Network of Democracy Research Institutes

Contents

• 1. News and Announcements
• 2. New Publications and Recent Events by NDRI Members
• 2.1 Africa
• 2.2 Asia and the Pacific
• 2.3 Europe
• 2.4 Latin America
• 2.5 Middle East
• 2.6 Russia and the Former Soviet Union
• 2.7 United States and Canada

1. NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

IFES (U.S.) Announces 2011 Democracy Awards Recipients:
Two senior U.S. congressional leaders and a former justice of South Africa’s Constitutional Court were recently awarded IFES' 2011 Charles T. Manatt Democracy Awards for their commitment to advancing freedom and democratic values around the world. Senator Patrick Leahy was awarded the prize for his work on a variety of issues, including advocating an international ban on the use land mines, advancing civil liberties, and guaranteeing a fair and independent judiciary. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was recognized for her work to promote freedom, human rights, and democracy around the world during her two decades of service in the U.S. House of Representatives. Finally, Judge Johann Kriegler, a human rights lawyer and elections expert, received the award for his participation in judicial and electoral missions in more than a dozen countries. He also lead the effort to the reform electoral law in Kenya following post-election violence in 2007 and recently served on Afghanistan’s Electoral Complaints Commission.

Rights & Democracy (Canada) Presents 20th John Humphrey Award:
In November, Rights & Democracy’s 20th John Humphrey Award was presented to Ales Michalevic, a hero of the pro-democracy movement in Belarus. Mr. Michalevic, a presidential candidate in 2010, has since been arrested, tortured, released, and driven into political exile; he is now forced to pursue his work outside of Belarus and is one of the few able to do so as most of his colleagues are in jail. Rights & Democracy’s international jury wanted to acknowledge the courage, determination, and perseverance shown by Mr. Michalevic. An experienced lawyer with a deep interest in political and civic activities, Mr. Michalevic embarked on his presidential run in November 2010 with the aim, among others, of promoting democracy and establishing the rule of law in a country labeled as undemocratic by several Western governments, including that of Canada. Following the election of December 19, 2010, more than 600 people, including Mr. Michalevic, were arrested on arbitrary grounds.

Call for Applications: Stanford University’s Draper Hills Summer Fellows Program:
Applications are now being accepted for the 2012 Draper Hills Summer Fellows Program at Stanford University. The dates for the 2012 Draper Hills Summer Fellows Program are Sunday, July 22-Friday, August 10, 2012. Applicants are required to participate in the entire duration of the fellowship program. The program is aimed at early to mid-career practitioners who possess 10 to 25 years of professional experience working actively in the field of democracy, development, and the rule of law. Applicants can be working as policymakers, academics, legal professionals, social entrepreneurs, business entrepreneurs, and leaders of civil society organizations (such as representatives of trade unions, nongovernmental organizations, the media, business, and professional associations). In their present capacity, applicants should play important and influential roles in their country's political, economic, and social development. Participants should have demonstrated professional and personal achievements in a relevant sector of democracy, development, and the rule of law. More information on eligibility requirements and application procedures are available here. Deadline for application is December 12, 2012.

2. New Publications and Recent Events by NDRI Members

Africa

The Afrobarometer has recently published five new Working Papers. “Political Participation of Africa’s Youth: Turnout, Partisanship and Protest,” published in November 2011 by Danielle Resnick and Daniela Casale, examines youth political participation rates in 19 African countries. The authors find that Africa’s youth tend to vote less, express a lower level of partisanship, and are less likely to protest than older citizens.

“Museveni and the 2011 Ugandan Election: Did The Money Matter?,” published in September 2011 by Jeffrey Conroy-Krutz and Carolyn Logan, examines accusations that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s victory in the February 2011 elections derived from his government’s pre-election public spending and widespread vote buying. The authors conclude that neither factor influenced the electoral outcome and that Museveni’s re-election hinged on an uninspiring opposition slate, widespread satisfaction with macroeconomic growth, and improved security.

“Sources of State Legitimacy in Contemporary South Africa: A Theory of Political Goods,” published in September 2011 by Danielle Carter, studies how countries transitioning from authoritarian to democratic forms of government can legitimize state institutions. Carter analyzes South Africa’s transition to democracy to argue for the supremacy of political goods and discovers that citizens who view the state positively in the provision of personal security, political rights, and rule of law are more likely to see the state as legitimate.

“Too Poor to Care? The Salience of Aids in Africa,” published in August 2011 by Mogens K. Justesen, argues that despite high levels of infection, Africans give little attention to HIV/AIDS because they are more concerned with issues – such as poverty, hunger, and unemployment – that affect their daily lives. The paper shows that at both the individual and country level, poverty and material living conditions have significant effects on the likelihood that individuals consider AIDS a salient political issue.

