New technologies are giving citizens more information about their governments than ever before, and they hold the potential to create even more transparency. But the same solutions do not necessarily apply across the board, and one challenge is finding the right remedy for individual situations.

“We want to participate in the design of our future,” said Rosa María Payá, daughter of the late Cuban dissident Oswaldo Payá, of Cuba’s struggle for democracy at a panel April 9 sponsored by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and NDI.

Since its independence in 1960, the Central African Republic (CAR) has struggled to overcome political instability, mutinies and rebellions. On March 24, a coalition of rebel groups, Seleka (“union” in Sango), overthrew the government of President Francois Bozizé. Following the coup, one of the rebel leaders, Michel Djotodia, appointed himself president, formed a new government and stated his intent to remain in power until presidential elections are held in 2016. Following the coup, citizens have faced pervasive looting, and a lack of water and electricity.

In mid-March, Yemen began its National Dialogue, bringing together political and civil society leaders from diverse political backgrounds to discuss the direction the country will take. As the process gets underway, new public opinion research shows that most Yemenis believe the country is headed in the right direction, though a slim majority in the south disagrees. The conclusions are based on a poll, conducted Jan. 26-Feb. 6, that consisted of 1,486 face-to-face interviews throughout the country.