Publications on Democracy

2023-03-17-17_06_09-settings.png

Actually European!? 2023

Executive summary

In its coalition agreement, Germany’s current government committed itself to an “active EU policy” and promised to shape Europe in a "constructive" way. The past year however was dominated by crisis management in the wake of Russia's war of aggression. The EU, in its support of Ukraine or in the area of energy policy, proved to be capable of fast and common action, though its room for manoeuvre was often limited to the crises. Its defence capabilities and decarbonization of the economy still present enormous challenges. Against this political backdrop, the fifth edition of the long-term study Actually European!? analyzes how German citizens assess their country’s role in the EU and what they expect from their government.

annual-report-2021-cover.jpg

Annual Report 2021

Annual report

As we write this in March of 2022, our review of the year 2021 is overshadowed by Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine. Because of this, not only foreign policy, but also domestic politics have now entered a new era.

2022-06-21 14_41_05-Window.png

The dynamic of youth activism in Afghanistan: A journey between hope and desperation

E-paper

This e-paper is written based on interviews conducted with young activists, journalists, human rights defenders and academics from Afghanistan (all under the age of 35), who have been actively involved in the process of democratisation and committed to liberal values over the past 20 years in Afghanistan; it highlights the twenty years of achievements by Afghan youth and explores their hurdles and challenges under the rule of the Taliban’s de facto regime.

2022-05-30 09_49_25-Photos.png

Actually European!? 2022

Summary

This year's representative survey shows that citizens expect Germany to play a more active role in the EU in this "Zeitenwende". In addition, the study identifies three trends under the impression of the current threats and challenges for Europe.

2022-02-09 11_08_54-Window.png

The rise and dynamics of the 2020 youth movement in Thailand

E-paper

Young advocates for democracy are campaigning against the surveillance state and the internet "gateway" to control inappropriate websites and the flow of information from the rest of the world to Thailand. The election win of the Future Forward Party (FFP) shows how Thailand's active young generation is moving from the Internet to the ballot box.

Perspectives 10 cover.JPG

Perspectives Southeastern Europe #10: Green transition and social (in)justice

Magazine

The analytical commentaries of this issue discuss the prospects for a just green transition in the Western Balkan countries and their particular contexts of structural injustices in the societies and transition legacies. The fundamental economic and technological changes for a decarbonisation of the widely coal dependent economies in the region need to be accompanied not only by another attitude to nature and biodiversity but also by a new set of social relationships and innovations in governance and civic participation.

Reawakening Student Activism cover.png

Reawakening student activism: a case study of Malaysia and Singapore

E-paper

Malaysia and Singapore share a history of suppression of youth activism by the state, and as a result, this has led to the depoliticisation of young people, who are often labelled as apathetic. However, the changing realities of both countries, ­such as the instability of the economy, has led young people to engage more in political discussions in recent years. However, the rise of youth activism also entails rising harassment and state suppression of youth activists through surveillance, arrests and threats to future employability. 

Youth in nation building_cover.png

In the wake of the coup: how Myanmar youth arose to fight for the nation

E-paper

Based on 34 individual interviews with youth activists involved in the peaceful anti-coup resistance movement in Myanmar, this paper asks: What are the conceptualisations, motivations and expectations held by youth activists participating in the peaceful 2021 anti-coup movement, and what challenges do they face?

2021-11-08 11_37_14-Window

Intersectionality and refugee women

E-paper

This study critically examines some of the gendered and racialized notions about migrants embedded in and institutionalized through the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, by engaging with the definitory and conceptual unclarities as to who the Pact defines as “especially vulnerable groups” and according to which criteria, making a relevant contribution to ongoing debates with regard to the EU’s future migration and border politics.

Spreading_propaganda_Slovenia_Domen_Savič_FINAL.png

Spreading propaganda and disinformation using public funds

E-paper

This e-paper examines systemic failures in curbing the funding of hateful content as well as disinformation and misinformation with the public money of Slovenian taxpayers. At the same time, it describes the very effective yet opaque methods of circumventing the co-regulative measures proposed by the EU Digital Services Act, which tries to curb such practices.

ECRE study cover.png

Reception, detention and restriction of movement at EU external borders

E-paper

This paper critically maps the current EU legal framework for deprivation of liberty and restriction on freedom of movement of migrants and asylum seekers, as well as resulting practice, to finally to discuss the 2020 legislative proposals for EU asylum reform. The discussion of the law and practice is put in the context of the international and EU human rights law framework governing deprivation of liberty and restriction on freedom of movement.

2021-06-21 09_20_31-Photos.png

The state of content moderation for the LGBTIQA+ community and the role of the EU Digital Services Act

E-paper

Platforms can empower groups that have previously been silenced. However, platforms also host hateful and illegal content, often targeted at minorities, and content is prone to being unfairly censored by algorithmically biased moderation systems. This report analyzes the current environment of content moderation, particularly bringing to light negative effects for the LGBTIQA+ community, and provides policy recommendations for the forthcoming negotiations on the EU Digital Services Act.

2021-06-21 09_23_50-Photos.png

Algorithmic misogynoir in content moderation practice

E-paper

Existing content moderation practices, both algorithmically-driven and people-determined, are rooted in white colonialist culture. Black women’s opinions, experiences, and expertise are suppressed and their online communication streams are removed abruptly, silently, and quickly. This paper explores algorithmic misogynoir in content moderation and makes the case for the regular examination of the impact of content moderation tactics on Black women and other minoritized communities.

