There are many lessons to be learned from what collectively came to be known as the 'Supercycle Election Year' of 2024. Together with the European Partnership of Democracy (EPD), International IDEA have published the report ‘The Election Year 2024 and Tech Policy around the World’, which identifies key features and gaps in tech policy around the world with implications for democracy to synthesize a series of regulatory recommendations for the European Union.

In this podcast, we sit down with Juliane Müller from International IDEA and Sofia Calabrese from EPD, the authors of the Supercycle report. Together, they discuss what institutions, coordination strategies, and regulatory instruments are needed to protect the integrity of elections. 

Drawing on examples from around the world, they share insights on how to address the challenges of web-based election cycles through international regulatory standards, interagency collaboration, and cross-sectoral multistakeholder engagement. 

They also explore how coexisting EU frameworks such as the Digital Services Act (DSA), the AI act, the EU Democracy Shield, and the EU Omnibus package can work in contradiction to simultaneously reinforce and undermine democratic protections.

To get the full picture, read the ‘The Election Year 2024 and Tech Policy around the World’.

In this episode, Sharon Pia Hickey Programme Officer at International IDEA’s Constitution-Building and Climate Change and Democracy programmes speaks with Thai lawyer Sor Rattanamanee Polkla, Executive Coordinator, and Co-Founder of Community Resources Centre Foundation about the landscape of climate and environmental litigation in Thailand. 

Drawing on her experience with cases focusing on extractive industries, development projects, and public interest law, Sor tracks her path from realising the importance of protest and shares a message for climate lawyers across the region.

Background reading: Let the courts decide? The Potential and Limitations of Climate Litigation from a Democracy Perspective

In this episode of Peer-to-Peer, we speak to Saket Ambarkhane about the impacts of natural hzards on Indian elections and the growing concern over the effects of climate change on future elections. With Ambarkhane, we explore how different events, such as the heatwaves during the 2024 election, impacted various steps of the electoral process like campaigning, polling day, and voter turnout.

Ambarkhane also explains how the different levels of EMBs (federal vs regional) have mitigated such events and the numerous tools India uses to build resilience against natural hazards.

Guest: Saket Ambarkhane is an elections expert, having previously worked for the Electoral Commission of India and International IDEA.  

Hosts: Erik Asplund

Background Reading: 

• Natural Hazards and Elections in India: Lessons in Adaptation and Mitigation 
• The Impact of Natural Hazards on Elections

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is growing in the sphere of electoral administration, still its impact has yet to be fully understood. What lessons on electoral AI from the 2024 Supercycle election year can we bring into 2025? How might Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) plan to incorporate AI into their work and what consequences would this have for democracy?

In this podcast episode, Juliane Müller, Associate Programme Officer at the Digitalization and Democracy Programme sits down with Prathm Juneja, PhD candidate in Social Data Science at the Oxford Internet Institute and expert for International IDEA's AI for Electoral Actors project to answer these questions and more.

This episode is the first in a series for the AI for Electoral Actors project that aims to raise AI literacy among EMBs in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Balkans and Eastern Europe. 

Read more about the project: https://www.idea.int/project/ai-electoral-actors

Background Reading: 

• https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/artificial-intelligence-electoral-management 
• https://www.idea.int/news/democratic-foundation-electoral-ai-1
• https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/global-digital-compact-democracy
• https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/codes-conduct-rise-fair-and-ethical-political-campaigning-online

A pesar de los avances en la representación política de las mujeres en América Latina, persisten desafíos significativos, como la violencia de género en la política. 

En esta conversación con Marcela Ríos Tobar, directora regional de IDEA Internacional para América Latina y El Caribe, exploramos hallazgos, repercusión y recomendaciones para hacer frente a este problema que a veces se trivializa o subestima.

Según el informe y un estudio de ONU Mujeres, el 80% de las mujeres entrevistadas en 15 países manifestaron que limitaron su participación en las redes, y el 40% se autocensuró.  

El impacto de la violencia política de género requiere soluciones de conjunto para prevenir y mitigar sus efectos.

Violencia política de género en la esfera digital en América Latina: https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/violencia-politica-de-genero-en-la-esfera-digital-en-america-latina?lang=es

International IDEA's Outreach and United Nations Liaison Officer, Amanda Sourek, talked to Ambassador Bob Rae, who serves as the 80th President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council and has been the Permanent Representative of Canada to the UN since 2020. 