The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD, Nigeria) published four issues of West Africa Insight. The June 2011 Land Issue discusses land in West Africa with respect to the issues of access, laws, gender disparities, and possible solutions. The July 2011 Waste and Sanitation Issue explores increasing obstacles to good health resulting from poor waste disposal and the need for effective sanitation practices across the region. The August 2011 Madrasa Issue focuses on madrasa education with a look at its nature, relevance in an ever-changing world, and ways to modernize madrasa education. The September 2011 Population Issue examines the dynamics of population growth across the region with a view of how it will shape the region in the coming years.

The Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD) launched a “Support for Local Democratic Debate” project in Takorda on October 21, 2011, which aims to promote local participation in democratic governance and empower and increase citizen engagement in solving local and community challenges in Ghana’s Western Region. The project was launched in coordination with the French Embassy, the Western Region Coordinating Council, and the Western Region Network of NGOs (WERENGO).

“The Re-demarcation and Reapportionment of Parliamentary Constituencies in Ghana,” a Briefing Paper published in October 2011 by Daniel A. Smith, addresses questions pertaining to legislative representation in Ghana. Smith argues that Ghana’s National Electoral Commission (EC) is uniquely equipped to carry out its constitutional duty to prescribe the boundaries of the country’s parliamentary constituencies, but expresses concern due to past EC decisions, which were fraught with unsettling representational and political ramifications.

The Democracy in Africa Research Unit (DARU, South Africa) has published two new Working Papers. “Making Accountability Work for the AIDS Response,” published in April 2011 by Per Strand, argues that elected politicians in eastern and southern Africa are vulnerable to the political populism that feeds on discrimination and denial, which inhibits effective responses to AIDS infections. Strand claims that a better understanding of how this governance dilemma plays out in different contexts and ideas for how to structure political incentives are needed so that championing AIDS becomes a sustainable strategy to win and uphold political power.

“Disease Burden, Proportionality and the AIDS Funding Debate – Towards Clarity on Whether the World is Spending Too Much on HIV/AIDS,” published in September 2011 by Matthew MacDevette, examines the proportionality of HIV/AIDS funding to its disease burden in the year 2008. MacDevetter finds that a majority of countries ‘overspend’ on HIV/AIDS, but this belies the fact that global ‘underspending’ is far more severe than overspending, and that global HIV/AIDS resources are inadequate to bring all countries’ spending on the disease in line with their disease burdens.

DARU also published two Incidental Papers. “Commodities and Linkages: Meeting the Policy Challenge,” published in October 2011 by Mike Morris, Raphael Kaplinsky, and David Kaplan, examines linkages in and out of the commodities sector in eight sub-Saharan African countries in six sectors and finds extensive scope for industrial development. The authors argue that policy in both the private and public realm is a prime factor holding back the development of linkages, and that addressing this problem requires the closing of three sets of misalignments between policy and practice – within the corporate sector, within the public sector, and between the public sector and other stakeholders involved in linkage development. “Commodities and Linkages: Industrialisation in Sub Saharan Africa,” a complementary Discussion Paper published in October 2011 by Morris, Kaplinsky, and Kaplan, presents the findings of their detailed empirical inquiry, and concludes that the extent of linkages varies as a consequence of three factors – the passage of time, the complexity of the sector, and the level of capabilities in the domestic economy.

The Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA) published three newsletters. The October 2011 issue of Democracy in Action contains IDASA’s response to South Africa’s 2011 Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS), and focuses on the recent work of IDASA’s Economic Governance Program (EGP), Governance and AIDS Program (GAP), and Political Governance Program (PGP).

The November 2011 edition of The Governance Response to HIV and AIDS - News Diaries from Southern Africa explores the affect climate change will have on the vulnerability of children in South Africa, the spread of HIV in South Africa, local initiatives needed to sustain HIV/AIDS programs during economic downturns, the success of HIV support groups, and the influence of family structures on knowledge and understanding of HIV transmission.

IDASA’s November 2011 States in Transition Observatory measures the electoral environment in the Democratic Republic of Congo in anticipation of the country’s November 28 elections.

Asia and the Pacific

The Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) published two papers in recent months. The October 11 Background Paper on “Ethnic Violence in Sindh,” by Muhammad Feyyah, examines why the Sindh province has been struggling with violence since independence. The author argues that this violence is due, in part, to the fact that Sindh is one of the most ethnically diverse regions in Pakistan. The August 2011 Background Paper, “Parliamentary Oversight of Defense: South Africa in the Democratic Era,” by Justin Sylvester, provides an overview of the historic developments in civilian oversight of defense issues and how Parliamentary Committees in South Africa have been empowered to facilitate the system and practice of oversight on defense.

