This session will focus on sharing findings and insights on the DRG Bureau's research on a learning question focused on how to program to open up democratic spaces.
The Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance’s (DRG) 2021-2023 Learning Agenda has five learning questions, including a question on misinformation: What are the most effective interventions focused on public institutions to reverse democratic backsliding and/or support greater democratization? More on the DRG Learning Agenda can be found here.
Unlike abrupt forms of democratic breakdown, contemporary backsliding is characterized by gradual erosion, with elected officials playing a central role in subverting democracy from within. Backsliding is observable in both high and low-income countries and is often linked to political polarization and the rise of populist leaders. Check out the infographic.
We commissioned research to conduct an extensive literature review on democratic backsliding and case studies of 15 countries that have experienced a process of democratic backsliding since 2000, with analysis of the opportunities for opening democratic spaces in these contexts. The original research sheds light on how democratic recovery is often facilitated by opposition coalitions, autonomous courts, fragile ruling coalitions, media oversight, civil society mobilization, and popular protests. Read the full report and the original research case study report here.