Bob Rae discussed the role of youth in politics, the deadlock in the Security Council, the crisis in Myanmar, Russia's war against Ukraine, the 2030 Agenda, how democracy is portrayed at the UN, and the role of civil society in multilateral engagement. 

Background Reading

• UN Charter: https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-charter
• Bob Rae’s biography: https://www.international.gc.ca/world-monde/international_relations-relations_internationales/un-onu/new-york-rep.aspx?lang=eng
• Vision and activities of Ambassador Bob Rae as the 80th President of ECOSOC: https://ecosoc.un.org/en/about-us/vision-and-activities-president

Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Honorary President of the Club of Roam and co-author of Earth For All: A Survival Guide for Humanity’ has gathered the knowledge of an international team of scientists, economic thinkers, and multidisciplinary experts, to five extraordinary turnarounds to achieve wellbeing and prosperity for all, reduce social tension and ensure strong democracies within planetary boundaries.

She discussed with International IDEA's Communicators Director Alistair Scrutton how to achieve global sustainable policies win a world of economic inequality, backsliding democracies and political polarisation.

Background Reading: 'Earth For All: A Survival Guide for Humanity’

An interview with Luisa Neubauer, a German climate campaigner who is using both the courts and civic groups to push authorities to take climate policy more seriously.

Access International IDEA's databases, reports and initiatives on Climate Change and Democracy: https://www.idea.int/theme/climate-change-and-democracy 

This is the second of a three-episode series featuring LEGITIMULT, its findings and tools for addressing and solving future crises. 

Drawing from the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic the LEGITIMULT (Legitimate Crisis Governance in Multilevel Systems) project  aims to identify a model of political legitimate crisis governance that takes into account the interplay between international, national, regional and local governments and institutions.

Its guiding research question “Which conditions contribute to democratically legitimate crisis governance?” will allow governments and policy makers to better face the crises of the future. The aim is not only to have effective responses, but that these measures respect and guarantee basic human rights and freedoms.  

LEGITIMULT is funded through Horizon Europe and the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).

Guests:

• Ida Karkiainen, Member of the Swedish Parliament, Chair of the Committee on the Constitution
• Dr Andreas Kiefer, former Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe (2010-2022)

Co-hosted by:

·       Gentiana Gola, Adviser for Europe at the Democracy Assessment team, International IDEA

·       Dr Marcus Guderjan, Researcher at the Otto-Suhr-Institute of Political Science, Freie Universität Berlin.

On the sidelines of the launch of IDEA’s latest report on climate assemblies in the Global South, Billie Phillips spoke to Dr Sanskriti Menon about the power of citizen assemblies as a tool of public participation in governance  and her experience working with assemblies in both rural and urban communities in India. 

Guest: Dr Sanskriti Menon

Background Reading: 

• “We need a new story of deliberative democracy” – IDEA launches new report on Climate Assemblies
• Deliberative Democracy and Climate Change: Exploring the Potential of Climate Assemblies in the Global South

In this episode, Yukihiko Hamada, Programme Manager for Money in Politics, is joined by Dr. Sam Power and Dr. Wouter Wolfs to discuss how political finance shapes the political and electoral landscape in the EU and the UK.

In this in-depth conversation on the influence of money in democracy, they dive into the challenges of third-party spending, online campaign finance, and the role emerging technologies—like AI—can play in improving political finance oversight.

Background Reading: 

https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/political-finance-digital-age-case-study-european-union?lang=en

https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/digital-disclosure-political-finance-in-europe?lang=en

https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/regulating-business-election-campaigns?lang=en

https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/codes-conduct-rise-fair-and-ethical-political-campaigning-online?lang=en

https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/winning-elections-right-way-online-political-advertising-rules-europe-and?lang=en

In this episode of Peer-to-Peer, we speak with Alice Hill and Erik Asplund to explore how extreme weather, intensified by climate change, impacts elections and disenfranchises voters. Alice and Erik share their insights on the challenges disasters pose to voting, the role of climate change in increasing the frequency and/or intensity of extreme weather events, and how natural hazards are already affecting elections around the world. They also discuss the impact of hurricanes Helene and Milton on southeastern states ahead of the U.S. Presidential Election on November 5, 2024, and emphasize the need for reforms to safeguard elections from future emergencies and crises.