The East Asia Institute (EAI, South Korea) published the September–December 2011 Journal of East Asia Studies that includes articles on decentralization and economic performance in Indonesia, Chinese industrial policy, Taiwan’s Ma Ying-jeou’s presidency, and interest rate reform in China. Abstracts of all articles from this issue are available here.

EAI also published several Working Papers. Jin-Ha Kim’s November 2011 paper, “Crisis of Succession: Mapping the Paths Into and Out of the Personalist Dictatorship in North Korea,” examines how the perennial debate between the “collapsists” and the “resilientists” was reignited after the third-generation hereditary succession of Kim Jong-Un, Kim Jong-II’s third son, was officially declared. The October 2011 piece on “Japan, China, and the Great Power Bargain in East Asia,” by Evelyn Goh, discusses how the imperative for China and Japan to negotiate a modus vivendi for peaceful coexistence has grown with the end of the Cold War, U.S. preoccupation in the Middle East, China’s rapid rise, and Japan’s gradual steps towards ‘normalization.’ Finally, Aurel Croissant’s September 2011 paper, “Civil Control over the Military in East Asia,” examines how the emerging democracies in East Asia do not converge on a single pattern of civil-military relations and that both structural and agential factors loom large in the evolution of post-transitional civil military relations.

Europe

The Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS) 'Viitorul' (Moldova) published three issues of its Moldova’s Foreign Policy Statewatch. The November 2011 issue, “Does Moldova Have a Role to Play in the Regional Context?,” by Cornel Ciurea, examines the view that Moldova’s foreign policy as an ongoing effort of European integration is illusory. A
number of actions that are not necessarily compliant with the objectives of signing an association agreement with the EU––the Moldovan diplomacy on Transnistrian, development of bilateral relations with Romania, frequent visits of Moldovan politicians to Moscow in the style of a vassal convened by the senior—all prove otherwise.

The October issue, “European Integration of the Republic of Moldova: Is It Still a National Consensus?,” by Leonid Litra, discusses the troubling trend of the creation of a Eurasian Union by Russsia, which is enthusiastically supported by the Communist Party of Moldova, the largest political party in the country. The author explores the likelihood of changing the focus of Chisinau from the European Union towards the Eurasian Union and the resulting benefits of such an action.

Finally, Eduard Tugui’s September issue, “The Republic of Moldova and the Future of the Eastern Partnership: Warsaw Summit Perspectives,” argues that the September summit of the Eastern Partnership represented an opportunity for rethinking European Union commitments in the eastern neighborhood, in terms of the efficiency of this new European project and the reformulation of clearer European perspectives for the states included in the partnership.

The Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM, Montenegro) recently released a poll, “The Media, Media Freedoms and Democracy in Montenegro,” conducted in May and June 2011. The poll surveyed media professionals, and the pollsters hoped to gauge their opinions on laws and newly proposed legislation; key problems that limit media freedom; the forms and threats to freedom of the media and identification of the oppressors; the level of political activism of media representatives aimed at protection of media rights; and analysis of equality between public and privately-owned media. Full results of the poll can be found here.

The Institute of Public Affairs (ISP, Poland) published a recent Policy Paper entitled “Refusal to Grant Integration Assistance: Law and Practice,” by Witold Klaus, Katarzyna Makaruk, and Katarzyna Wencel with Justyna Frelak. The authors analyze the barriers to access to social assistance by collecting data and information about the most common cause of Individual Integration Programme support refusals. The report consists of two main parts. The first part analyzes the issue of participating in Individual Integration Programmes, interpreting the issue from the point of view of existing laws, and also reviews selected decisions declining to grant integration assistance. The second section presents collected quantitative data regarding refusals to grant integration support by social assistance institutions from 2006 to 2009. These data sets are presented along with additional information provided by social workers working with foreigners.

Another Policy Paper, “Political Participation of Third Country Nationals on a National and Local Level,” by Piotr Kaźmierkiewicz and Justyna Frelak, addresses forms of participation open and closed to third country nationals in Poland and other Central European countries, hidden barriers to their participation in social and political life, and any participation issues that are being addressed by the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals.

The Romanian Academic Society (SAR) released a new edition of the Romanian Journal of Political Science. The issue focuses on “Corruption and Governance” and features articles on “Europeanization and Effective Democracy in Romania and Bulgaria,” “Governance Reforms and Anti-Corruption Commission in Bangladesh,” “Beyond Perception: Has Romania’s Governance Improved after 2004?,” “Implications of the Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base Introduction on Tax Revenues in Romania,” and “The Ideological Institutionalization of the Romanian Party System.” Abstracts and full text of these articles can be found here.

