Stories

Member Story
Shadows of the Past: How Soviet Inferiority Narratives Hinder Democracy in Moldova and Ukraine
Post-Soviet countries like Ukraine and Moldova are deeply influenced by inferiority narratives — pervasive beliefs of national inadequacy rooted in Soviet-era legacies. This article examines how these narratives shape...
IDC Theme of the Month
From Backsliding to Breakthrough: Civil Society as Democracy's Last Line of Defence
Democracy does not vanish overnight; instead, it erodes step by step. Authoritarianism grows in the cracks, but so does civic resistance. Around the world, civil society is proving that when democratic institutions weaken,...
LOS ANGELES
PLEASE DONATE: A Historic Democracy Opportunity for LA
A Plan to Have a Sortition-Lottery Based Assembly of Everyday Angelenos Rewrite the City Charter Lacks the...
Photo by Joe Mathews
SAN FRANCISCO
COLUMN The Cat Mayor of 16th Street On Being Martyred by AI
KitKat Was Killed by a Waymo Robotaxi. But He Lives On.
BANGALORE
VIDEO Democracy From the Ground Up: Participation in Big Cities
An Event, With Reports From Chennai, Bangalore, Mexico City, Lagos, Los Angeles—And the World
Image created by Joe Mathews with Google Gemini
LOS ANGELES
COLUMN Dear UN, Send Election Observers to California
When international intervention is necessary in sub-national voting.
FLORES ISLAND
ASIA DEMOCRACY CHRONICLES A Murky Shade of Green
Geothermal ambitions clash with the indignenous peoples of an Indonesian village.
ALICANTE
LOCAL SNAPSHOT: Mayor Luis Barcala
'We apply AI to make urban governance more people-centered'
Photo credit CC 4.0 by Tehran Picture Agency
TEHRAN
LOCAL SNAPSHOT Mayor Alireza Zakani
'Small Steps at Local Scale Can Be a Starting Point to Huge Transformation'
Photos by Bruno Kaufmann
GOTHENBURG
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS BRUNO KAUFMANN? Gothenburg
The World's Biggest Local Democracy Unit, on the Swedish West Coast
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons, Sept. 21, 2025. CC BY-SA 4.0
KATHMANDU
COLUMN Letter from 2027—How the Children's Revolt Went Global
The 'One Piece' Flag and the Kids Revolt Will Take Down Trump, and Authoritarianism
Photo by Joe Mathews
ORZHYTSIA
LOCAL SNAPSHOT Mayor Olena Sydorenko
'The War Has Not Stopped Openness. The War Has Made Openness Essential'