WFD produces research that aims to build an evidence base for and improve the quality of democracy assistance. We also generate policy that contributes new tools for democracy support, as well as guides for parliaments, civil society and democracy support practitioners.
Browse our archive of resources below.
Discover women's paths to political leadership in Southeast Asia with our research
This research outlines what barriers women face in their pursuit of political leadership and profiles women who have broken through these barriers or have forged and democratised pathways to political power.
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This resource highlights the constructive role of parliaments in overcoming the challenges anti-corruption agencies (ACAs) often face. It provides an insight into parliaments’ role in contributing to combatting corruption by exercising their legislative and oversight role in support of the effectiveness of ACAs.
09 November 2020 | Report
How governments spend taxpayers’ money is too important to be left unchecked. Elected representatives, especially at a time of great pressure on state budgets, must be empowered to scrutinise and control spending decisions. To help them do this, Westminster Foundation for Democracy has produced a series of policy briefs on parliaments and managing public money.
05 November 2020 | Briefing
Published in 2019 as part of the House of Commons Hluttaw capacity-building project, this manual is designed to help Myanmar Hluttaw Research and Committee staff develop the skills needed to conduct high-quality research for Members. Whether the task is to write a briefing, identify potential stakeholders or investigate new topics of interest for Members or Committees, the skills covered in this manual will help staff produce research that is accurate, clear, impartial, and fully referenced.
The publication was developed by the House of Commons as part of their support towards Myanmar Parliaments under the FCDO-funded “Strengthening Governance and Accountability in Myanmar” programme, for which WFD is the main implementer. This House of Commons project is one of the components of our wider WFD Myanmar Programme.
The publication was developed by the House of Commons as part of their support towards Myanmar Parliaments under the FCDO-funded “Strengthening Governance and Accountability in Myanmar” programme, for which WFD is the main implementer. This House of Commons project is one of the components of our wider WFD Myanmar Programme.
04 November 2020 | Guide
This study applied a conceptual framework that uses a comparative and gendered approach to estimate the cost of politics in Uganda, using a set of pre-identified variables regularly incurred by both candidates seeking political office and elected representatives while in office.
29 October 2020 | Report
This research aims to understand the political economy of party financing in The Gambia with a specific focus on the cost of running for the National Assembly.
28 October 2020 | Study
This case study examines the importance and the key role of gender-sensitive data in gender-sensitive post-legislative scrutiny.
20 October 2020 | Briefing
The present document identifies the role of gender-specific legislation for achieving gender equality and the potential contribution of post-legislative scrutiny for de facto gender equality. It focuses on important elements of a ‘good’ post-legislative scrutiny of gender-specific legislation and concludes with learning points for Parliamentary Committees.
20 October 2020 | Study
Human rights violators should be scared. More and more democratic countries are holding them individually accountable for their crimes and are issuing individual so-called ‘Magnitsky Sanctions’ to target them where it hurts most: their pockets and their freedom to travel.
17 September 2020 | Briefing
This briefing for parliamentarians and policymakers is a resource for informed parliamentary debates on sexual and gender equality. It provides an overview of terminology around LGBT+ persons and their rights. It addresses common myths and arguments used by policymakers and in parliamentary equality debates to maintain the status quo when it comes to criminalisation, access to education, employment, and healthcare as well as other barriers to full the political and socio-economic inclusion of LGBT+ persons.
09 September 2020 | Guide
Mauritius is regarded as one of Africa’s leading democracies. However, money politics has increasingly become ‘a dominant feature of elections' in the country. This study looks at the cost of parliamentary politics in Mauritius.
05 September 2020 | Study
These case studies on political party transparency were written by members of political parties or persons affiliated to party think tanks and research institutes from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo.
02 September 2020 | Study
Strengthening the role of Parliament in the Budget Process: the role of Parliamentary Budget Offices
This brief examines the role of the parliamentary budget office (PBO), how PBOs add value to the work of parliament’s oversight of the budget and standards for collaboration between the PBO and parliament.
01 September 2020 | Briefing
As part of Westminster Foundation for Democracy’s (WFD) briefs on financial accountability, this brief examines the typical operating process of PACs in the Westminster tradition and four key challenges faced by PACs in effectively discharging their oversight role.
01 September 2020 | Briefing
This brief focuses on the role of Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) and whether they are fit for purpose in the age of COVID-19 and beyond.
01 September 2020 | Briefing
British Academy report: How to hold elections safely and democratically during the COVID-19 pandemic
Governments should consider innovative measures such as widely distributing polling stations to safeguard democratic processes during the Covid-19 pandemic. That is the key recommendation from the British Academy’s new briefing on elections, published on 19 August, which WFD colleagues and partners contributed to.
20 August 2020 | Report
