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

January 10, 2018 | EDP Wire | Jeff Bridoux

Democracy Promotion: Quo Vadis?

In this EDP Wire contribution, Jeff Bridoux discusses the demise of international democracy promotion. He argues that the two main actors of democracy promotion, the EU and the United States, have to bear part of the blame due to rising nationalism and waning interest in external democracy promotion.

read more »

December 20, 2017 | EDP Wire | Julian Untiet, Shaheera Syed

Young Aspiring Policy-makers Discuss Threats to Liberal Democracies at the 3rd Bridging Gaps Conference at the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy in Erfurt

This EDP wire contribution presents a conference report on the 3rd Bridging Gaps Conference that took place from November 10th – 11th 2017 at the University of Erfurt. The conference shed light on the topic “Threats to Liberal Democracies” and aimed to provide future policy makers with a platform to exchange ideas and discuss policies among like-minded peers.

read more »

December 20, 2017 | EDP Wire | Annika E. Poppe, Jonas Wolff

We need to understand why states object to the presence of foreign-funded NGOs

More and more countries restrict how NGOs operate, often by limiting their funding. The response is frequently to argue that these restrictions flout international law or amount to crackdowns on the opposition. Annika and Jonas argue that the objections to NGO activity need to be taken seriously.

read more »

October 4, 2017 | EDP Wire | Morgan Ross Courtney, Marie Ullmann

Bridge to Democracy? The Role of EIDHR and EED Funded Democracy Projects in Armenia

The Armenian government is sending mixed signals to Brussels by joining the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) in 2014 and proposing an Anti- NGO Law in 2015. As Armenia and the EU commenced policies under the umbrella of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) in 2006, this provided the EU with the possibility to more cautiously control the democratizations processes in Armenia. However, as of the time of writing, the EU seems to not have any influence on developments on the ground.

read more »