World Movement for Democracy Logo World Movement for Democracy
About Us Contact Us Home


Network of Democracy Research Institutes

Menu

  • About
  • Member Institutes
  • Democracy Research News

    • Member Institutes

    The institutional profiles below provide contact information, program descriptions, and research and publication highlights for current members of the Network. Most institutions provide more detailed information, including full texts of selected publications, on their own Web sites. Unless otherwise noted, all Network member Web sites listed herein contain information in English.

    Europe


    Access to Information Programme (AIP)
    Contact: Dimitar Totev, chairperson
    76 Vassil Levski Blvd., # 3
    Sofia 1142 Bulgaria
    Phone: +359-2-988-5062; +359-2-981-9791; +359-2-986-7709
    Fax: +359-2-989-3426
    Office@aip-bg.org
    www.aip-bg.org
    Mission:
    The Access to Information Programme was founded in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1996 by a group of journalists and lawyers working in the sphere of human rights. The organization promotes transparency at all levels of government, encourages individual and public demand for information through civic education, and seeks to initiate public debate on a wide range of issues.

    Activities include:
    • developing and sustaining a country-wide network of journalists who collect cases of 'information refusal' to monitor the implementation of freedom of information legislation
    • providing legal assistance in individual cases and working with public registries to disseminate information
    • conducting seminars, discussions, and workshops with journalists, NGOs, and representatives of state authorities on freedom of information issues

    Publication Information: Please visit www.aip-bg.org/all.htm for a list of recent publications.



    Bertelsmann Transformation Index
    Contact: Hauke Hartmann, project manager
    Bertelsmann Stiftung
    Carl-Bertelsmann-Str. 256
    33311 Guetersloh
    Phone: +49-5241-81-81389
    info@bertelsmann-transformation-index.de
    www.bertelsmann-transformation-index.de/
    Mission:
    The Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI) is a global ranking that analyzes and evaluates development and transformation processes in 119 countries. The Bertelsmann Transformation Index provides the international public and political actors with a comprehensive view of the status of democracy and a market economy as well as the quality of political management in each of these countries.

    The goal of a consolidated market-based democracy constitutes the BTI’s normative framework. The BTI analyzes the status of both democratization and market liberalization as it evaluates actors’ performance in managing these changes. The quantitative data collected for the Bertelsmann Transformation Index is outlined in two parallel indices: the Status Index and the Management Index.

    Activities include:
    • holds annual international conference where network members meet to discuss results, prospects and challenges
    • publishes the Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI), which sheds light upon the political and economic status of each country as well as upon the political management performance by the relevant actors. Detailed country reports provide information on the underlying factors of assessment for each country.

    Publication Information: Please visit BTI's Web site for the latest version of the Index.



    Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM)
    Contact: Srdjan Darmanovic, director
    Bulevar Dzordza Vasingtona 51
    81000 Podgorica
    Montenegro
    Phone: +381-81-205280; +381-81-205281
    Fax: +381-81-234368
    cedem.web@cg.yu
    www.cedem.cg.yu
    Mission:
    The Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM) monitors the transition to democracy in Montenegro, focusing in particular on legislation, the media, privatization, human rights, foreign policy, and public opinion.

    Activities include:
    • organizing seminars, roundtables, conferences, and think-tank projects
    • monitoring elections and the lawmaking process
    • administering small grant programs
    • participating in international conferences

    Publication Information: For a list of recent publications, please visit the Center's Web site.



    Center for Liberal and Democratic Studies (CLDS)
    Contact: Dr. Boris Begovic, President
    Kralja Milana 7 (1st Floor)
    11 000 Belgrade, Serbia

    Phone: +381-11-324-66-66; +381-11-323-01-89
    Fax: +381-11-322-0179
    office@clds.org.yu
    www.clds.org.yu
    Mission:
    The Center for Liberal-Democratic Studies (CLDS) is an independent think tank which elaborates and publishes public policy proposals and organizes seminars and lectures on topical policy issues, as part of its mission to influence the public policy in Serbia.

