Countries around the world are facing unprecedented cuts in foreign democracy support, notably from the United States but also from other donors. These cuts inevitably weaken civil society organisations, independent media, opposition party organisations, human rights advocates, and others who have previously received support.
However, can we reasonably expect that these cuts to democracy support will also significantly weaken democratic systems or entrench autocracies in countries across the world? Should we also anticipate downstream political and economic consequences beyond the borders of the countries receiving democracy support? Does this also include democracy-support donor countries?
Put differently, what are the anticipated short- and longer-term costs to donor countries of cutting democracy support, and do these costs outweigh the expenses associated with funding such programmes abroad?
This Deep Dive draws on extensive reviews of academic research and in-depth semi-structured interviews with stakeholders and provides several key considerations and building blocks for a comprehensive response to these questions.
Authors
This publication was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
Photo credit: REUTERS/Jamal Saidi
