Publications and Resources

This report focuses on the impasse of legal and political reform in Lebanon, with special reference to political parties. It examines some of the chief challenges Lebanon’s political parties face in a fragile and sectarian political system. In particular, how do the obstacles to reforming political parties limit the prospect of genuine democratization? It addresses how these obstacles historically played out in three different arenas: a) within the country’s existing sectarian political parties, b) within parliament, and c) within the legal profession. It concludes with a policy approach that is key for brokering forms of representation and distribution of power that have the potential to state–society relations more inclusively and democratically.

This report examines recent political developments in Mauritania which show signs of democratic backsliding, with increasing restrictions on political freedoms and declining public trust in political institutions. In recent years, the country has witnessed attempts to introduce constitutional amendments allowing the extension of presidential terms, changes to electoral laws that have restricted the participation of opposition parties, as well as restrictions on the media and suppression of civil society organizations. To halt this democratic regression in Mauritania, it is essential to implement a set of reform policies.

This report examines a deep institutional problem exposed by the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol: Congress lacks modern capacity to hear, process, and act on authentic civic voice. Drawing on more than 100 interviews with congressional staff, this paper examines how deliberative technologies can help modernize Congress. Distinguishing civic tech from deliberative tech, it highlights models which structure public testimony into usable legislative insight. The paper argues that Congress’ unresponsiveness is less a failure of will than of infrastructure. When aligned with modernization efforts, deliberative technology offers a practical path to revive assembly and petition as meaningful inputs to representative governing.

This report aims to examine the process of Tunisia’s autocratisation, which continues to reverse the gains from the 2011 Arab Spring. With receding civic freedoms and the rising tide of populist politics, there does not seem to be much room for democratic resilience and defence against democratic backsliding in Tunisia. The report provides a background that outlines key areas where democratic gains from the 2011–2021 period have been reversed since the July 2021 coup, and maps out the political landscape, highlighting the main difficulties facing the protection of civil society and civil and political freedoms. It then offers recommendations designed to limit the impact of autocratisation and revive free civil activism.