    The CLDS bases all its policy proposals on a collection of core principles, including the concepts of individualism, liberty, the rule of law, the value of free markets, and the importance of individual choice and responsibility.

    Activities include:
    • assembling the required sources of knowledge pertaining to economic, political, and social changes in Serbia, as well as understanding their causes and consequences
    • analyzing the effects of government actions relating to public policy
    • creating, publishing, and disseminating ideas that encourage positive policy development using objective arguments and intellectual rigor, transforming conceiving insights into practical initiatives judged to be favorable to society
    • conveying to the public, the media, lawmakers, and others an understanding of significant public policy issues and advancing lively discussion
    • educating young people on the main ideas of the contemporary world

    Publication Information: For a list of recent publications, please visit the Center's Web site.



    Center for Policy Studies (CPS)
    Contact: Violetta Zentai, director;
    Lilla Jakobs, program manager
    Nádor u. 9-11
    H-1051, Budapest
    Hungary
    Phone: +36-1-327-3118
    Fax: +36-1-235-6170
    cps@ceu.hu
    vzentai@osi.hu
    jakobsl@ceu.hu
    http://cps.ceu.hu
    Mission:
    The Center for Policy Studies (CPS) works for better government and administration in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union through public policy teaching and research. Based at the Central European University, CPS carries out research projects, develops materials for teaching and training, offers in public policy and curriculum development, and in conjunction with the Open Society Institute, sponsors policy research in transition and emerging democracies. The Center is committed to the development of indigenous policy capacities and offers an on-line library of policy research papers from the region. An active member of several policy networks, CPS organizes conferences, workshops and public events to encourage interaction between academics, policy institutes and policy makers and to promote exchange of expertise and best practice. The Center's activities are inter-disciplinary, comparative and geared towards policy recommendations and practical outcomes.

    Activities include:
    • conducting research with an emphasis on good governance and anti-corruption, social diversity and equal opportunities, the challenges of globalization and regional sustainability, socio-economic culture, social capital and development, European integration and policy-making
    • organizing workshops, seminars, public lectures, conferences
    • offering policy fellowship opportunities in conjunction with the Open Society Institute
    • offering access to policy papers produced in Central and Eastern Europe in the Policy Documentation Center, a virtual library accessible at http://pdc.ceu.hu
    • offering capacity-building, training and curriculum development courses

    Publication Information: Please visit http://cps.ceu.hu/publications.php for the Center's publications.



    Center for the Study of Democracy and Culture (CDK)
    Contact: Stanislav Balik, executive director;
    Frantisek Miks, director
    Venhudova 17
    614 00 Brno, Czech Republic
    Phone: +420-545-213-862
    cdk@cdk.cz
    www.cdkbrno.cz
    Mission:
    The Centre for the Study of Democracy and Culture (CDK) is a nonprofit association established in 1993 and based in Brno, Czech Republic.
    The Centre organizes lectures and seminars, and conducts and publishes research in the fields of political science, history, and religion and culture.

    Activities include:
    • organizing lectures and seminars
    • conducting and publishing research in political science, history, religion and culture

    Publication Information: A list of the Center's publications is available on their Web site.



    Centre for Liberal Strategies (CLS)
    Contact: Ivan Krastev, chairman
    135A Rakovski Street, Second Floor
    1000 Sofia, Bulgaria
    Phone: +359-2-981-8926; +359-2-986-1433
    Fax: +359-2-981-8925
    cls@cls-sofia.org
    www.cls-sofia.org
    Mission:
    The Centre for Liberal Strategies is an independent, nonprofit, public policy institute dedicated to the study of political and economic policy in Eastern Europe. Founded during the early 1990s in response to the post-1989 political changes in Eastern Europe, the Centre today focuses on four primary sectors: political parties and electoral processes, foreign policy and integration, security policy, and economic policy and history.