Guests: 

Alice Hill works as the David M. Rubinstein senior fellow for energy and the environment at the Council on Foreign Relations. Her work focuses on the risks, consequences and responses associated with climate change. During the Obama administration, she was Special Assistant to the President of the United States and Senior Director for Resilience Policy at the National Security Council. She has co-authored the book Building a Resilient Tomorrow and the recent Climate Central report Disenfranchised by Climate Change. 

Erik Asplund is a Senior Programme Officer in the Electoral Processes Programme, International IDEA. His research covers elections during emergencies and crises, risk management in elections, and training and professional development in electoral administration. He is the project lead for the natural hazard and elections projects. Recent books include Elections during Emergencies and Crises: Lessons for Electoral Integrity from the Covid-19 Pandemic(International IDEA 2023)

Host: Dr. Annika Silva-Leander is Head of North America at International IDEA where she oversees International IDEA’s outreach in the region, including relations with US government agencies, democracy assistance organizations and academic institutions, its engagement with the United Nations, and coordination of the Global Democracy Coalition. Annika is also International IDEA’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations, representing International IDEA at the UN General Assembly.  

For more information about the episode or the work done by International IDEA on electoral processes, please contact us via elections@idea.int

Christina Voigt is Professor of Law at the University of Oslo and Chair of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law. 

In this podcast episode, she discusses the concept of climate justice, the evolving legal landscape around climate change, and the role of international courts therein, with Sharon Hickey, Program Officer with the Climate Change and Democracy and Constitutional Governance and Rule of Law programs at International IDEA, in light of her Stockholm Series lecture 'Repainting the Climate Justice Canvas: How the World's Highest Courts are Leading the Way'.

Background Reading: Let the courts decide? The Potential and Limitations of Climate Litigation from a Democracy Perspective

The influence of money in Indian politics has long been a subject of debate, with concerns over its impact on democracy, governance, and the political landscape.

In this episode, Khushbu Agrawal speaks to Milan Vaishnav, exploring this nexus in India, where money is the currency of power. From the soaring costs of elections to the criminalization of politics, this episode uncovers how financial power has the potential to shape policies, politicians, and political outcomes in the world’s largest democracy.

Guest: Milan Vaishnav, Senior Fellow and the Director of South Asia Program, Carnegie Endowment for Peace, Washington DC

Background Reading:

https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/political-finance-digital-age-case-india

https://milanvaishnav.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/costs-of-democracy-proofs-introduction.pdf

https://milanvaishnav.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/costs-of-democracy-proofs-sridharan-chapter.pdf

https://carnegieendowment.org/posts/2017/02/if-money-is-not-distributed-you-are-finished?lang=en

https://carnegieendowment.org/posts/2019/01/political-finance-in-india-deja-vu-all-over-again?lang=en

The world-renowned elections expert, Professor Pippa Norris, talks to International IDEA's Head of Communications Alistair Scrutton, and to Dr Seema Shah, Head of International IDEA's Democracy Assessment Unit, about the importance of electoral integrity and public perceptions of the credibility of elections around the world. 

Read the #GlobalStateofDemocracy 2024 Report: https://www.idea.int/gsod/2024/

Democracy is on trial in the climate crisis. It is charged with having failed—and with continuing to fail—to prevent dangerous climate change. It is indicted on a fundamental breach of a key obligation of legitimate government—to ensure the safety and survival of the people to whom democracies owe their allegiance.”

Based on the report Climate Change and Democracy Insights from Asia and the Pacific, International IDEA's Climate Change and Democracy Adviser, David Rosén, talks to Professor Joo-Cheong Tham, Melbourne Law School, about the climate crisis and how democracies in Asia and the Pacific are responding to it. 

Guest: Professor Joo-Cheong Tham, Melbourne Law School.

Background Readings:

https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/climate-change-and-democracy-insights-asia-and-pacific

https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/imagining-democratic-futures-asia-and-pacific-foresight-report-2024

https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/deliberative-democracy-and-climate-change-exploring-potential-climate

En esta conversación con Marcela Ríos Tobar, directora regional para América Latina de IDEA Internacional, se explican las polémicas elecciones presidenciales en Venezuela, desde las irregularidades en el proceso hasta la represión actual, así como alternativas para lograr resultados más democráticos.

