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Measuring Democracy: The Power of Data

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On May 27, 2021, the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS) hosted “Measuring Democracy: The Power of Data.” The event explored how democracy, human rights and governance practitioners can use data to support the design and implementation of effective assistance programs through strategic decision-making, context and risk analysis, program design and evaluation.



“I think where we run into challenges with respect to incorporating gender sensitivity into these efforts is that we don't have necessarily the types of data that we need in this space. So I think that's why [Gender-Sensitive Indicators for Early Warning of Violence and Conflict: A Global Framework] is so exciting, we were able to pilot a number of indicators.”
– Regina Waugh, Senior Global Gender Advisor, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)

Staffan Lindberg of the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute started the event with a presentation, followed by a panel discussion with Regina Waugh of IFES, Caitlin Dearing Scott and Natalie Trisilla of the International Republican Institute and Traci Cook of the National Democratic Institute. They answered questions like:

  • Does data have the strength to change the way practitioners build civil society organizations?
  • Is data powerful enough to change policymaking and promote accountability in a political system?
  • Does data have the power to create more inclusive elections?

Published on July 13, 2021.