    Activities include:
    • promoting open public debate
    • influencing decision-making processes
    • serving as an instrument of social crisis resolution
    • conducting studies, publishing books and reports, and hosting conferences in partnership with such organizations as the European Commission and the United Nations Development Program

    Publication Information: A list of recent publications is availale at www.cls-sofia.org/publications/index-en.htm.



    Centre for the Study of Public Policy (CSPP)
    Contact: Professor Richard Rose, director
    Centre for the Study of Public Policy (CSPP)
    University of Aberdeen
    Edward Wright Building
    Aberdeen
    AB24 3QY Scotland
    Phone: +44 (0)1224 272000
    cspp@abdn.ac.uk
    www.abdn.ac.uk/cspp/
    Mission:
    The Centre for the Study of Public Policy (CSPP), based at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, is the institutional home of the several ongoing surveys of public-opinion in postcommunist Europe, including:

    New Russia Barometer
    New Baltic Barometer
    New Europe Barometer
    New Democracies Barometer


    Activities include:
    • conducting repeated comparative surveys with a common core of questions in postcommunist Central and Eastern Europe, including Russia and the Baltic countries, on the transformation processes, democratization and development, economic enterprise and privatization, health, parties and elections, poverty and social protection, social capital, and attitudes toward an enlarging Europe
    • presenting survey results in seminars across Europe and the United States, and to intergovernmental agencies of the United Nations, World Bank, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and European Commission
    • publishing topical analysis of Barometer data and related studies by social scientists from all over Europe and the United States, in its Studies in Public Policy Series and in book format

    Publication Information: Please visit the Centre's Web site for a list of publications.



    Democratization and Rule of Law Program, FRIDE
    Contact: Richard Youngs, coordinator
    Democratization and Rule of Law Program
    FRIDE
    Calle Goya 5-7. Pasaje 2º
    28001 Madrid
    SPAIN
    Phone: +34 91 244 47 40

    Fax: ++34 91 244 47 41
    Ryoungs@fride.org
    www.fride.org
    Mission:
    The Democratization and Rule of Law Program is one of four research programs at FRIDE, a private, independent, non-profit foundation based in Madrid, Spain. Through research on political reform in the Arab world, democracy promotion, and democracy in Latin America, the Program contributes to the overall goal of the consolidation of democracy, peace, respect of human rights, and human development across countries.

    Activities include:
    • Activities:
    • researches and publishes books and papers on political reform in the Arab world, democracy promotion, and democracy in Latin America
    • organizes roundtables, seminars, and conferences to disseminate its findings to a diverse audience of government, university, media, and civil society representatives

    Publication Information: For a list of recent publications, visit www.fride.org/eng/Publications/ListPublications.aspx?SubjectId=57



    European Stability Initiative (ESI)
    Contact: Gerald Knaus, president
    Kiefholzstrasse 402
    12435 Berlin
    GERMANY
    Phone: +49 30 5321 4455
    Fax: +49 30 5321 4457
    berlin@esiweb.org;istanbul@esiweb.org; pristina@esiweb.org
    www.esiweb.org
    Mission:
    The European Stability Institute is a nonprofit research and policy institute, created to provide independent, in-depth analysis of the complex issues involved in promoting stability and prosperity in Europe. ESI was founded in July 1999 by a multinational group of practitioners and analysts with extensive experience in the regions it studied. It has offices in Berlin, Istanbul, and Pristina.

    Activities include:
    • conducting and publishing research on issues of democracy and state building in the Balkans, and on the integration into the European Union of Turkey and other countries of southeastern Europe
    • organizing conferences on issues ranging from social transition in Cyprus to economic relations between the Balkan countries
    • advising government officials in the Balkans by holding seminars and presentations
    • supporting and coaching a number of newly formed analysts' groups by undertaking joint field-research
    • providing a bibliographical database of key documents on state building in Kosovo

    Publication Information: For a list of publications, please visit www.esiweb.org/reports/.



