The state of democracy in Latin America

In this episode of Peer-to-Peer, we speak with Alice Hill and Erik Asplund to explore how extreme weather, intensified by climate change, impacts elections and disenfranchises voters. Alice and Erik share their insights on the challenges disasters pose to voting, the role of climate change in increasing the frequency and/or intensity of extreme weather events, and how natural hazards are already affecting elections around the world. They also discuss the impact of hurricanes Helene and Milton on southeastern states ahead of the U.S. Presidential Election on November 5, 2024, and emphasize the need for reforms to safeguard elections from future emergencies and crises.Guests: Alice Hill works as the David M. Rubinstein senior fellow for energy and the environment at the Council on Foreign Relations. Her work focuses on the risks, consequences and responses associated with climate change. During the Obama administration, she was Special Assistant to the President of the United States and Senior Director for Resilience Policy at the National Security Council. She has co-authored the book Building a Resilient Tomorrow and the recent Climate Central report Disenfranchised by Climate Change. Erik Asplund is a Senior Programme Officer in the Electoral Processes Programme, International IDEA. His research covers elections during emergencies and crises, risk management in elections, and training and professional development in electoral administration. He is the project lead for the natural hazard and elections projects. Recent books include Elections during Emergencies and Crises: Lessons for Electoral Integrity from the Covid-19 Pandemic(International IDEA 2023)Host: Dr. Annika Silva-Leander is Head of North America at International IDEA where she oversees International IDEA’s outreach in the region, including relations with US government agencies, democracy assistance organizations and academic institutions, its engagement with the United Nations, and coordination of the Global Democracy Coalition. Annika is also International IDEA’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations, representing International IDEA at the UN General Assembly.  For more information about the episode or the work done by International IDEA on electoral processes, please contact us via [email protected]

The influence of money in Indian politics has long been a subject of debate, with concerns over its impact on democracy, governance, and the political landscape.In this episode, Khushbu Agrawal speaks to Milan Vaishnav, exploring this nexus in India, where money is the currency of power. From the soaring costs of elections to the criminalization of politics, this episode uncovers how financial power has the potential to shape policies, politicians, and political outcomes in the world’s largest democracy.Guest: Milan Vaishnav, Senior Fellow and the Director of South Asia Program, Carnegie Endowment for Peace, Washington DCBackground Reading:https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/political-finance-digital-age-case-indiahttps://milanvaishnav.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/costs-of-democracy-proofs-introduction.pdfhttps://milanvaishnav.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/costs-of-democracy-proofs-sridharan-chapter.pdfhttps://carnegieendowment.org/posts/2017/02/if-money-is-not-distributed-you-are-finished?lang=enhttps://carnegieendowment.org/posts/2019/01/political-finance-in-india-deja-vu-all-over-again?lang=en

The world-renowned elections expert, Professor Pippa Norris, talks to International IDEA's Head of Communications Alistair Scrutton, and to Dr Seema Shah, Head of International IDEA's Democracy Assessment Unit, about the importance of electoral integrity and public perceptions of the credibility of elections around the world. Read the #GlobalStateofDemocracy 2024 Report: https://www.idea.int/gsod/2024/

Democracy is on trial in the climate crisis. It is charged with having failed—and with continuing to fail—to prevent dangerous climate change. It is indicted on a fundamental breach of a key obligation of legitimate government—to ensure the safety and survival of the people to whom democracies owe their allegiance.”Based on the report Climate Change and Democracy Insights from Asia and the Pacific, International IDEA's Climate Change and Democracy Adviser, David Rosén, talks to Professor Joo-Cheong Tham, Melbourne Law School, about the climate crisis and how democracies in Asia and the Pacific are responding to it. Guest: Professor Joo-Cheong Tham, Melbourne Law School.Background Readings:https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/climate-change-and-democracy-insights-asia-and-pacifichttps://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/imagining-democratic-futures-asia-and-pacific-foresight-report-2024https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/deliberative-democracy-and-climate-change-exploring-potential-climate

En esta conversación con Marcela Ríos Tobar, directora regional para América Latina de IDEA Internacional, se explican las polémicas elecciones presidenciales en Venezuela, desde las irregularidades en el proceso hasta la represión actual, así como alternativas para lograr resultados más democráticos.Invitada: Marcela Ríos Tobar, directora de IDEA Internacional para América Latina y el Caribe.Anfitriona: Yasnaya Guibert, oficial de comunicaciones de IDEA Internacional.Contenido relacionado: Evento: https://www.idea.int/es/events/venezuela-entre-las-amenazas-y-la-resiliencia-en-la-democraciaNoticia: https://www.idea.int/news/statement-elections-venezuela

International IDEA's Secretary-General, Kevin Casas-Zamora, discusses with Brian Winter,  editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly, a range of issues related to Latin American democracy, from what recent elections say about the region’s political health, to the potential impact of the US election and how governments should deal with insecurity and violence.

Money – both received and spent – is part of the normal workings of democratic life. It enables political participation and representation. Money helps spread the voices and ideas that are the basis for democratic politics.  It is nonetheless clear that money is capable of inflicting significant distortions on the democratic processes. As we conclude six months into the super-electoral year, the issue of political finance has come to the fore quite prominently in many of the elections that have taken place.International IDEA´s Programme Manager for Money in Politics (MiP) Yukihiko Hamada speaks to Magnus Öhman, Senior Political Finance Adviser at International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) to discuss the critical role of money in politics and unravel the complexities and challenges related to political finance. Guest: Dr Magnus Öhman, Director, Regional Europe Office, and Senior Political Finance Adviser ([email protected]) Background Readings: https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/political-finance-reforms-how-respond-todays-policy-challengeshttps://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/funding-political-parties-and-election-campaigns-handbook-political-financehttps://www.idea.int/sites/default/files/publications/digital-solutions-for-political-finance-reporting-and-disclosure-a-practical-guide.pdf

“What happens when suddenly people attack the integrity of the electoral process? Well, you actually need to have knowledge then because otherwise you are defenseless.  If you know how elections work and how in many countries it's technically almost impossible to rig the election, then you will be protected against disinformation.”International IDEA's Head of Communications Alistair Scrutton talks to Alberto Fernandez Gibaja, Head Digitalization and Democracy about all issues related to misinformation, disinformation and the likes of AI in relation to the 2024 Election Super-Cycle. 

International IDEA’s Anna Dziedzic spoke to Dr Yu Jie Chen to hear her reflections on the 2024 Taiwanese elections. They discuss the implications of the new status quo – in which neither of the two major parties hold a majority of legislature seats – and the increasingly sophisticated ways that Beijing seeks to influence Taiwan’s elections. Dr Yu Jie Chen is an Assistant Research Professor at Academia Sinica in Taiwan and an Affiliated scholar of the US-Asia Law Institute of New York University School of Law.

Kevin Casas-Zamora, secretario general de IDEA Internacional y Daniel Zovatto, el director regional de IDEA Internacional en América Latina y el Caribe conversan sobre la evolución de la democracia en la región, los retos de la democracia y cuál debería ser la proyección de IDEA Internacional hacia el futuro. Daniel Zovatto ha sido durante 26 años el director de IDEA Internacional en América Latina. En enero de 2024, será sustituido por Marcela Ríos Tobar. Este podcast es una conversación entre amigos, y expertos que ahondan en innovación política, y es también una despedida llena de gratitud a Zovatto por sus valiosísimos servicios para el Instituto y para el avance de los valores humanos y la cultura política.