SAR also published its annual 2011 Report Conclusions, which shows that corruption remains a problem in Romania, in spite of genuine reform efforts. The processes of privatization and EU accession, as well as the global economic crisis, have reduced the total pool of public resources available for embezzlement, but political clients have found new, more subtle methods to obtain benefits, mainly by bending procurement rules or plundering the energy sector. The report also finds that the rigidity and inadequacy of labor market regulations are about to become one of the main obstacles standing in the way of economic development.

The Democratisation and Rule of Law Program of FRIDE (La Fundación para las Relaciones Internacionales y el Diálogo Exterior, Spain) recently published five Policy Briefs. The November 2011 Brief, “Venezuela: Look beyond Chávez,” by Rut Diamint and Laura Tedesco, stresses the importance that the key to understanding Venezuela’s political future lies in the armed forces. Susanne Gratius’s September 2011 paper, “The Inter-American Democratic Charter at Ten,” argues that at the next meeting of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, signatories should avoid decision making by unanimity, include a list of specific responses to democratic threats, and create an interregional Democracy Observatory. “Is the EU's Eastern Partnership promoting Europeanisation?,” published by Natalia Shapovalova and Iryna Solonenko in September 2011, examines how the Eastern Partnership has failed to produce tangible reform on the ground. “Armenia: The Eastern Partnership’s Unrequited Suitor,” written by Nelli Babayan and Natalia Shapovalova and published in September, explores how Armenia refrained from acting as an outspoken supporter—unlike other EU Eastern neighbors—until the launch of the Eastern Partnership. Finally, “A European Foundation for Democracy: What Is Needed,” written by Roel von Meijenfeldt in September, argues that a range of European initiatives for enhancing the effectiveness of democracy assistance is now taking shape, the latest of these being the creation of a so-called European Endowment for Democracy (EED).

The Quality of Government Institute (QoG, Sweden) recently published numerous Working Papers, including “Myths of Corruption Prevention. What Is (Not) Good with a Weberian Bureaucracy?” by Carl Dahlström and Victor Lapuente; “Reexamining the Relationship between Press Freedom and Corruption” by Mathias A. Färdigh, Emma Andersson, and Henrik Oscarsson; “Correlates of Corruption” by Sören Holmberg and Bo Rothstein; “Public Perceptions of Corruption: The Prevalence and Moral Rejection of Corruption in Sweden” by Monika Bauhr and Henrik Oscarsson; “Correlates of Democracy” by Sören Holmberg and Bo Rothstein; “Towards an Understanding of Gendered Networks and Corruption: The Distinction between Processes during Recruitment and Representation” by Aksel Sundström; and “Creating a Sustainable Solidaristic Society: A Manual” by Bo Rothstein.

Latin America

Since the last edition of Democracy Research News, the Center for the Implementation of Public Policies Promoting Equity and Growth (CIPPEC, Argentina) carried out numerous efforts to draw attention to the October 2011 presidential elections in Argentina and generate policy debates. CIPPEC continued to promote its 2011–2015 Agenda Presidencial, launched earlier this year, by sending their collection of more than 50 policy memoranda to the top four presidential candidates, including President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who was reelected to a second term in October. In addition, CIPPEC developed a website called Observatorio Electoral Argentina in order to monitor and evaluate the implementation of new electoral and campaign finance procedures resulting from the passage of Law 26571. The website also includes an interactive map of Argentina’s 24 districts to inform citizens about election dates and the government posts that can be elected in each region.

CIPPEC’s Fiscal Policy program has also been promoting a new handbook entitled “Transparent Transfers: Tools for the Evaluation and Promotion of Transparency,” which seeks to provide policy recommendations for monitoring the distribution of public subsidies to the private sector. The manual notes that in 2010, these public subsidies comprised 14 percent of Argentina’s national budget. Considering the amount and diversity of government subsidies, the publication cautions that the risk of corruption remains high without the adoption of more transparent practices in the management of public funds.

The Center for Opening and Development in Latin America (CADAL, Argentina) published a new report on legislative transparency in Argentina in September 2011. “El aceso a la información pública de los legisladores argentinos” (Access to Public Information from Argentine Legislators), by Gabriel C. Salvia and Veronica E. Repond, discusses how despite the passage of a national public access to information law, there are no formal legal requirements that apply to the legislative branch. However, Salvia and Repond argue that better accountability norms could easily be put into practice by changing the rules of both houses of Argentina’s Congress to require legislators to share more information about use of public resources and their own personal finances. To draw further attention to the subject, CADAL’s executive committee issued awards to five congressional members who voluntarily demonstrated exceptional transparency during their tenures. Photos of the award ceremony can be found here.

