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Source: Veronique Dudouet, Berghof Research CentreThis study compiles comparative findings which have emerged from a previous project where the Centre engaged resistance groups from six different countries to discuss and analyze their respective organisations’ formation, development and experience in conflict transformation, as well as the strategic, organisational and structural shifts entailed by such transitions. The groups are the African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa,
Movimiento 19 de Abril (M-19) in Colombia, Communist Party of Nepal – Maoist
(CPN-M) in Nepal, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka, Gerakan
Acheh Merdeka (GAM) in Aceh, Indonesia and Sinn Fein in Ireland.
Source: Krishna Kumar, Democratization 12, no. 4 This article explores the international community’s assistance to political parties as a component of their democratization efforts in transitioning and post-conflict countries. The primary subjects covered include: an explanation of the objectives and forms of party assistance; controversies, debates, and questions that arise as a consequence of party assistance; a lack of local ownership of assistance programs; the possible negative impacts of financial and commodity assistance; the limited technical expertise of donor and intermediary organizations; the limited time horizon of assistance projects; partisan nature of assistance; balancing political party and civil society assistance; and the relevance of the assistance models. The author argues that party assistance programs are generally beneficial to locally relevant objectives in transition and developing countries. However, he concludes that further research, information, and evaluations of political party assistance need to be conducted to enhance policies and programming.
Source: Terrence Lyons, Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason UniversityThis paper examines the use of post-conflict elections both to resolve conflict and to enhance democratization in post-conflict countries. Primary issues covered include: the dual nature of post-conflict transitions; the legacy of fear; demilitarization of politics; interim institutions; demobilization as a means of demilitarization; and the role of political parties and electoral commissions in building democratic institutions. These points are advanced using the cases of Angola, Cambodia, El Salvador, Mozambique, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Liberia. The author argues that the processes of conflict resolution and democratization are inherently linked in post-conflict environments, and concludes that in some situations, the process provides the opportunity to achieve both.
Source: International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) and Stockholm University A collaboration between International IDEA and Stockholm University, this website collects and analyzes global information on quotas for women. A number of resources are available, including information and publications on the core concept of a quota system, as well as its implications in various contextual practices. Of particular use are the pages on constitutional quotas for national and sub-national parliaments. The discussion forum provides space for actors to share experiences.
Source: Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA) IDASA is a public interest organization based in South Africa working on issues of sustainable democracy. The website provides access to its publications, programs, and articles.
Source: ACE Electoral Knowledge NetworkThis website provides a wide spectrum of information on elections. It also promotes networking among election-related professions and offers capacity development services. Services include: news on elections, including articles, events, and an electoral calendar for elections around the world; an online encyclopedia on election information; a dataset allowing users to compare information on how countries manage their elections; a virtual library on electoral processes; a “practitioner’s network” that brings together professionals around the world; and country specific news and data. Information is also available in Spanish, Russian, Arabic, and French. ACE is a joint endeavor of eight partner organizations: Elections Canada (a non-partisan organization responsible for the conduct of federal general elections, by-elections, and referendums); the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa (a non-governmental organization established in 1996 and based in Johannesburg, South Africa); Instituto Federal Electoral - Mexico; IFES; International IDEA; United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA); and United Nations Electoral Assistance Division.
Policy Analysis and Practitioner Documents (View All 8 Matches)
Source: Sabine Kurtenbach, German Institute of Global and Area StudiesThis paper attempts to explain problems in post-conflict societies by connecting them to the interdependency and interaction of the three-fold transformation to democracy, market economy, and peace assumed in liberal peacebuilding paradigms. The author states that the following four processes affect the transformation process: the effect of the international system on the country’s society; the country’s social, political, and social foundation; legacies of violence; and peacebuilding initiatives across the country. To demonstrate this point, she examines liberal peacebuilding processes in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala. She concludes that problems in post-conflict countries derive largely from fractures and continuities encountered during the three-fold transformation process.
Source: Roland Paris and Timothy D. Sisk, International Peace InstituteThis report summarizes the research findings of the Research Partnership on Postwar Statebuilding (RPPS), a collaborative research project of 13 scholars from six countries who examined the processes and dilemmas of statebuilding. Primary issues include: the evolution from peacebuilding to statebuilding; definitions as well as types of contradictions and dilemmas in statebuilding; means of managing these dilemmas; and suggestions on sustainable statebuilding and “successive missions.” The authors argue that identifying lessons learned from previous statebuilding missions is not sufficient for improving future missions. Instead, the report concludes that an increased awareness and analysis of the contradictions and dilemmas in statebuilding is a key first step to improving statebuilding operations.
Source: Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE ODIHR)This handbook provides an overview of long-term election observers’ (LTOs) roles, duties, and responsibilities in the specific context of election observation as conducted by the OSCE’s ODIHR. Primary topics include: quick start information for LTOs; the role of LTOs in election observation, reporting, and preparing for short-term operations; administration and finance; and the role of LTOs in closing down the mission. This handbook is premised on the idea that long-term observation missions are important, as they provide a consistent, structured, and multi-dimensional approach to observing complex election processes.
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