list of additions suggested by DEM-DEC Users A growing list of forthcoming research A list of resources recently added to the DEM-DEC Links section And – in honour of International Women’s Day on 8 March – a list of recommended reads on the far right and populism ... continue reading
13. September 2025
Giovanni Capoccia
12. September 2025
Anne Peters
12. September 2025
Anne Peters