Invitada: Marcela Ríos Tobar, directora de IDEA Internacional para América Latina y el Caribe.
Anfitriona: Yasnaya Guibert, oficial de comunicaciones de IDEA Internacional.

Contenido relacionado: 

Evento: https://www.idea.int/es/events/venezuela-entre-las-amenazas-y-la-resiliencia-en-la-democracia

Noticia: https://www.idea.int/news/statement-elections-venezuela

International IDEA's Secretary-General, Kevin Casas-Zamora, discusses with Brian Winter,  editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly, a range of issues related to Latin American democracy, from what recent elections say about the region’s political health, to the potential impact of the US election and how governments should deal with insecurity and violence.

Money – both received and spent – is part of the normal workings of democratic life. It enables political participation and representation. Money helps spread the voices and ideas that are the basis for democratic politics.  It is nonetheless clear that money is capable of inflicting significant distortions on the democratic processes. As we conclude six months into the super-electoral year, the issue of political finance has come to the fore quite prominently in many of the elections that have taken place.

International IDEA´s Programme Manager for Money in Politics (MiP) Yukihiko Hamada speaks to Magnus Öhman, Senior Political Finance Adviser at International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) to discuss the critical role of money in politics and unravel the complexities and challenges related to political finance. 

Guest: Dr Magnus Öhman, Director, Regional Europe Office, and Senior Political Finance Adviser (mohman@ifes.org)

Background Readings: 

https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/political-finance-reforms-how-respond-todays-policy-challenges

https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/funding-political-parties-and-election-campaigns-handbook-political-finance

https://www.idea.int/sites/default/files/publications/digital-solutions-for-political-finance-reporting-and-disclosure-a-practical-guide.pdf

“What happens when suddenly people attack the integrity of the electoral process? Well, you actually need to have knowledge then because otherwise you are defenseless.  If you know how elections work and how in many countries it's technically almost impossible to rig the election, then you will be protected against disinformation.”

International IDEA's Head of Communications Alistair Scrutton talks to Alberto Fernandez Gibaja, Head Digitalization and Democracy about all issues related to misinformation, disinformation and the likes of AI in relation to the 2024 Election Super-Cycle. 

International IDEA’s Anna Dziedzic spoke to Dr Yu Jie Chen to hear her reflections on the 2024 Taiwanese elections. They discuss the implications of the new status quo – in which neither of the two major parties hold a majority of legislature seats – and the increasingly sophisticated ways that Beijing seeks to influence Taiwan’s elections. Dr Yu Jie Chen is an Assistant Research Professor at Academia Sinica in Taiwan and an Affiliated scholar of the US-Asia Law Institute of New York University School of Law.

Kevin Casas-Zamora, secretario general de IDEA Internacional y Daniel Zovatto, el director regional de IDEA Internacional en América Latina y el Caribe conversan sobre la evolución de la democracia en la región, los retos de la democracia y cuál debería ser la proyección de IDEA Internacional hacia el futuro. 

Daniel Zovatto ha sido durante 26 años el director de IDEA Internacional en América Latina. En enero de 2024, será sustituido por Marcela Ríos Tobar. Este podcast es una conversación entre amigos, y expertos que ahondan en innovación política, y es también una despedida llena de gratitud a Zovatto por sus valiosísimos servicios para el Instituto y para el avance de los valores humanos y la cultura política.

The 'Global State of Democracy 2023 Report – The New Checks and Balances' highlighted that there are trends of contraction around the world, but also bright spots of hope. A day after International IDEA’s #GSoD2023 Global Launch event, Marcus Brand, Head of International IDEA’s Myanmar Programme talked to Kunthida Rungruengkiat, Director of the Progressive Movement Foundation about the state of democracy in Thailand.

Is Thailand an example of contracting democracy? Is it even a democratic system? And what are the lessons of the past 10 years of struggling for the return to democracy?

Guest: Kunthida Rungruengkiat, Director of the Progressive Movement Foundation

Host: Marcus Brand, Head of International IDEA’s Myanmar Programme

The regulatory landscape surrounding Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Latin America is evolving rapidly, and with it, the role of AI in elections is also changing. The issues of AI-amplified disinformation and political polarization have become top priorities throughout the electoral cycle. However,  addressing these challenges is placing an immense strain on governments and electoral institutions across the region. Compounding the issue is the fact that AI technologies are largely developed and controlled by private companies, creating barriers to accountability and transparency that undermine electoral integrity. 

