[governance] FW: Worth Reading: May 31, 2013

[Lee W McKnight]

May be of interest; note "increasing restrictions on civil society."

Lee

________________________________

From: Network of Democracy Research Institutes [ndri at ned.org]
Sent: Friday, May 31, 2013 8:25 AM
To: Lee W McKnight
Subject: Worth Reading: May 31, 2013

 [https://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/fs075/1102629592316/img/2.jpg]  May 31, 2013

Dear Colleagues,

This installment of Worth Reading features three efforts that survey key pillars of democracy across the globe: Freedom House<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001AAnfkhn2I3iLBGhsuywlprr5Pg8ZMMIaGT30cSPVVBqk_WZBtHrusnhc8uHXYHkNcy0lJhaiklwXajcMRGBjzro-QN8b4WvzInXj11krVaYYsG6tNTP-tQ==>’s Freedom in the World 2013<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001AAnfkhn2I3jlT6n7h_GNCfd9YJe49cvs-LGN2HOylIvjeAwuKjw33UapzJ17OgjNMv9V4KMGuxphhZ6rX5YYaZpRg9M1zjPqbDoh6Ei0Jj_eAXqp8F6bx3c5pMKx44IJxxS0a6KWmOoBUdow58ZlqYsH4LEWUol13gFGkgFOARhsk8myqZWkOQ==> and Freedom of the Press 2013<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001AAnfkhn2I3jvk7qGhAwwZXexK2gE0Aj2NMKpn-_fHoqa8h7dc_lb4FU6bbvQL0qpDsyoBpcU7PzGyCkHLJBTvZInog1jCBFtRcEOB7s6V74i0a0EIS_qyK-M5N78bGR0O5mtkPAyFLn-zHYOrjxbFDJBaziRKfCSHJ4s2MvT4bcG-ZHTyOJwwQ==> surveys, and the “State of Civil Society 2013<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001AAnfkhn2I3gepL5kOB42OFZDCmXZCcDqPk5IBK9yQYPOh2baRMRZaEZEe74MGvbAFHFEWsYt-YqNEC1th7-akfZEIp2vq7GvuL876bhiyZRs07feOCNcWdJIevNaeRjIWJ6b2KuLbj7HPsBFklpQij90R86yMsAWnEF7-IrRtX4bdUhNBYP13rQwspBdyuCd9S2iYXSAILmy3vhfxtwRyQ==>” report from CIVICUS<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001AAnfkhn2I3hHS2yTnS4A4_zt8G5FpL8mQccZdiK4Bftx4Lu_JACmiW6Siw_B6XDNnzompzRdudPtbxpkao8KJa0WIqy169hBuPn2fRE7x1AXEFFKeW_yyg==>.

Freedom in the World 2013<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001AAnfkhn2I3jlT6n7h_GNCfd9YJe49cvs-LGN2HOylIvjeAwuKjw33UapzJ17OgjNMv9V4KMGuxphhZ6rX5YYaZpRg9M1zjPqbDoh6Ei0Jj_eAXqp8F6bx3c5pMKx44IJxxS0a6KWmOoBUdow58ZlqYsH4LEWUol13gFGkgFOARhsk8myqZWkOQ==> is the latest edition of Freedom House’s highly respected flagship report. This year, the report examines the state of political rights and civil liberties in 195 countries and territories, finding that “while the number of countries ranked as Free in 2012 was 90, a gain of 3 over the previous year, 27 countries showed significant declines, compared with 16 that showed notable gains.” This is the seventh year in a row in which the state of freedom in the world has declined, with tentative gains in the Middle East balanced out by authoritarian retrenchment in Eurasia; other worrying trends include increased violence within the Islamic world, repression in the Persian Gulf, and an increase in restrictions on civil society and foreign assistance. The full report includes individual country reports and more detailed data analysis.

Freedom House also released Freedom of the Press 2013<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001AAnfkhn2I3jvk7qGhAwwZXexK2gE0Aj2NMKpn-_fHoqa8h7dc_lb4FU6bbvQL0qpDsyoBpcU7PzGyCkHLJBTvZInog1jCBFtRcEOB7s6V74i0a0EIS_qyK-M5N78bGR0O5mtkPAyFLn-zHYOrjxbFDJBaziRKfCSHJ4s2MvT4bcG-ZHTyOJwwQ==>, an annual report finding that “the percentage of the world’s population living in societies with a fully free press has fallen to its lowest level in over a decade.” Analyzing 197 countries and territories, Freedom House found the press to be “Free” in only 32 percent of the countries examined, while 36 percent were “Partly Free” and the remaining 32 percent were rated “Not Free.” Noting the continued decline of press freedom, the report cites the ongoing European economic crisis, the difficult financial and operating challenges facing print media, organized extremist groups, and “increasingly sophisticated repression” as drivers of this negative trend. The full report offers more detailed analysis of regionial and data trends; individual country reports for the 197 countries surveyed will be posted online as they are completed.

CIVICUS, a global network focusing on the health and growth of civil society worldwide, published “State of Civil Society 2013: Creating an Enabling Environment<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001AAnfkhn2I3gepL5kOB42OFZDCmXZCcDqPk5IBK9yQYPOh2baRMRZaEZEe74MGvbAFHFEWsYt-YqNEC1th7-akfZEIp2vq7GvuL876bhiyZRs07feOCNcWdJIevNaeRjIWJ6b2KuLbj7HPsBFklpQij90R86yMsAWnEF7-IrRtX4bdUhNBYP13rQwspBdyuCd9S2iYXSAILmy3vhfxtwRyQ==>,” a report exploring the “inconsistency” between the widely-recognized “importance of civil society” and the growing number of initiatives aimed at undermining it. In this report, CIVICUS explores current global and regional trends in civil society promotion, examines what sort of legal framework can enable the growth of civil society, and expresses serious concerns about the ongoing backlash against civil society in authoritarian countries. In nearly every region, CIVICUS reports that activists are increasingly subject to murder, physical assault, harsh legislative measures, and legal harassment as they pursue their work. CIVICUS recommends that governments “engaged on the issue of human rights defenders” offer support through their embassies and other official channels and encourage civil society to pressure their governments to enact protections enabling activists to carry on their work with renewed vigor.

Worth Reading is a list of featured readings on democracy disseminated semi-monthly by the International Forum for Democratic Studies<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001AAnfkhn2I3hdoQKpV_t8Ck4bUgiZQzUkSQ2SNTx2Prd0iZSZQ-B8mhW9SGHEnZxi2-lflARxAI6LYNS-VLZzS7j0jiMPIJ99WVzqx_nB0FBZTlW26yM-BKihy2ydrncT> at the National Endowment for Democracy<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001AAnfkhn2I3iYJvMnN-i4CqXW2baOhLkw9yO0yxvLx31wrANMl-v4fiU6hd5ef1fy-0E3MxEGRjGUY5g76M8pLBG-Pa8RJ5pHRXuRhBkp_Ww=>. Many thanks to Freedom House and CIVICUS for their efforts in compiling the surveys featured here. If you have materials you would like featured in Worth Reading, please send us an email at ndri at ned.org.


With best wishes,

Melissa

Melissa Aten-Becnel
International Forum for Democratic Studies
National Endowment for Democracy
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