Democracy Matters
How do journalists and citizens find out about these real-world impacts of government’s policy responses to COVID-19? How can we question government for the decisions they make that are impacting us all, particularly our most vulnerable? One answer is: parliamentary committees. These bodies have emerged as the forum of choice when it comes to providing […]
WFD’s CEO, Anthony Smith, spoke to Devex about putting democracy at the heart of the UK’s international strategy. He argued that democracy and human rights are a critically important part of the UK’s values and directly relevant to our national interests and outlined a three-pronged strategy for the UK’s democratic strengthening work. Read the interview […]
The British Foreign Policy Group and Westminster Foundation for Democracy are delighted to host a lively panel discussion on how the Global Britain project can best merge the promotion of democratic values with our geo-strategic interests.
To declare an emergency or not to declare an emergency is not the question. Whether or not democracy is safeguarded during the pandemic depends on a separate set of good practices.
Just under half of 33 countries do not have a sunset clause in their emergency COVID-19 legislation, WFD’s Pandemic Democracy Tracker shows.
by Dr Graeme Ramshaw, WFD’s Director of Research and Evaluation The international development community has been going about its governance support work all wrong. At least, that is what political thinker Karl Popper would have said. For decades, UKAid and others have been focused on the question of who should govern, deploying significant resources to […]
A strong, healthy democracy needs constant care and attention, even in good times. During a crisis we need to be even more vigilant. The COVID-19 pandemic has hurt democracy, amid a long-term trend of democratic decline. However, we know that democracy is key to solving the major challenges facing the world in 2020. Democracy can […]
By Anthony Smith, WFD’s Chief Executive In the short time since the Prime Minister announced the creation of a new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, my former colleagues in both the FCO and DFID have been working hard to prepare for its launch tomorrow. But determining the culture of FCDO will be a multi-year task […]
Parliaments across the world are facing increased demand to deliver the dividends of democracy and hold government to account while representing the interests and aspirations of the people. At the very outset, parliaments are required to enhance their systems with democratic values and inclusive approaches within the political and social environment of the country. To play their constitutional […]
In choosing to do development democratically, the UK can ensure that decisions about global Britain’s new priorities lay a foundation for long-lasting stability and prosperity.
To break the current trends of shrinking democratic space and increased inequality, it is important to ensure that the emergency powers – although vital in protecting health – are not used to shrink the democratic space.
Open parliaments are the cornerstones of democracy. They represent people’s voices, pass laws and oversee governments’ actions. Opening parliaments has many benefits including effective outcomes in key policy areas, better quality legislation and most importantly improved trust relationships between citizens and the parliament. Morocco officially joined the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in 2018. The House […]
