The worldwide wave of autocratization is doing away with many of the democratic achievements made since 1989. Scholarship on international democracy promotion is yet to theorise how democracy can be protected from autocratization. Such a theory must account for different democratic and...

Global threats to democracy – one of the world’s most important forms of inclusive governance – have been rising recently. This paper assesses the effects of social and economic inequalities on autocratisation, meaning a decline in the democratic qualities of a political regime. The key...

The question of whether and how democracy can be promoted and protected through international support has recently gained relevance. On the one hand, the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan has reignited a public debate on the limits of democracy promotion. On the other hand, the need for...

In this report, the authors analyze Germany's support to democracy. Human rights and democracy have been core values of German foreign policy since the foundation of the Federal Republic in 1949. Germany predominantly draws on civic and peaceful means to promote human rights and democracy. Its...

This policy paper explains why an African democratic norm came into being despite the very heterogeneous membership of the African Union. It offers policy recommendations which address effective defense and promotion of democracy support in Africa.Non-acceptance of Unconstitutional Change of...

In June 2012 the EU set up the European Endowment for Democracy (EED) with the aim of supporting pro-democracy actors predominantly in the European Neighbour-hood and of doing so quickly, flexibly, unbureaucratically and audaciously. But wish-ful thinking and reality are still separated by a...

Die Frage, ob und wie sich Demokratie durch internationale Unterstützung fördern und schützen lässt, hat jüngst an Relevanz gewonnen. Zum einen hat der Abzug der NATO-Truppen aus Afghanistan eine öffentliche Debatte über die Grenzen von Demokratieförderung neu entfacht. Zum anderen...

It is uncontested that democracy promotion's prospects for success depend on its political context. Most studies agree that domestic factors are the main drivers of democratization despite of international actors' relevant influence on these processes. However, two major flaws remain, which make...