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The use of referendums in processes of constitutional formation and change has increased considerably across the world in recent decades.

Electoral system design plays a crucial role in political settlement processes.

However, it is a world with which political actors in transitions—and even to some extent the constitutional community itself—often have limited familiarity.

This Discussion Paper is based on a presentation by the author at the fourth Edinburgh Dialogue on post-conflict constitution-building, held in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, on 4–5 December 2017.

Territorial divisions come in many forms. They occur in both federal and unitary states, and may involve divisions based on religion, language, history and identity, as well as natural resources.

From Spain to Tanzania to Ukraine, the idea of secession is a critical issue for constitutional design, and has been since the first modern constitution was adopted in the United States in 1789.

One of the 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations is to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. While progress has already been made in fields such as education and equal pay, women and girls remain underrepresented in political decision-making roles.

The recent Irish constitutional referendum on abortion made global news, but what is less known to the international public is that the proposal for change came from a group of 100 randomly selected Irish citizens which formed a "Citizens’ Assembly", tasked with meeting, receiving public submissions and expert presentations, deliberating and producing recommendations.

When we think about refugees, we rarely think about them as political actors. However, refugees may in fact have a dual political role, as they can participate in the political life of both their host and their home countries.

Civic education has taught us that showing up at the ballot box is the main way we can have our say in our democracies. By voting, we get to select the candidates or political parties that best represent our views. Through this, we can determine which laws and policies in the realms of education, healthcare and social welfare are sustained or enacted. Thereby, we decide which officials will represent us in determining the direction that our democracies will take. 

Today, we are sharing much more than just holiday pictures with each other online. We are sharing our car rides, our homes, our meals and our money. We are reconnecting with each other again in more direct ways. The old intermediaries—the taxi company, the travel agent, the bank—are being challenged by the Ubers, Grabs, Airbnbs, Snapgoods, and Kickstarters of today’s digital sphere.

For democracies to thrive, a vibrant and actively engaged citizenry and civil society are essential. Civil society can monitor and hold the state to account, it can infuse a greater diversity of voices into the policy process, and it can act as a force for democratic reform or provide resistance to democratic backsliding.

Dans le cadre d’un processus de planification stratégique, il est essentiel que les partis politiques prennent en compte la dimension de genre.

Cette brochure s’adresse aux membres des partis politiques qui travailleront à l’élaboration de leur plan stratégique, et explique comment intégrer la dimension genre dans chacune des étapes du processus de planification.

This Primer describes how successful collaboration can emerge between political parties and citizen movements, and thereby increase citizens’ involvement in politics. It is based on interviews and workshop discussions that took place in The Hague, the Netherlands, in November and December 2017, and draws mostly from the latest developments in political parties from Europe.

This Primer introduces the concept of online political crowdfunding and the different forms that are currently used by political parties. It draws on experiences of a selection of political parties mainly from Europe, and aims to provide a snapshot of the crucial considerations innovative party leaders should be aware of when seeking to rejuvenate their organizations.

This Primer discusses digital microtargeting by political parties and concentrates on examples of political parties around the world that have used legitimate microtargeting practices in their campaigns. Electoral contexts differ by jurisdiction, and the Primer attempts to show examples that suit different contexts but with a focus on European cases.

In 2017 International IDEA launched its new biennial publication, The Global State of Democracy. The first edition, focusing on democracy’s resilience, was promoted in cities around the world via a series of launches and ‘IDEAthons’: engaging, collaborative events that combined formal presentations on a topic with interactive innovation labs.

International IDEA’s Constitution-Building Primers are designed to assist in-country constitution-building or constitutional-reform processes by helping citizens, political parties, civil society organizations, public officials and members of constituent assemblies make wise constitutional choices.

On 4–5 December 2017 International IDEA—together with the Edinburgh Centre for Constitutional Law, the Global Justice Academy and the Political Settlements Research Programme at the University of Edinburgh hosted the fourth Edinburgh Dialogue on post-conflict constitution-building.

The topic of the Dialogue was ‘The Quest for Legitimate Stability: Understanding the Interactions between Elections and Constitutions in Fragile and Conflict-affected State Transitions’.

Transnational organized crime threatens democracy. Supporting the capacity of national and local institutions to prevent and mitigate the nexus between organized crime and democratic politics is an important part of fighting against these threats.

Transnational organized crime threatens democracy. Supporting the capacity of national and local institutions to prevent and mitigate the nexus between organized crime and democratic politics is an important part of fighting against these threats.

Transnational organized crime threatens democracy. Supporting the capacity of national and local institutions to prevent and mitigate the nexus between organized crime and democratic politics is an important part of fighting against these threats.