    Human Rights Centre, University of Essex
    Contact: Dr. Kevin Boyle, director
    Human Rights Centre
    University of Essex
    Wivenhoe Park
    Colchester CO4 3SQ
    United Kingdom
    Phone: +44-1206-872-558
    Fax: +44-1206-873-627
    hrc@essex.ac.uk
    www2.essex.ac.uk/human_rights_centre/
    Mission:
    The Human Rights Centre is a research and educational institution based at the University of Essex in the United Kingdom. It established the first postgraduate degree program in human-rights law in the United Kingdom in 1983 and, more recently, has launched an undergraduate degree program in human-rights studies.
    The Centre is also the institutional home of the Democratic Audit of the United Kingdom (www2.essex.ac.uk/human_rights_centre/research/projects/da.shtm), an academic research program that conducted major audits of the quality of democracy and political freedom in the United Kingdom in 1997, 1999, and 2002.
    The Democratic Audit also maintains its own Web site (www.democraticaudit.com/index.php), which provides extensive information about how democratic audits may be designed and implemented in a wide range of countries. Scholars affiliated with the Democratic Audit have also collaborated with their counterparts in other countries who wish to launch similar research projects.

    Activities include:
    • developing the cause of democracy assessments around the world
    • conducting audits of democracy in the United Kingdom and assisting with the democratic audits of other countries
    • undertaking consultancy work and other research for partners
    • performing facilitation, education, and training work
    • conducting research on quasinongovernmental organizations, voting systems, alternative electoral systems, and economic and social rights
    • maintaining a database of publications on democratic audits and links to other human-rights and democracy-research institutions in the United Kingdom

    Publication Information: Please visit the Centre's Web site for a list of publications.



    Institute for Contemporary Studies
    Contact: Genc Ruli, president
    Artan Hoxha, director
    Rr. Vaso Pasha, No 7
    Tirane, Albania
    Phone: + 355-4-251010, 251020, 247146
    Fax: + 355 (0)4 234868
    ics@isb.icc-al.org isb@icc.al.eu.org
    www.ics-al.org
    Mission:
    Founded in 1995, the Institute for Contemporary Studies is a private, independent public policy institute, whose mission is to promote and formulate policies and alternatives for the development of Albanian society, based on free enterprise, efficient and transparent government, individual freedom, and democratic values. To accomplish this mission, the Institute's main objectives are to assist in the development of human capacities, to offer policy alternatives, and to promote the expansion of public involvement in the policy formulation process.

    Activities include:
    • conducting research on the economic and social development of Albania’s regions, including privatization, the environment, financial and capital markets, and microbusiness
    • monitoring public administration, exposing corruption, and promoting freedom of information and the protection of personal privacy
    • formulating appropriate and realistic public policies
    • discussing and negotiating policies and visions at the regional and European levels
    • hosting seminars with European and Albanian trainers for various groups such as public managers, journalists, and representatives of nongovernmental organizations

    Publication Information: For a list of the Institute's publications, please visit www.ics-al.org.



    Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS) "Viitorul"
    Contact: Igor Munteanu, executive director
    10/1 Iacob Hincu Str., Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
    Phone: +373 22 2109 32
    Fax: +373 22 2109 32
    idis_viitorul@mdl.net
    www.viitorul.moldova.org/
    Mission:
    Founded in 1993, IDIS is an independent, non-profit organization that seeks to contribute to the growth of independent research in emerging democracies and the strengthening of local and regional governments; to assist the expansion of civil society in which citizens act together to express their own interests, to exchange information, and to strive for mutual goals and influence government.