Congreso Visible (CV, Colombia) used its Ágora blog to provide information about the use of a new ballot format used in Colombia’s municipal and gubernatorial elections on October 30, highlighting the education campaigns developed by Colombia’s national voter registry. Having participated in the process of redesigning Colombia’s voting ballots, in conjunction with National Registry of the Civil State, Universidad de los Andes, and the International Republican Institute, CV also helped to organize an exit survey at polling stations to evaluate the design and usability of the new ballot.

The July Perspectivas magazine, published by the Instituto de Ciencia Política (ICP, Colombia), focused on the theme of the “Asia-Pacific: The New Path to Prosperity,” taking into consideration how the increased economic linkages between Latin America and Asia may influence dynamics within the region. “Perspectiva política de una iniciativa de articulación subregional” (Political Perspectives on Subregional Organization Initiatives) by Marta Lucía Rámirez Pulido discusses how increased commercial relations with Asia will, in the long-run, promote a new economic pole in Latin America and change regional relations. The article by Ignacio de Léon entitled “La productividad latinoamericana y el reto asiático” (Latin American Productivity and the Challenge from Asia) asks whether or not the rapid growth of emerging Asian economies will help or hinder Latin American development. Finally, an opinion article by Pablo Díaz de Brito, “Crecimiento económico y libertad: ¿qué ocurre con China?” (Economic Growth or Liberty: What Is Happening with China?) takes a critical look at the social contract of providing jobs and economic growth in exchange for the surrender of political freedoms that the Chinese government has established with its citizens.

Latinobarómetro (Chile) unveiled its 2011 Latinobarómetro Report in October, which summarizes the findings of its annual opinion poll surveying more than 20,000 citizens from 18 countries in the region. The 2011 annual report, now in its 16th year of publication, concluded that while satisfaction with democracy has fallen for the first time since the economic crisis in East Asia, the continued economic growth of the region, in spite of the global recession, signals more optimism that democracy has brought stability to Latin American’ economies after the turbulent decades of the 1980 and 1990s. However, Latinobarómetro does attribute the recently expressed increase in discontent with democracy to the fact that economic growth slowed from 2010–2011, but cautions that higher dissatisfaction with democracy stems from the strong desire of Latin Americans to see continued economic growth and a decrease in economic inequality.

The State of the Nation Program (Programa Estado de la Nacion, Costa Rica) recently published its fourth State of the Region Report on the progress of the region in working towards sustainable human development over the period of 2008–2011. In analyzing the challenges facing Central America, the report highlights increasing inequality, high levels of violence, vulnerability to climate change, and the lack of cooperation among Central American countries as troubling trends. However, although the past three years have been difficult, the report finds comfort in that not all of the progress from the past two decades has been undone, and significant progress has been achieved towards lowering infant mortality rates, expanding education services, and improving quality of life in the region. Nevertheless, Central America’s progress remains fragile due to the weakness of government institutions, environmental risks caused by climate change, and the persistence of inequality and social exclusion.

The Centro Estudios para el Futuro (Costa Rica), in partnership with the Instituto Centroamericano de Gobernabilidad and with the support of the Organization of American States’ Technical Cooperation Fund (FEMCIDI), prepared a legal reform proposal for the government of Costa Rica entitled “Proyecto de Ley de Planificación, Presupuestación y Evaluación de la Gestión Pública para Costa Rica” (Proposal for the Law on Public Administration Planning, Budgeting, and Evaluation in Costa Rica). The project is intended to advise and contribute to government planning across the Central America region by proposing models for long-term budgeting and planning. The proposal also provides policymakers with an instrument to monitor the quality and efficiency of expenditures.

In an effort to draw attention to Mexico’s annual budgeting process, FUNDAR (Mexico) launched a new campaign and an accompanying website entitled “Las 10 Faltantes,” to generate discussion about 10 important issues that are either facing funding cuts in the proposed national budget or are missing from the national policy debate. The list highlights several areas of where more support for the country’s healthcare system is needed, such as in healthcare infrastructure, addressing HIV/AIDS, and sexual and reproductive health. In addition, the list draws attention to broader topics such as the lack of an immigration policy protecting the human rights of Central American migrants, unclear procurement procedures in the placement of government advertising in the media, and the need for an oversight mechanism to monitor PEMEX contracts with private companies in the extraction of Mexico’s oil resources.

FUNDAR contributed an analysis of the state of access to information in Mexico to the publication of a region-wide report entitled Saber Más III (Know More), produced in cooperation with other member institutions of the Regional Alliance for Freedom of Expression and Information. The overall findings of the report were presented to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights at the Organization of American States headquarters in Washington, DC, in October 2011 as a way to draw attention to the ongoing need to defend public access to information in the Americas.

