Support for democracy has been a priority of U.S. foreign policy since the earliest days of the republic and its advantages over other forms of government have come to be accepted globally. But there are many manifestations of democratic governance – how it is achieved and how it delivers for its citizens – that are the subject of continuing debate. To help illuminate this debate, NDI has collected commentary from its own experts and others along with some of the key documents upon which democracy programs are based.
Our Perspectives
Commentary from NDI Board members and staff on democracy promotion generally and on specific NDI programs. | Read more »
News and Views
Commentary from experts on the directions and challenges of democracy promotion programs. | Read more »
Key Documents
A library of the basic documents upon which democracy programs are based. | Read more »
New Additions
Our Perspectives
International Support for Elections: Effective Strategies and Accountability Systems
Pat Merloe, NDI’s senior associate and director of electoral programs, presented on international support for elections in a conference of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Among the points Merloe made was that: “Citizens’ right to participate in governance and public affairs combines with the right to seek, receive and impart information in the electoral context as the basis for citizens to see into all aspects of the election process to determine whether elections are genuine.”
March 1, 2010 | Read »
Election Monitoring, Citizen Reporting and Mobile Phones
NDI and MobileActive are hosting "New Tools for Better Elections", a conference on Feb. 26th on new technologies for fair, representative and equitable elections. In preparation for the event, MobileActive sat down with Ian Schuler, senior manager of information and communications technology programs at NDI. Schuler breaks down not only the differences between election observation, citizen reporting, and crowd-sourcing, but also explains why these distinctions matter and how mobile technology is changing the way elections are held.
February 8, 2010 | Read »
News and Views
The Year Open Data Went Worldwide
Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, included NDI's Afghanistan Elections Data site in his TED talk about open data. Berners-Lee shows examples of the benefits that come from putting raw data on the web, and the many ways people can use it to increase transparency, safety or even disaster response. "There is an open data movement afoot now, around the world," he says. At 3:11, he shows the Afghanistan Elections Data site. "This is a mashup of the data which was released about the Afghan elections. It allows you to set your own criteria for what sort of things you want to look at."
March 2010 | Watch»
In Colombia, Democracy is Stirred but not Shaken
The authors praise the recent decision by the Colombian Supreme Court to reject a referendum that would have given President Uribe a third term. Despite Uribe's popularity in the country, young democracies need to build strong institutions that are above any one person. "Colombia has pushed back against this wave of autocracy and struck a blow that should resonate. Tempted by easy constitutional change, Colombia chose instead to set a model for durable and peaceful democratic transitions of power. "
March 9, 2010 | Read more»
Pictured above: NDI President Kenneth Wollack (center), with Lorne Craner (left), the president of the International Republican Institute, and Ambassador Robert Neumann at a panel discussion.
