Democracy Matters
There is a lot about the current situation with COVID-19 that is frightening and unknowable. However, there are also some extraordinary opportunities to do things differently – and do them better. There are some things that those involved in systems of governance can do to transform the current emergency into an opportunity to restructure gendered power norms and create healthier, more vibrant societies and communities.
Those interested in democracy and good governance should be alive to both the risks and the opportunities posed by the coronavirus pandemic – their voices could make the difference between setback and progress.
by Paul Dillane, David Davies of Llandinam Fellow in International Relations, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Across the world, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT+) people face widespread discrimination and violence. More than a third of countries criminalise consensual adult same-sex relations.I In many countries, transgender people face extreme violence, not to […]
As the involvement of parliaments in the ex–post stage of law making remains under-theorised, the Westminster Foundation for Democracy has just released a new publication, providing an analysis of the main rules, practices and trends on PLS in Europe, focusing on the experience of seven national parliaments: Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland and the […]
Working with parliaments and parliamentarians on combating corruption rarely works. Here are some possible new ways that could be more successful.
A healthy civil society, strong trades unions and business organisations can all play a part in helping to deliver the Global Goals – locally, nationally and internationally. As we enter the “Decade of Delivery”, Governments have a responsibility to lead this effort but parliamentarians, civil society and, most importantly, citizens themselves have a great opportunity to hold those in power to account.
What lies at the core of the parliamentary ‘dilemma’ on anti-corruption?
Parliaments can develop four focused work streams to reduce corruption: enacting legislation, establishing codes of conduct, conducting effective oversight, and forming relationships with indepdendent oversight institutions.
In April 2019, WFD launched a new and innovative activity and outcome monitoring system called the Evidence and Impact Hub. We can report very good uptake and a large amount of usable data in our 8th month after launching it.
International Human Rights Day on Tuesday 10 December is an occasion to underline that human rights are core components of democracy as a concept and as a practice, writes our senior human rights adviser Dina Melhem.
Our director of research and evaluation, Graeme Ramshaw, outlines how WFD is trying to walk the walk when it comes to prioritising cross-organisational learning and drawing lessons from and reflecting on our programming.
Institutions of governance have a fundamental role in bringing an end to gender-based violence, writes WFD’s senior gender and politics adviser Shannon O’Connell: but to achieve transformative change, those working in formal political and public institutions need to ask challenging, probing questions.
