Global Democracy Theory of Change

The views expressed are those of the author and do not represent the views of the SNF Agora Institute or Johns Hopkins University.

Authors: Scott Warren, Sohelia Comninos

We undertook this project to better understand whether common causes of democratic erosion exist across the globe, examine potential actions to reverse erosion and protect democracy, ask why these solutions have not been implemented or failed to achieve lasting impact, and explore potential new strategies and in-roads to a path of democratization. Our goal is to suggest strategies for reversing the global decline in democracy through a theory of change that complements, or in some cases replaces, existing largely state-led and Western-led initiatives. A particular focus is the global democracy infrastructure, where we aim to identify gaps, especially in areas that have yet to be explored or where current efforts are falling short, and propose potential solutions. We do not wish to start any new programming, but rather, to shine a light on challenges and opportunities through a comprehensive framework.

This report, representing the first stage of a longer term and iterative project, aims to provide project stakeholders with a shared diagnosis of the problem we are seeking to address, outline initial strategies and ideas to counter democratic decline, and propose next steps in developing a theory of change. We do not intend for this report to be final or authoritative, but rather, a conversation-starter that aims to augment potential action in the wide democracy ecosystem at a pivotal moment.

Read the full report.