    Activities include:
    • Organizing advanced training programs for local government leaders and supporting legal efforts aimed at improving local public administration
    • Facilitating the development of independent media in the Republic of Moldova, encouraging the creation of a free thinking environment for journalists, politicians, and researchers;
    • Promotion of partnerships between Moldova and foreign NGOs and identifying research partners for foreign organizations interested in including Moldova in cross-national research;
    • Fund-rising for research topics of top priority for the development of an open society in Moldova, as well as organizational support for research and training by acting as a liaison between Moldovan researchers and professionals and foreign organizations;
    • Publication and distribution of books, electronic bulletins, and other publications, throughout the country;
    • Developing links between research institutions and individuals in Moldova and abroad

    Publication Information: A list of the Institute's publications is available at www.viitorul.moldova.org/director/eng/.



    Institute for Political Studies (IEP)
    Contact: Professor João Carlos Espada, director
    Instituto de Estudos Politicos
    Universidade Católica Portuguesa
    Palma de Cima-1649-023 Lisboa
    Portugal
    Phone: +351-21-727-1408
    Fax: +351-21-727-1836
    imoreira@iep.ucp.pt
    www.ucp.pt/
    Mission:
    The Institute for Political Studies (Instituto de Estudos Políticos or IEP) at the Portuguese Catholic University in Lisbon offers graduate courses in political science and international relations leading to M.A. and Ph.D. degrees (some courses are given in English). In September 2001 the IEP launched a Research Centre that conducts scholarly research in public policy and public administration, international relations, comparative politics, and political theory.

    Activities include:
    • conducting research on public policy in Portugal and in the European Union that includes comparative studies of these same topics in the United States and in other advanced democracies
    • organizing seminars, lectures, and other meetings on democracy, freedom, and civil society, including an annual Alexis de Tocqueville lecture. Particular emphasis is given to the study of the Anglo-American tradition of liberty under law. Distinguished foreign scholars, particularly from Britain and the United States, regularly teach at the Institute
    • sponsoring an annual international conference in political theory whose recent topics have included "Left and Right: Ideological Divides in the Twentieth Century" (October 2000), "Civic Life in Market Societies" (November 2001), "Culture Wars in the West (November 2002) and "New Challenges to Liberal Democracy in a Global World" (July 2003)
    • publishing books and the newsletter, Boletim do I.E.P

    Publication Information: For a list of publications, please visit www.ucp.pt/iep/uk/pub_uk.html.



    Institute for Public Affairs (IVO)
    Contact: Grigorij Mesežnikov, president
    Baštová 5
    811 03 Bratislava
    Slovak Republic
    Phone: +421-2-5443-4030
    Fax: +421-2-5443-4041
    ipa@ivo.sk
    www.ivo.sk
    Mission:
    The Institute for Public Affairs was founded in 1997 as an independent public policy research institute in Bratislava, Slovakia. Its mission is to promote the values of an open society and a democratic political culture by conducting research on issues of social development and democratization. The Institute communicates the findings of this research to scholars, policy makers, and the general public to stimulate informed debate on the most important issues of the day.

    Activities include:
    • analyzing social, political, economic, cultural, and legal trends in the Slovak Republic
    • conducting research on public policies and their consequences
    • publishing and disseminating research results through books, monographs, working papers, documentary films, and television and radio appearances
    • making practical recommendations for improved government policy
    • studying and helping to promote Slovakia's transition to an open, democratic society
    • stimulating public debate through lectures, seminars, workshops, and roundtables
    • promoting the active involvement of informed citizens in public life

    Publication Information: For a list of IVO's publicatoins, please visit www.ivo.sk/vyskum_en.php.



    Institute for Regional and International Studies
    Contact: Ognyan Minchev, executive director
    15 Frederic Joliot Curie Str.
    Bl. #3, Floor 1, Apartment 1
    Sofia 1113, Bulgaria
    Phone: +359-2-971-1224
    Fax: +359-2-971-1227
    mail@iris-bg.org
    www.iris-bg.org/
    Mission:
    The Institute for Regional and International Studies (IRIS) is an independent, nongovernmental research institute. Established in 1997 by leading Bulgarian public and political figures, NGO leaders, and scholars, the Institute seeks to promote the values of democracy, civil society, freedom, and the rule of law, and to facilitate Bulgarian integration into NATO and the European Union by providing policy analysis on the most important domestic and international issues facing Bulgaria today.

