On the EDP wire, we post and discuss a range of issues that emanate from our research and that are important to us. Here you will find – in English or German – opinion pieces, book reviews, conference reports, and important announcements. Are you interested in becoming a guest contributor? Get in contact with us!

Most Recent EDP WIRE Posts

March 21, 2019 | EDP Wire | Solveig Richter, Natasha Wunsch

How EU conditionality entrenches state capture in the Western Balkans

This EDP Wire was originally posted on blogs.lse.ac.uk. The article argues that the EU enlargement process in the Western Balkans has fallen short of reproducing the transformative impact it had in Central and Eastern Europe. EDP member Solveig Richter and …

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March 8, 2019 | EDP Wire | Annika E. Poppe, Jonas Wolff

Gemeinnützigkeit in Deutschland: Karneval und Religion ja, Politik und Menschenrechte nein

In einem Aufsehen erregenden Urteil hat der Bundesfinanzhof die Entscheidung des Hessischen Finanzgerichts verworfen, das den Trägerverein des globalisierungskritischen Netzwerks Attac als gemeinnützig eingestuft hatte. Die Entscheidung hat weit über den Einzelfall hinaus Brisanz, insofern sie dem politischen Engagement zivilgesellschaftlicher Organisationen klare Grenzen setzt.

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February 19, 2019 | EDP Wire | Jonas Wolff

Democracy Promotion in the Americas

In this last piece of our EDP Wire Series, Jonas discusses the problems of the regional system of democracy promotion in the Americas. He argues that the region has one of the most advanced regimes of democracy and human rights protection world-wide, but that there are no regional actors that have sufficient credibility, capacity and political will to respond to the serious challenges to, and in part open crises of, democracy that can be observed in the region.

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February 12, 2019 | EDP Wire | Julia Leininger

Democracy Promotion in Africa

Julia discusses the various challenges that democracy promotion in Africa is faced with. She calls for more integrated approaches by donors and multilateral organizations, as well as a stronger recognition of and clear commitments to shared democratic norms between external democracy promoters and African societies.

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February 5, 2019 | EDP Wire | Vera Van Hüllen

Democracy Promotion in the Arab World

This Wire is part of our EDP Wire Series featuring the contributions of our joint EDP policy paper. Once a week, you are invited to read a new article on one of the key issues that democracy promotion is currently …

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January 29, 2019 | EDP Wire | Solveig Richter

Democracy Promotion in the Post-Soviet Space

In this week’s contribution, Solveig looks at the way democracy is currently (not) being promoted in the post-soviet space. She argues that particularly three developments are worth noting: increasing contestation between the transatlantic community and Russia, a declining willingness by EU and US to push for democratic reforms, but also positive democratic progress in some parts of the region.

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January 22, 2019 | EDP Wire | Annika E. Poppe

Democracy Promotion under the current US Administration

This week Annika focusses on the second of two key actors on the world stage with regard to democracy promotion policies: the United States of America and their present administration’s democracy promotion policies. She argues that US democracy promotionis in a jam especially since Trump represents a low point for US credibility on the matter of democracy.

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January 15, 2019 | EDP Wire | Sonja Grimm

Democracy Promotion and the European Union

This week, Sonja turns to the European Union as one of the key actors on the world stage with regard to democracy promotion. Sonja argues that democracy promotion in the EU currently faces four main challenges: a loss of credibility, a lack of effectiveness, lacking willingness, and competition with regional powers’ counterveiling of European democracy promotion policies.

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January 8, 2019 | EDP Wire | Tina Freyburg

Democracy Promotion by Indirect Means: Potential and Limits of Functional Cooperation

In her contribution to the EDP policy paper, Tina looks at a specific strategy of international governance assistance that some consider a promising alternative to the direct and explicit promotion of democracy and discusses whether democracy promotion through so called “functional cooperation” might be a solution to the current malaise

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