Middle East

The Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) has recently published four issues of its monthly Terrorism and Democracy Newsletter. The October 2011 issue features articles on “The UN Secretary General’s Panel of Inquiry Report on the Flotilla Incident;” “The High Court of Justice Rejects Petitions against Israel-Hamas Prisoner Swap;” “The Supreme Court Approves Extended Detention of Unlawful Combatant;” and “IDF Amends Age of Adulthood in West Bank from 16 to 18.”

The September 2011 issue features articles on “Israel Supreme Court Rejects Palestinian Family’s Tort Claim for Combat Action Immunity;” “Israel High Court of Justice Rejects Petitions against Route of Separation Barrier;” “Israeli High Court of Justice Confirms Change in IDF Investigation Policy in West Bank;” and “UK Enacts Law Restricting Use of Arrest Warrants in Private Prosecutions for International Crimes.”

The August 2011 issue includes articles on “Update: The New Comprehensive Counter-Terrorism Bill” and “Public Defender’s Office Reports Lack of Social Services for Palestinian Security Prisoners.” Finally, the July 2011 issue features articles on “Supreme Court Retains Hezbollah Member’s Tort Claim Alleging Abuse in Israeli Dentention;” “Nazareth District Court Refuses to Hear Gaza Testimonies via Video Conference;” “New York State Supreme Court Rejects Motion to Dismiss Terror Funding Case against Bank of China;” and “Sheikh Raed Salah Detained in UK Prior to Deportation.”

A full archive of Terrorism and Democracy is available here.

The René Moawad Foundation (Lebanon) has recently launched two projects aimed at empowering the economic role of women in Lebanon. The first project, “The Women Entrepreneurs in Lebanon: Business, Product, and Market Development,” aims to increase women’s participation in Lebanon’s labor force and to promote economic empowerment by “offering tailor-made programs and services to increase participants’ business and practical skills as well as their self-confidence and sense of efficacy to take an active role in family in community.” Funded by the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, the hope is that providing women with enhanced skills and a platform to become productive members of Lebanon’s labor force, the project will bolster the country’s economy as a whole, with particular focus on refugee and poorer Lebanese communities. It addresses two factors that prevent women from doing business and earning a better living: access to information about demand in local and international markets and to sales outlets in those markets and business and personal skills required to launch and sustain a commercial enterprise.

The second project, “Promoting Women’s Participation in the Economic and Public Sectors in North Lebanon” seeks to enhance gender equity and equality in the north of Lebanon, support women in improving their capacity building and ability in order to benefit from economic opportunities, and enhance women’s public participation in decision making and sharing opinions. Funded by the European Union, the project’s activities include institutional empowerment, improvement of women’s access to employment, women’s participation in local management within the municipalities, and women’s involvement in the preparation and establishment of territorial development plans, and network development.

In September, the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) conducted its “Palestinian Public Opinion Poll No. 41.” Among the main findings are that a “semi consensus” is evolving over the issue of seeking UN membership and recognition of Palestinian statehood despite the fact that a large majority believes that the step will lead to the suspension of American financial support and to greater hardships on the ground with more Israeli checkpoints and settlement activities. Findings also show that the overwhelming majority of the public want the PA to exercise actual sovereignty throughout the entire West Bank and to insist on assuming control over the Allenby Crossing with Jordan even if such steps lead to a confrontation with the Israeli army and settlers. The poll also reveals that the popularity of Abbas and Fateh has increased somewhat in light of the debate over the UN step. Findings also show a surprising increase in the percentage of those who wish to emigrate from the Gaza Strip, reaching 50 percent. Full finding of the poll can be found here.

PSR also released the results of its most recent “Joint Palestinian-Israeli Poll,” conducted in September 2011. The main findings are categorized into three main sections: Israeli and Palestinian attitudes and expectations regarding the recognition by the UN of the Palestinian State; conflict management and threat perceptions; and domestic developments. Full results of the poll can be found here.

In October, the Democratization Program of the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) published Judiciary Reform Policy Report 2: Access to Justice in Turkey: Indicators and Recommendations, by Seda Kalem Berk. In the report, the current situation of access to justice is analyzed in reference to international context, as well as the main domestic developments. The report also examines the manifestations of access to justice in Turkey in reference to the ways in which the concept has been examined in international literature. Acess to justice issues will be particularly examined in the context of the Judicial Reform Strategies of the Ministry of Justice, especially in regard to Turkey’s EU accession process.

In September, TESEV also published The Political Economy of the Media in Turkey: A Sectoral Analysis, by Ceren Sözeri and Zeynep Güney, in which the authors examine the structure of the markets in which the media sector operates in Turkey as of 2010; the economic, political, cultural factors affecting this structure; and the behaviors of the players active in these markets. After defining the economic and legal environment affecting the media sector, the study examines those media groups active in many of the media markets in Turkey within a general framework that draws on components such as the market structure and the structure-conduct performance paradigm. Full text of the report is available here.