GreenIdeasEU2020DE_cover

Green Ideas for the Future of Europe - Publication

Interviews

Through 20 conversations with Green decision makers and civil society actors, held prior to Germany's EU Council Presidency, the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung has striven to contribute to a profound debate about the consequences of the pandemic and the future of the European project.

Cover Climate Justice and Migration

Climate Justice and Migration

Study

With climate change looming, anxiety over immigration from the Global South is increasingly fuelled by apocalyptic fears of ecological breakdown. How should policymakers respond to the reality and future prospect of vast populations being displaced and relocated in an era of global heating?

Get Lost cover

"Get Lost!": European Return Policies in Practice

Study

Current EU migration policies' increased focus on returns raises concerns on the adequacy of such measures with EU standards and fundamental rights. This publication highlights the problems and difficulties returnees face in Afghanistan, Syria, Tunisia, Senegal and Kosovo.

Closed ports, dubious partners

Closed Ports, Dubious Partners

E-Paper

This study shows that port closures are governed not only by the law of the sea and human rights law, but also by WHO law and that non-refoulement obligations continue to apply even in emergency situations while a derogation is not permissible under international law.

La paz avanza con las mujeres

GPAZ es un grupo de organizaciones que ha velado porque se incluya y se dé cumplimiento al enfoque de género en el Acuerdo de Paz. Han estado presentes desde el aporte de elementos para las negociaciones en la Habana hasta hacer seguimiento y recomendaciones para su implementación. Este es el resumen de la segunda entrega de su informe de seguimiento que cubre el periodo entre agosto de 2018 y agosto de 2019. 

To be Equal and Free: The Nexus Between Human Rights and Democracy

To be Equal and Free: The Nexus Between Human Rights and Democracy

Human rights and democracy are regarded as an interconnected and mutually reinforcing couple. The link between the concepts of democracy and human rights is stemming from the fact that human rights are one of the basic tenants of democracy. This paper seeks to explore the role of human rights in democracy, and specifically whether human rights is a necessary ingredient for its sustenance.

Privacy in the EU and US: Consumer experiences across three global platforms

Privacy in the EU and US

Study

This research examines how aspects of privacy and data protection are working for consumers in two major economic areas – the EU and the US. Both have high levels of digital use, and major online providers offer very similar services in both regions. However, their legal approach to data protection and privacy are very different: while the EU has a general data protection law, the US to-date has not enacted such an all-encompassing law at the federal level.dig

Civil Society Innovation and Populism in a Digital Era

Innovation Report: Civil Society Innovation and Populism in a Digital Era

Publication

Across 14 case studies from international and national civil society organisations, networks and movements from populist contexts around the world, the report highlights their innovativeness, effectiveness in countering different elements of populism, and responsiveness to the potential of digital media in the specific context.

Free, fair, and alive: the insurgent power of the commons

Book

Ambitious, sophisticated, and resolutely grounded in everyday realities, "Free, Fair and Alive" present a compelling vision of a future that can actually work. Written by two highly experienced commons activists, this book is at once a penetrating cultural critique, table-pounding political treatise, and practical playbook for building a new world of commoning.

Governing Ecologically

Study

In voter surveys, the German Greens regularly come out as the party deemed to have by far the greatest competency in this area and in energy policy as well. This study by Arne Jungjohann tries to answer if this image is justified, as it looks at the subnational level of the federal states.

Download

Please select a file format.

pdf epub

Stabilization via change? The European Union’s support for human rights advocacy in Lebanon

Paper

Civil society is identified as a key partner for the European Union (EU) and receiver of financial support in the European Neighbourhood Policy, as civil society is closest to the citizen’s needs, for example in terms of human rights. However, the existing body of research questions whether such aspirations for human rights are compatible with the EU’s main priority in neighbourhood, stabilization. 

A Local Turn for European Refugee Politics

E-Paper

In this policy paper “A Local Turn for European Refugee Politics” the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung puts forward proposals for a more active role of the municipalities in refugee and asylum policy.

Download

Please select a file format.

pdf epub

Upping the Ante on Bulk Surveillance

Study

The precarious balance between the need for security and the right to privacy will continue to characterize “risk societies” of the 21st century. This compendium by Thorsten Wetzling and Kilian Vieth provides robust oversight practices and good laws that can serve as bulwarks against the erosion of fundamental rights in Europe and America.

Feminicide: A Global Phenomenon

The fifth edition of “Feminicide: A Global Phenomenon” covers topics such as feminicide in different countries, the recent call of the UN-Rapporteur and the absolute criminalization of abortion.

Feminicide: A Global Phenomenon - From Santiago to Brussels

Feminicide/femicide is the most extreme form of violence against women. It is not a matter of “…isolated incidents that arise suddenly and unexpectedly, but rather the ultimate act of violence which is experienced in a continuum of violence" against women.

Download

Please select a file format.

pdf pdf

Feminicide: A Global Phenomenon

The purpose of this publication, the third in the series “Feminicide: A Global Phenomenon”, is to identify the content to be included in this new space for bi-regional dialogue on gender issues with regard to violence against women and the importance of the participation of defenders of women’s rights in this area.

Download

Please select a file format.

pdf pdf

Gender Politics Makes a Difference

Politics can only succeed when it is inclusive of all genders. Gender justice is an ambitious goal, one that the Heinrich Böll Foundation is pursuing together with many different allies worldwide. This publication gives an overview of their work.