Fall 1990, Volume 1, Issue 4
Documents on Democracy
The complete text of the “Freedom Charter,” the basic statement of principles of the anti-apartheid African National Congress party of South Africa.
2778 Results
Democracy in Retrograde pdf download
April 2006, Volume 17, Issue 2
New Threats to Freedom: Democracy’s “Doubles”
From Putin's Russia to Chávez's Venezuela, regimes that claim to be democracies but act like autocracies are emerging as a major long-term threat to freedom.
January 2010, Volume 21, Issue 1
Democracy’s Past and Future
The Editors' introduction to the Journal of Democracy's Twentieth Anniversary Issue.
October 2020, Volume 31, Issue 4
Covid vs. Democracy: Introduction
The Editors’ introduction to “Covid vs. Democracy.”
October 2008, Volume 19, Issue 4
Poverty, Inequality, and Democracy
The Editors’ introduction to “Poverty, Inequality, and Democracy.”
July 2007, Volume 18, Issue 3
The Democracy Barometers (Part I)
The Editors’ introduction to the first of two clusters on “The Democracy Barometers.”
January 1999, Volume 10, Issue 1
Eastern Europe a Decade Later: The Postcommunist Divide
Read the full essay here.
January 1998, Volume 9, Issue 1
Will China Democratize? Sources of Resistance
Read the full essay here.
July 1996, Volume 7, Issue 3
Is the Third Wave Over?
Democracy’s global advance is facing headwinds, but there are still opportunities for progress in pseudodemocratic and authoritarian states.
April 1995, Volume 6, Issue 2
Economic Reform and Democracy
The Editors’ introduction to “Economic Reform and Democracy.”
July 1993, Volume 4, Issue 3
International Organizations & Democracy
The Editors’ introduction to “International Organizations & Democracy.”
July 1992, Volume 3, Issue 3
The Uncertain Triumph of Democratic Capitalism
Read the full essay here.
October 2013, Volume 24, Issue 4
The Third Wave: Inside the Numbers
Is democracy threatened by a “reverse wave”? Examining regional patterns and distinguishing between different types of democracy gives us a new basis for assessing this question. Listen to the podcast with authors Jørgen Møller and Svend-Erik Skaaning [mp3]
July 2004, Volume 15, Issue 3
The Perils of Identity Politics
Three leading French political thinkers reflect on why modern democracies tend to forget their own natures, even to the point of encouraging an assertive "identitarianism" that could undermine liberal democracy itself.
January 2003, Volume 14, Issue 1
The 30th Anniversary Freedom House Survey: Modern Democracy as a System of Separations
The “system of separations” is a historic achievement that must be defended even against normatively “purer” understandings of democracy.
April 2002, Volume 13, Issue 2
Elections Without Democracy: Thinking About Hybrid Regimes
Many countries have adopted the form of democracy with little of its substance. This makes the task of classifying regimes more difficult, but also more important.