The Gulf Research Center (GRC, United Arab Emirates) published the September, October, and November issues of Araa, a monthly magazine that covers political, economic, social, defense, and security issues in the GCC States, Iraq, Yemen, and Iran. It is published in English and Arabic.

The Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID, United States) recently posted the conference report from its 12th Annual Conference on “Tunisia's and Egypt's Revolutions and Transitions to Democracy: What Is the Impact on the Arab World? What Lessons Can We Learn?” held on April 15, 2011, in Washington, DC. The conferences featured panels on “The Jasmine Revolution and Transition to Democracy in Tunisia;” “The Revolution and Transition to Democracy in Egypt;” “The Impact of the Revolutions on the Arab World: Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Bahrain,” “U.S. Foreign Policy and Democracy Assistance,” and “A Final Plenary Session.” Summaries of all panels are available, and a video recording of the full-day conference is available here.

Russia and the Former Soviet Union

The Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies (BISS) published the third edition of a series of polling memorandums in October analyzing the results of a public opinion poll conducted by fellow NDRI member, the Independent Institute for Social, Economic and Political Studies (IISEPS, Belarus). The key findings show that a significant majority of Belarusians are dissatisfied with the current direction of the country. 87.6 percent of the population believes that Belarus is experiencing an economic crisis, and 61 percent attribute direct blame for the economic downturn to President Lukashenka’s policies. Furthermore, President Lukashenka’s approval rating has sunk to a new low, from 53 percent in December 2010 to 20.5 percent in September 2011. The complete polling analysis can be downloaded here.

The Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy, and Development (CIPDD, Georgia,) joined together with the Democratic Initiatives Foundation (Ukraine) to co-host a video conference on November 4 examining the “Experience of Ukraine and Georgia in the Process of Euro-Atlantic Integration.” The event featured several experts on Ukrainian and Georgian integration with Europe, who discussed the political climate in Ukraine and the future of Euro-Asian relations, lessons for Ukraine from Georgia’s integration into NATO, and the role of public organizations in the integration process.

The Carnegie Moscow Center (Russia) Director, Dmitri Trenin, recently celebrated the release of his new book on Russian foreign policy, Post-Imperium: A Eurasian Story. Considering recent tensions in Russia’s relationships with former Soviet states, such as Georgia and Ukraine, Trenin argues that Moscow could improve its foreign policy relations by letting go of ambitions to assert power over former Soviet territories and instead reinvent Russia’s role as a global player in a wider community. Trenin also gave a public presentation launching his book on September 27 at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC, and a complete video and transcript of the event can be found here.

The Center’s May–August Pro et Contra, published in , focuses on the theme of “Post-Soviet Political Systems.” Andrei Ryabov’s article, “An Entropic or a Cohesive Region?,” considers the overall pattern of authoritarian tendencies in the states comprising the former Soviet Union and argues they inherited from their common ancestor a particular mode of authoritative dominance, where the goal of elites is to remain in absolute political and economic power. Other articles featured in this cluster on post-Soviet political systems include discussions on Armenia, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, and Central Asia.

The International Centre for Policy Studies (ICPS, Ukraine) published a new edition of European Focus in November focusing on the threats and opportunities for European integration in the Black Sea subregion. This analysis, prepared by ldar Gazizullin, Larion Lozoviy, Andriy Tatarchuk, examines the prospects for integration around four main themes of free movement of people, goods, services, and capital; energy and transportation; security and political issues; and environmental and marine policy.

The Democratic Initiatives Foundation (DI, Ukraine) has been tracking a number of important political, economic, and foreign policy trends through its weekly analytical reports, Focus on Ukraine. Recurring topics covered in DI’s weekly publication include the development of the legal proceedings against former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoschenko, as well as the Ukraine’s foreign relations with the European Union, on the one hand, and Russia, on the other. The August 29th issue of Focus on Ukraine will be of interest to DRN readers, as it reflects on Ukraine’s progress since independence to mark Ukraine’s 20th year of independence on August 24, 2011. A complete archive of DI’s Focus on Ukraine is available here.

DI is also proud to announce that Focus magazine identified DI Director, Iryna Bekeshkina, as one of the top 100 most influential women in Ukraine. At number 71, Bekeshkina was one of the few representatives of the NGO sector included in the list. Bekeshkina points out that NGOs play an important role in Ukraine, with public opinion polls demonstrating that more Ukrainian citizens trust NGOs than politicians.

United States and Canada

In November, the Applied Research Center at IFES (ARC, United States) published a paper titled “Elections in the DRC: November 28 Presidential and Legislative Elections for the Democratic Republic of Congo,” which discusses the function of the Congolese National Assembly, the design of the electoral system, the structure of the election administration, requirements for candidacy, and the basic rules for vote counting.