If governed in ways that uphold democratic values, AI can enhance efficiency and reliability in electoral management. It can also be leveraged to fight-fire-with-fire and counteract AI-based threats. The key question is: how can Latin American governments develop long-term strategic visions that harness the benefits of the technology while keeping its risks at bay?

Sit down with Juliane Müller, Associate Programme Officer at International IDEA's Digitalization and Democracy Programme, and Natalia Zuazo to examine the need for holistic AI-frameworks in the context of Latin America and the Caribbean. 

Natalia is a digital policy expert, founder of the digital transformation consultancy SALTO, and a senior consultant for UNESCO's regional office in Montevideo. She is based in Argentina, and works regionally with the intersection of technology, human rights, and governance. Natalia collaborated with International IDEA as a regional expert during the AI for Electoral Actors workshop in Panama in May of 2025.

This episode is the third in a series for the AI for Electoral Actors project that aims to raise AI literacy among EMBs in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Balkans and Eastern Europe.

Listen to the first episode here and the second episode here.

Background reading:

AI for Electoral Actors

Drawing from the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic the LEGITIMULT (Legitimate Crisis Governance in Multilevel Systems) project  aims to identify a model of political legitimate crisis governance that takes into account the interplay between international, national, regional and local governments and institutions.

Its guiding research question “Which conditions contribute to democratically legitimate crisis governance?” will allow governments and policy makers to better face the crises of the future. The aim is not only to have effective responses, but that these measures respect and guarantee basic human rights and freedoms.  

This is the first of a three-episode series featuring LEGITIMULT, its findings and tools for addressing and solving future crises. 

LEGITIMULT is funded through Horizon Europe and the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).

Host: Miguel Angel Lara Otaola. Senior Advisor for Democracy Assessment at International IDEA. 

Guests:

• Eva Maria Belser – Professor of Constitutional and Administrative Law and Co-Director of the Institute of Federalism, University of Fribourg. 
• Francesco Palermo- Professor of Comparative Public Law and Director of the Institute for Comparative Federalism at EURAC 
• Lucia Radici- Project Manager for Legitimult at EURAC 

Hace 45 años de que la tercera ola de la democracia bañara las costas de América Latina. Se perciben grandes avances, y hoy las elecciones competitivas son la regla en la región, a excepción de Cuba, Nicaragua y Venezuela. 

Sin embargo, la última década ha traído un descontento generalizado con la democracia, que en ocasiones da paso a que triunfe el canto de sirenas del populismo autoritario. Este podcast explica cuáles son los retos de la democracia en la región y qué podemos hacer como ciudadanos para defender la democracia y las libertades que tanto nos costó conseguir.

Yasnaya Guibert, oficial de Comunicaciones en IDEA Internacional y Miguel Ángel Lara Otaola, oficial de programa sénior en la unidad de Evaluación de la democracia, conversan sobre la democracia en América Latina y el Caribe.

The prevailing view is that with primarily human-generated content, democracy has suffered widespread erosion due to the proliferation of misinformation and the manipulation of specific narratives that enhance polarization. To what extent can the growth of massive content creation thanks to artificial intelligence (AI) deepen democracy erosion? What tools are at our disposal to protect democracy from AI threats? 

International IDEA's Communications Officer, Yasnaya Guibert, talks to Alberto Fernandez, Senior Advisor on Digitalization and Democracy of International IDEA about AI and democracy, from the basic concepts to creative proposals like a global constitutional AI.

Background reading: https://www.idea.int/es/news-media/news/es/chatgpt-y-democracia

A conversation between International IDEA's Secretary-General, Kevin Casas-Zamora and Martin Wolf, the author of the recently published book The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism.

Martin Wolf is chief economics commentator at the Financial Times, and one of the world’s most respected journalists, with his columns read eagerly by policymakers and the public around the world. He was awarded the Commander of the British Empire in 2000 “for services to financial journalism”. His latest book The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism was published this year to widespread acclaim and touches upon many issues at the heart of what we do at International IDEA.