    Activities include:
    • conducting research and publishing books and papers on civil society, Bulgarian and Balkan politics, and NATO and European Union enlargement
    • organizing seminars, conferences, and lectures featuring government officials, scholars, journalists, and activists from Bulgaria and other East-Central European countries
    • sponsoring workshops, exchanges, and policy-analysis initiatives with other research institutes in the region

    Publication Information: A list of the Institute's publications is available at www.iris-bg.org/pub.html.



    Institute of Public Affairs
    Contact: Lena Kolarska-Bobinska, director and president of the executive board
    Fundacja Instytut Spraw Publicznych
    ul. Szpitalna 5 lok. 22
    00-031 Warszawa, Poland
    Phone: +48-22-556-4260
    Fax: +48-22-556-4262
    isp@isp.org.pl
    www.isp.org.pl
    Mission:
    The Institute of Public Affairs (Instytut Spraw Publicznych) is an independent, nonpartisan public-policy think tank established in 1995 to provide a forum for informed debate on social and political issues. The Institute's core staff of researchers works with a network of associates from leading Polish academic institutions, as well as with numerous social and political actors. ISP research programs focus on law and public administration, social policy, migration, and European integration. The law and public administration reform program works to strengthen the rule of law, to fight corruption, to protect the rights of citizens, and to promote the establishment of an efficient public administration.

    Activities include:
    • conducting research, developing policy recommendations, and preparing reform proposals on key issues facing Poland
    • sponsoring and participating in conferences, seminars, lectures, and other meetings
    • publishing books and policy papers, and distributing these widely to members of parliament, government officials, the media, and NGOs

    Publication Information: For a list of the Institute's extensive publications, please visit www.isp.org.pl/indexEN.htm.



    Interuniversity Research Centre on Southern Europe (CIRES)
    Contact: Leonardo Morlino, director;
    Roberto di Quirico, deputy director
    Polo delle Scienze Sociali edificio D5
    via delle Pandette 21
    50127 Firenze, Italy
    Phone: +39-55-437-4445
    Fax: +39-55-437-4931
    info@cires-ricerca.it
    www.cires-ricerca.it
    Mission:
    The Interuniversity Research Centre on Southern Europe (CIRES) was established in 1999 to promote interdisciplinary research on the Europeanization of France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Greece, as well as on socio-political changes in Mediterranean countries due to European unification and EU enlargement.

    CIRES research focuses on the changing nature of modern representation, the structure of governments, and the development of democracy in new or prospective EU countries in Southern Europe as a specific area within the Union.

    Activities include:
    • collecting information, organizing archives and databases, and supporting information exchange among scholars
    • organizing lectures, conferences, and seminars
    • monitoring the state of democracy and Europeanization in the Southern European countries

    Publication Information: For a list of publications, please visit the Centre's Web site.



    Romanian Academic Society (SAR)
    Contact: Alina Mungiu-Pippidi, acting president
    61 Mihai Eminescu
    Bucresti 2
    Romania 020071
    Phone: +40-21-211-1477
    Fax: +40-21-211-1424
    office@sar.org.ro
    www.sar.org.ro
    Mission:
    The Romanian Academic Society helps to promote liberty, democracy, and good government in Romania through research, publishing, and public outreach. The Society's two chief programmatic areas are the Centre for Public Policy and the program on accountable government.

    Activities include:
    • promoting networking among academic experts and government officials to encourage more effective participation of public-policy scholars in the political process
    • conducting research on democracy and good governance
    • maintaining an electronic directory of Romanian experts in history, political science, and other academic disciplines
    • publishing scholarly journals and papers as well as public-policy proposals

    Publication Information: Please visit www.sar.org.ro/pages/publications.php for a list of SAR's publications.

    ||
    || Site map ||