In September, ARC published a public opinion poll, “Ukrainians Pessimistic about Country’s Future; Confidence in Political Leaders Falling.” The poll revealed that citizens have a more pessimistic view of their country’s future now than a year ago, with more than half saying they believe Ukraine is on a path toward instability. Economic concerns also continue to define Ukrainians’ opinions on the most important issues facing the nation, with inflation, poverty, and unemployment topping the list. Eighty-seven percent of respondents said they were dissatisfied with Ukraine’s economic situation. And, while Ukrainians have less confidence in Yanukovych (71 percent expressed low confidence in the president; local government and city mayors were more trusted than any other political figures in the survey. Full findings of the poll can be found here.

Finally, IFES recently launched a new website designed to decrease the gender gap in the MENA region. SWMENA.org, the digital complement to the Status of Women in the Middle East and North Africa project, is an interactive website that provides data on the status of women in the region. The website features all data collected through surveys between 2009 and 2010 concerning the social, political, and economic status of women in Lebanon, Morocco, and Yemen presented in three languages: English, Arabic, and French.

The Center for Democracy and Civil Society (CDACS, United States) at Georgetown University published the Summer 2011 Democracy & Society that includes articles on “Weighing the Limitations Against the Added-Value of Social Media as a Tool for Political Change” by Mayesha Alam; “Social Media and the Reconfiguration of Political Action in Revolutionary Tunisia” by Mohamed Zayani; “Digital Protectionism: Preparing for the Coming Internet Embargo” by Rami Khater; “Internet and Political Transformation in Turkey” by Imren Borsuk and Ensarý Eroglu; and “Unlocking the Civic Potential in the Local, Online, Networked Public Realm” by Paul Hepburn.

Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL, United States) recently held numerous events, including the November 10 program, “Reports from the Bleeding Edge: What Journalism in Syria, China and Iran tell us about Silicon Valley's Future” featuring Danny O’Brien; an October 17 lecture on “Politics, Child Mortality, and Health System Development in Tanzania and Uganda” featuring Kevin Crocke; the October 6 event on “Cybersecurity, Free Speech, and Sovereignty” featuring Andrew McLaughlin; and the October 3–4 seminar on “Violence, Drugs and Governance: Mexican Security in Comparative Perspective” featuring Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar and Beatriz Magaloni. Papers or video of these events and a complete archive of all CDDRL events is available here.

On October 26, 2011, International Forum for Democratic Studies (United States) and the Embassy of Canada cosponsored the Eighth Annual Seymour Martin Lipset Lecture on Democracy in the World. Dr. Abdou Filali-Ansary delivered the Lecture titled “The Arab Revolutions: Democracy and Historical Consciousness,” in which he argued that “democracy has become a universal norm” and that in Arab societies today “the only political legitimacy that is acceptable is the democratic one.” He argued that this was true even for “mainstream Islamists.” A revised version of Filali-Ansary’s lecture will be published in the April 2012 issue of the Journal of Democracy. Video from the event is available here.

The International Forum is also pleased to announce its Fall 2011 cohort of Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows and Visiting Fellows. In residence are leading practitioners, journalists, and scholars from a wide range of countries, including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Colombia, Ethiopia, Iran, Russia, and Tanzania. A complete list of the 2011–2012 Fellows and their bios can be found here.

The Forum published the October 2011 Journal of Democracy, featuring a set of five essays on the revolts that swept the Arab world in 2011 and another cluster exploring whether or not new democracies support or promote democracy abroad. Also appearing is a pair of articles examining the causes and possible consequences of Peru's surprising 2011 elections. The issue is rounded out by essays reporting on recent major elections in Nigeria and Singapore. The table of contents, as well as full text of three articles is available here.

In August, the Forum and the National Taiwan University cosponsored a major conference on “Democracy in East Asia and Taiwan in Global Perspective.” The two-day conference featured fifteen panels on topics such as “East Asia amid the Receding Tide of the Third Wave of Democracy;” “Regime Performance and Democratic Legitimacy: East Asia in Global Perspective;” “Executive Structure and Democratic Governance in East Asia;” and “Political Parties, Electoral Systems and Democratic Governance.” Full text from all the panels and the agenda are available here.

In cooperation with the University of Florida's Political Science Department, the Forum also published the October 2011 APSA-CD, the newsletter of the Comparative Democratization section of the American Political Science Association. The issue features a lead article, “Why Now? Micro Transitions and the Arab Uprisings,” by Ellen Lust, and a cluster of articles on “Experiments and the Study of New Democracies,” as well as a bibliographic listing of new literature on democracy. Full text of the newsletter can be found here.