Guest:

·       Martin Wolf, British journalist and writer.

In this joint International IDEA and Electoral Integrity Project episode on ‘Elections during Times of Crisis’, Therese Pearce-Laanela speaks with the authors of a new book ‘Elections during Emergencies and Crises: Lessons for Electoral Integrity from the Covid-19 Pandemic’. 

Guests: 

• Toby S. James, Professor of Politics and Public Policy, the University of East Anglia, UK. 
• Alistair Clark, Professor in Politics, the University of Newcastle, UK. 
• Erik Asplund, Senior Programme Officer, Electoral Processes Programme, International IDEA.

Host: Therese Pearce-Laanela 

Background Reading: Elections during Emergencies and crises: lessons for electoral integrity from the covid-19 pandemic

The ongoing 2023 constitution-building process in Chile, and its relationship with the failed 2021-2022 constitution-building process.

Guests

• Isabel Aninat: Dean of the Law School, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, and member of International IDEA´s Board of Advisors
• Javier Couso: Public Law Professor, Universidad Diego Portales, and Utrecht University

Background Reading: https://constitutionnet.org/country/constitutional-history-chile

A conversation between International IDEA's Head of Communications and Knowledge Management, Alistair Scrutton and the authors of the recently published report "The Constitution and Laws of the Taliban 1994-2001: Hints from the Past and Options for the Future", M. Bashir Mobasher, Shamshad Pasarlay and Mohammad Qadam Shah.

Guests:

• M. Bashir Mobasher, postdoctoral fellow at the American University’s Department of Sociology
• Shamshad Pasarlay is a visiting lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School
• Mohammad Qadam Shah, Assistant Professor of Global Development at the Seattle Pacific University School of Business, Government, and Economics

Read the report: https://doi.org/10.31752/idea.2022.54

Alison Anitawaru Cole, a lawyer in Aotearoa New Zealand, talks to International IDEA's Regional Communications Officer for the Asia and the Pacific, Billie Phillips, about the unique legal and constitutional responses to climate change in New Zealand and the influence of Māori perspectives on environmentalism and representation. 

Guest: Alison Anitawaru Cole - Kaiwhakahaere Matua Māori General Manager at the Climate Change Commission (New Zealand)

Background Reading: COP26 delegate: Treaty of Waitangi offers indigenous rights precedent

Calls to enfranchise people as young as sixteen are growing around the world, with some countries already adjusting the vote to align with the national age of employment, taxation, and military service. 

In Australia, common consensus is lagging but some experts believe it is only a matter of time. From the sidelines of the Australian National University’s APSA conference, Billie Phillips spoke to Professor Lisa Hill about the growing movement.

Guest: Professor Lisa Hill, University of Adelaide

Owen Gaffney talks to International IDEA's Head of Communications, Alistair Scrutton about  climate change, sustainability and the future of our planet, joining a lot of dotted lines between politics, technology and science.

Owen Gaffney is a writer, editor, and global sustainability analyst, co-author of the recently-published Earth For All: A Survival Guide for Humanity. He has formerly worked for the Stockholm Resilience Centre and Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, and has advised on BBC and Netflix series including EarthShot (2021) and Our Planet. As well as academic publications, he writes and edits articles, features, and speeches, and has produced for TED, World Economic Forum, and WWF.

Recommended reading:

• Earth For All: A Survival Guide for Humanity
• Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is spreading to all corners of the world, but its impact varies wildly between the contexts in which it's developed and deployed. If considerations are not made for how AI might interact with national and regional ethics and regulation, it risks exacerbating harmful externalities for already marginalized groups, democratic institutions, and the environment.

In this episode, Juliane Müller, Associate Programme Officer at International IDEA's Digitalization and Democracy Programme is joined by Alia Yofira to discuss these implications and how AI literacy and institutional capacities are crucial to adequately address them. Alia Yofira is an associate researcher at the Jakarta-based Safer Internet Lab (SAIL), a gender, human rights and tech researcher at PurpleCode Collective, and the resident expert on AI regulation and legislation in the Asia Pacific region for International IDEA's AI for Electoral Actors project. She specializes in feminist and human rights-based approaches to policy advocacy in the tech sector.

This episode is the second in a series for the AI for Electoral Actors project that aims to raise AI literacy among EMBs in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Balkans and Eastern Europe.  

