Is democracy declining? What do citizens think? Has anywhere stemmed or reversed backsliding? On 13 October, hear from @clandwehr.bsky.social, Seema Shah @internationalidea.bsky.social and Jan Teorell @vdeminstitute.bsky.social at our free, online event. Sign up 👉️ ucl.zoom.us/webinar/regi....

In Chapter 1 of our Annual Review, Adem Kassie Abebe draws on interviews with reform leaders in #Bangladesh, #Ghana, and #Palestine. He explores how reformers navigate political realities, public participation, and competing demands while pursuing constitutional change: buff.ly/sqUxfm7

📢 Out now: Annual Review of Constitution-Building 2025 From political transitions and democratic backsliding to youth mobilization and constitutional resilience, the Review tracks key developments worldwide. Read more: buff.ly/sqUxfm7 #ConstitutionBuilding #Democracy

⏳ Only one week left to wait! Join us on 15 September at 16:30 CEST for the launch of the Global State of Democracy Report 2026: ‘Democracy in an Age of Conflict’. 🌍📊 Register now: www.bit.ly/GSoD2026Launch #GSoD2026 #DemocraticResilience

Launch of The Global State of Democracy Report 2026: Democracy in an Age of Conflict | International IDEA

Can democracy withstand an age of conflict? Join us for the live launch of International IDEA’s 2026 edition of the flagship Global State of Democracy Report: ‘Democracy in an Age of Conflict’ on 15 September 2026, 16:30-18:00 CEST. Be part of the conversation and share your reflections using #GSoD2026 and #DemocraticResilience.

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I read this Substack post from the great Paul Wells a week or more ago, and I keep coming back to it. He really nails the application of the 'medium sized lie' that marks out the followers of an authoritarian leader. Highly recommended reading: paulwells.substack.com/p/on-falling...

I highly recommend this book. The theory is interesting and thought provoking, and the empirical chapters provide a compelling set of tests.

William Blake@wblake.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Thrilled to announce my 🆕 book, The Social Foundations of Constitutional Innovation, w/ @josephfcozza.bsky.social & Dave Armstrong, is out in the Cambidge Elements in Comparative Political Behavior. Read it free until 8/3/26: cup.org/44E5RSy Preorder: bit.ly/4faMlTG 🧵1/12

📣 We're hiring! Looking for a PostDoc? Join our team in Berlin! Work with @heikekluever.bsky.social, @macartan.bsky.social and Johannes Giesecke at Humboldt University, @scripts-berlin.eu and @humboldt-govlab.bsky.social Great people, great project, great city! 🗓️ Deadline: 15 August 2026

On October 1st, 2026, we will convene the GDC Global Forum in Athens. Held in conjunction with the Athens Democracy Forum on 29&30 September, this will be a key moment for the coalition. Save the Date! Further details will follow soon. Event webpage and interest form in the comments. #GDCForum2026

I'm biased, but this report is thought provoking and useful. It's also a very interesting read. We're looking forward to doing more research like this in the coming years.

International IDEA@internationalidea.bsky.social · 4mo ago

The #NordicBaltic region is home to some of the world’s strongest democracies. But what could #democracy look like by 2050? Our new report explores four possible futures and how early action can strengthen resilience. 🔗 Read the report: doi.org/10.31752/85776

New book on democracy. #OpenAccess Seven Myths about Democracy by Jørgen Møller & Svend-Erik Skaaning, Routledge taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-mon.... Challenges (full or partial) misunderstandings about the meaning, trajectory, causes, and consequences of democracy.

Seven Myths about Democracy | Jørgen Møller, Svend-Erik Skaaning | Tay

This timely book challenges seven widespread misconceptions about democracy that continue to shape public and academic debates about its past, present, and

taylorfrancis.com

Come work with me! 2x 4-year postdocs. Open to political theorists, historians, and social scientists.

School of Politics and Economics@kcl-spe.bsky.social · 6mo ago

🔔 Postdoc vacancies 🔔 A project co-led by our academic, Udit Bhatia, is advertising for two postdocs (four-year positions). ➡️ A third post will be advertised in 2027. The positions will assist with work on popular government in the Global South popgovproject.wordpress.com/postdoc-posi...

It's a big week for democracy reports, so it's a good time to *tap the sign* on how I think we should read these reports. www.idea.int/blog/line-go...

Line goes down: Or, how not to read a democracy report

If you’re reading this blog post, you’re most likely a person who is used to looking at trend lines. Trend lines are everywhere, tracking things like stock prices, sea-surface temperatures, crime rate...

idea.int

New post: Can AI Replace Social Science Researchers? (No. No it can't. Come on, now.) davekarpf.beehiiv.com/p/can-ai-rep...

Can AI Replace Social Science Researchers?

