Democracy is under pressure worldwide: autocratic actors are eroding democratic norms and deliberately strengthening authoritarian practices. In addition, democracies are increasingly confronted with accusations of poor comparative performance. Furthermore, we are witnessing growing polarization: in many regions and countries, societies are increasingly divided along political, ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic lines, making constructive dialogue and collective action more difficult. Against this background, it is all the more important to understand how political orders emerge, remain stable, or change.
This cluster analyses the drivers and developments of democratic political orders, looking at various state and non-state actors as well as the influence of national, international, and transnational actors and networks.
The overarching question guiding our work is: How can inter- and transnational cooperation promote democracy and protect it from democratic backsliding? In doing so, we aim to make scientifically grounded contributions towards more effective democracy protection and stronger democracy support through new strategies and partnerships.
Team
Publications
International democracy promotion across two waves: from support to protection
Leininger, Julia (2026)
in: Democratization 33 (3), 562-588
Autocrats and their business allies: the informal politics of defection and co-optation
Sinanoglu, Semuhi (2025)
in: Government and Opposition 60 (4), 1273 - 1291
African views on external support for democracy in times of multipolarity
Hackenesch, Christine / Julia Leininger / Daniel Nowack / Armin von Schiller (2025)
in: Christine Hackenesch / Tobias Heidland / Denis M. Tull (eds.), Leverage and Limits: What African Actors Make of the new Multipolarity, Megatrends Afrika Working Paper 21, Berlin/Bonn/Kiel: SWP/IDOS/IfW, 22-27
Strategic responses to autocratization in international democracy promotion
Leininger, Julia / Karina Mross / Jonas Wolff (2025)
in: Democratization 32 (7), 1640-1662
Digital drivers of autocratisation: the role of information pollution in polarisation and democratic backsliding in Mexico
Breuer, Anita (2025)
in: Journal of Politics in Latin America, first published 01.07.2025
Democratization and peace after civil war: what difference can international engagement make? Insights from Liberia
Mross, Karina (2025)
in: International Studies Perspectives, 26 (2), 166-187
E-government and citizen-state relations: evidence from a randomized information campaign with the Botswana Unified Revenue Service
Ziaja, Sebastian / Markus Geray / David Sebudubudu / Armin von Schiller (2025)
in: Governance, 38 (2), article 12893
Strengthening social cohesion to mitigate human insecurity: Promise and peril
Leininger, Julia / Armin von Schiller / Charlotte Fiedler (2024)
in: Human Development Report 2023-24, Breaking the gridlock: reimagining cooperation in a polarized world, New York: UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), 163-166
What works in democracy support? How to fill evidence and usability gaps through evaluation
Leininger, Julia / Armin von Schiller (2024)
in: Evaluation 30 (1), 7-26
Protection against autocratisation: how international democracy promotion helped preserve presidential term limits in Malawi and Senegal
Leininger, Julia / Daniel Nowack (2022)
in: Third World Quarterly 43 (2), 309-331
More donors, more democracy
Ziaja, Sebastian (2019)
The Journal of Politics (forthcoming)
First peace, then democracy? Evaluating strategies of international support at critical junctures after civil war
Mross, Karina (2019)
in: International Peacekeeping 26 (2), 190-215
The negotiation of democracy promotion: issues, parameters and consequences
Poppe, Annika Elena / Julia Leininger / Jonas Wolff (eds.) (2019)
Democratization 26 (5), (Special Issue), London: Routledge Taylor & Francis
Method factors in democracy indicators
Elff, Martin / Sebastian Ziaja (2018)
in: Politics and Governance 6 (1), 92-104
Cultural values, attitudes, and democracy promotion in Malawi: how values mediate the effectiveness of donor support for the reform of presidential term limits and family law
Nowack, Daniel (2018)
Discussion Paper 27/2018
Assessing the potential of ICTs for participatory development in Sub-Saharan Africa with evidence from urban Togo
Breuer, Anita / Jacob Groshek (2016)
published on International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society
It's institutions, not theology! Muslim actors’ influence on democratization in Mali
Leininger, Julia (2016)
in: Politics and Religion 9 (4), 815-842
Against all odds: strong democratic norms in the African Union
Leininger, Julia (2015)
in: Tanja A. Börzel / Vera van Hüllen (eds.), Governance transfer by regional organizations, London: Palgrave Macmillan, 51-67
Social media and protest mobilization: evidence from the Tunisian revolution
Breuer, Anita / Todd Landman / Dorothea Farquhar (2014)
published on Democratization