Read more about the project: https://www.idea.int/project/ai-electoral-actors

The storming of Brazil’s Congress and Supreme Court as well as the deadly anti-government protests in Peru underline the challenges facing democracy in Latin America. Why are the legitimacy of governments being questioned? What is behind the increasing political polarization of the region? And are their grounds anywhere for optimism? 

International IDEA's Head of Communications and Knowledge Management, Alistair Scrutton , talks to Kevin Casas Zamora, Secretary General of International IDEA.

In this episode of Peer-to-Peer, we speak with David Towriss and Atsuko Hirakawa to learn more about compounding crises, and the effect of a Richter Scale-7 earthquake on an already vulnerable Haiti, Hurricane Tomas, and a cholera outbreak in Haiti and their postponed elections in 2010. This conversation is based on International IDEA’s case study but also Atsuko’s experience and knowledge on how Haiti’s election administrators implemented their 2016 elections after Hurricane Matthew.  

Guests: 

• David Towriss was previously a Research Assistant in the Electoral Processes Team at International IDEA and is currently an Associate Programme Officer at the Democracy Assessment Unit. 
• Atsuko Hirakawa is a Programme Officer at the Democracy Assessment Unit with previous experience in governance and electoral assistance, having worked in Port-au-Prince as a technical specialist for UNDP. 

Hosts: Heidi Park and Erik Asplund  

Background Reading: 

• The Impact of Natural Hazards on Haiti’s 2010 Presidential and Legislative Elections 
• Democracy Tracker – Haiti 
• Global State of Democracy Report 2022: Forging Social Contracts in a Time of Discontent 
• How hurricanes threaten U.S. elections and why more flexible voting is needed 
• Hurricane Matthew forces postponement of Haiti presidential elections 
• The Impact of Natural Hazards on Elections 

In this episode of Peer-to-Peer, we speak to Miguel de Brito and Domingos de Rosaria about cyclones Idai and Kenneth and their impact on Mozambique’s 2019 Presidential, Legislative and Provincial elections. This was the first time in recorded history that two strong tropical cyclones hit Mozambique during the same season. This conversation is based on International IDEA’s case study on how the two cyclones devastated the country and specifically how it impacted the electoral process, as well as a discussion on how the electoral commission can be better prepared for the upcoming 2024 elections.  

Guests: Miguel de Brito has been International IDEA’s Head of Programme for Mozambique since 2019 and has 20 years of experience in the field of political governance. Domingos de Rosaria is a senior lecturer at the Eduardo Mondlane University, and a senior researcher at the Centro de Estudos Urbanos de Moçambique.  

HOSTS: Heidi Park and Erik Asplund 

GUESTS: Miguel de Brito and Domingos de Rosaria

International IDEA’s Global State of Democracy 2022 Report has been published. Report Editor and International IDEA's Head of Democracy Assessment, Seema Shah, provides an overview of the findings. Democracy is in decline around the world, undermined by problems ranging from restrictions on freedom of expression to distrust in the legitimacy of elections. This decline comes as elected leaders face unprecedented challenges from Russia’s war in Ukraine, cost of living crises, a looming global recession and climate change. But Seema also finds some grounds for optimism.

In our first episode of the new season of Peer-to-Peer, we speak with Sarah Birch and Jeff Fischer to learn more about the effect of wildfires on elections in California. The conversation is based on an International IDEA case study that focuses on the impact of wildfires on the 2016 and 2018 electoral cycles but also on the steps taken by election administrators to protecting elections. The discussion also centres on the increased vulnerability of the United States and its election cycles to climate change effects. 

Guests: Sarah Birch is a professor of Political Science at King’s College London, Jeff Fischer is a Senior Fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Democracy and Civil Society as well as a consultant on election administration. 

Hosts: Heidi Park and Erik Asplund 

Background reading: 

Wildfires and Elections in California – Case Study 

Wildfires, Hurricanes, Floods and Earthquakes: How Elections are Impacted by Natural Hazards 

The Impact of Natural Hazards on Elections 

How hurricanes threaten U.S. elections and why more flexible voting is needed 

This season, International IDEA will explore the effects of climate change in the form of extreme weather events, as well as other natural hazards, that cause both slow and rapid onset disasters, on the implementation of elections. Natural hazards can cause elections to be postponed, impact electoral operations, affect campaigns, and voter turnout. With evidence that climate change may cause extreme weather events to become more intense and common, election practitioners must begin to prepare contingency plans and train staff on implementing elections after a disaster. 