No. No it can't. Come on, now.

davekarpf.beehiiv.com

When protests go viral, democracy goes digital. Democracy Assessment Intern Bjorn Carlson sits down with Bulgarian activists Malena Malcheva and Valeria Berkova to unpack how Gen Z is turning social media into a tool for democratic participation. Read more: bit.ly/49XpxTB

Democracy Goes Digital: Social Media and Bulgaria’s Gen Z Protests

Standing in her closet, folding clothes and speaking into a spatula suspended from the ceiling as a prop microphone, Bulgarian influencer and self-declared “Gen Z Machiavellian” Flora Stratieva (@flor...

bit.ly

How can democratic systems be designed to remain resilient in an era of rapid political, technological, and social change? At #IICDEM2026, International IDEA's experts presented Strategic Foresight as a key tool for anticipating Democracy in 2050. @gibajaalberto.bsky.social @aehudson.bsky.social

Democracy that Delivers - Our #DemocracyAssessment experts @aehudson.bsky.social and Atsuko Hirakawa, and Director for Asia & The Pacific @leenarikkila.bsky.social examine the practical performance of democratic institutions in delivering tangible outcomes for citizens. #IICDEM2026

New symposium issue of Comparative Constitutional Studies: “After the Referendum”. Includes analysis of referendum failures in Ireland (by me), Australia, Chile, and Taiwan, alongside other great papers and book discussion. Open access for a limited time! www.elgaronline.com/view/journal...

#IDEACouncil convened for a session chaired by Swiss Ambassador to Sweden Adrian Junker. The Council reviewed highlights of the #IDEA30Years anniversary and approved a Strategy update along with the Programme and Budget for 2026. We look forward to continued cooperation to advance #democracy.

Thank you to representatives from @internationalidea.bsky.social @idos-research.bsky.social @norad.no & the Advisory Council of International Affairs of the Netherlands for joining us and sharing your perspectives!

Evidence in Governance and Politics (EGAP)@egap.bsky.social · 10mo ago

We kicked off with a discussion of European leadership in international development in the current context 🌏

"...in Times of Crisis" is the go to panel title around here, regardless of topic. One of the panelists must claim that something is "a wake-up call" and that something else is "not a panacea". An audience member will ask something about the "global south" and everyone will politely ignore them.

The new Comparative Constitutions Project website is now live! Developed by yours truly. We're also releasing version 5.0 of our Constitutional Chronology and Constitutional Characteristics datasets, updated through 2023. Explore and download: comparativeconstitutionsproject.org

Comparative Constitutions Project

Producing data about constitutions. Impacting the constitution-making process. Promoting peace, justice, and human development.

comparativeconstitutionsproject.org

If you'd like to read a better account of the separation of powers—understood as a political architecture rather than a legalistic doctrine—check out @trivesbell.bsky.social's wonderful new book.

The Constitution of Conflict: How the Supreme Court Undermines the Separation of Powers (Constitutional Thinking)

The Constitution of Conflict: How the Supreme Court Undermines the Separation of Powers (Constitutional Thinking) [Bell, Thomas] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Constitution of Conflict: How the Supreme Court Undermines the Separation of Powers (Constitutional Thinking)

amazon.com

jamelle@jamellebouie.net · 11mo ago

i think the vision of rigid separation of powers and no independent agencies articulated here is unserious and unworkable. these are just slogans untethered from either the history or reality of american governance.

Today is the release date for my new book The Constitution of Conflict, published by @univpressofkansas.bsky.social! The book argues that the separation of powers is better understood as a political architecture than a judicially-enforced legal doctrine. www.amazon.com/Constitution...

The Constitution of Conflict: How the Supreme Court Undermines the Separation of Powers (Constitutional Thinking)

The Constitution of Conflict: How the Supreme Court Undermines the Separation of Powers (Constitutional Thinking) [Bell, Thomas] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Constitution of Conflict: How the Supreme Court Undermines the Separation of Powers (Constitutional Thinking)

amazon.com

🌍 Between 15-17 Oct, @internationalidea.bsky.social & BIRN Albania hosted “The Future of Democracy in the Western Balkans” foresight workshop in Albania, marking our renewed focus on the region. We explored possible scenarios for #democracy through 2040 and the key factors that may shape its future.

Migrant Electoral Rights Dataset (1960-2020) 📊 Link to dataset: hdl.handle.net/1814/93661 📕 Link to codebook: cadmus.eui.eu/server/api/c... 💼 Link to 400 page documentation: cadmus.eui.eu/server/api/c...

It was great to be back at Forum2000 this year. There were interesting speeches from María Corina Machado, Salome Zourabichvili, and Petr Pavel. Notably absent from most of the discussions, however, were the small matters of the dramatic degradation of US democracy and climate change.

We celebrate the decision of the @nobelpeacecenter.bsky.social Committee to award the 2025 #NobelPeacePrize to Venezuelan democracy champion Maria Corina Machado. It is a timely recognition of the essential relationship between #democracy and #peace. www.idea.int/news/stateme...

Statement on the award of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Corina Machado

idea.int

we at the IDEA democracy assessment team have written an explainer on 'democratic resilience': what it means, where it came from, and what it needs to mean if we're to have a democratic future. hope you give it a read! www.idea.int/blog/democra...

Democracy Notes Explainer: What is democratic resilience?

The term ‘democratic resilience’ is increasingly common in the public lexicon, making prominent appearances in official policy documents, in academic and

idea.int

If a party narrowly wins an election and then implements a very good (or bad) agenda, how should we evaluate democracy in that country? Measures of democratic performance will certainly be affected, but is that enough of the story? I have some thoughts on the matter. www.idea.int/blog/line-go...

Line goes down: Or, how not to read a democracy report

If you’re reading this blog post, you’re most likely a person who is used to looking at trend lines. Trend lines are everywhere, tracking things like stock prices, sea-surface temperatures, crime rate...

idea.int