Through interviews with academics and practitioners, we will explore different cases where a country was affected by a natural hazard with an election in the horizon that needed to be implemented. Throughout this season, we will explore and consider various questions on how to protect the integrity of elections and continuation of the democratic process after a crisis. What are the common challenges faced by electoral management bodies after the wake of a disaster? How did practitioners adapt to ensure that citizens could vote safely? What type of legal measures and special voting arrangements were put into place to ensure that those who were displaced could send in their ballots? What type of assistance is necessary for protecting the integrity of elections before, during and after a crisis?  

To find more information, please visit our page on natural hazards and elections that includes our dashboard and longer case studies: https://www.idea.int/news-media/multimedia-reports/impact-natural-hazards-elections  

As well as a feature article that investigates the different ways natural hazards are impacting elections: https://www.idea.int/news-media/news/wildfires-hurricanes-floods-and-earthquakes-how-elections-are-impacted-natural 

Across Africa, civil society is using the courts to protect the environment from governments and companies. It is part of a wider campaign for climate justice in the continent that has brought together both elder and younger generations as well as social media. Lawyer and activist Lindlyn Moma has first-hand experience of the transformation happening on the ground.

Guest: Lindlyn Moma, Human Rights Lawyer and Environmental Activist

Against a background of deteriorating informational environments, falling trust in state institutions and growing electoral result disputation, electoral processes and those who administer them are increasingly being placed under the microscope. Ensuring that the integrity of elections withstand such scrutiny and that voters remain informed and engaged falls largely to election trainers and educators, and it is their vital work that is the focus of the first series of Peer-to-Peer, International IDEA’s new elections podcast. 

Through interviews with electoral trainers and educators from around the world, the first series explores how different election commissions tackle the thorny issues affecting their field. How can thousands of temporary poll workers be prepared for election day operations in a short space of time? How can election training be delivered during a pandemic? How can voters be motivated to cast their ballot?

In the first 2022 episode of Peer-to-Peer podcast, hosts Erik Asplund and David Towriss examine how election education and training is conducted under Australia’s federal electoral management system. Their guides are Belinda Bennet, Director of the Australian Electoral Commission’s National Training and Education Unit, and Andrew Hawkey, Electoral Commissioner at the Tasmanian Electoral Commission. 

From Belinda and Andrew we hear how Australia’s federal and state electoral management bodies work together to share innovations and best practice, the importance they place on training and developing their permanent staff and how they engage young voters of tomorrow.

• National Training and Education Unit - Australian Electoral Commission 
• National Electoral Education Centre - Australian Electoral Commission 
• Running Local Elections During the COVID-19 Crisis: Queensland, Australia

Against a background of deteriorating informational environments, falling trust in state institutions and growing electoral result disputation, electoral processes and those who administer them are increasingly being placed under the microscope. Ensuring that the integrity of elections withstand such scrutiny and that voters remain informed and engaged falls largely to election trainers and educators, and it is their vital work that is the focus of the first series of Peer-to-Peer, International IDEA’s new elections podcast. 

Through interviews with electoral trainers and educators from around the world, the first series explores how different election commissions tackle the thorny issues affecting their field. How can thousands of temporary poll workers be prepared for election day operations in a short space of time? How can election training be delivered during a pandemic? How can voters be motivated to cast their ballot? 

In episode #4 of Peer-to-Peer we take a deep dive into electoral training in Nigeria during the Covid-19 pandemic. With Ibrahim Sani, Director of Research at the Independent National Election Commission of Nigeria (INEC), David Towriss discusses the issues INEC had to address when early in the pandemic it prepared for gubernatorial elections in two of its states. 

What new responsibilities would poll workers have to assume? What changes would have to be made to the training curricula? How would the delivery of training have to change?

Ibrahim explains how INEC answered these questions and shares its experience of implementing those solutions.   

• Nigerian State Elections during the Covid-19 Pandemic: https://www.idea.int/sites/default/files/nigerian-state-elections-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-en.pdf 
• Electoral Training and Education: The Case of the Electoral Institute in Nigeria: https://www.idea.int/sites/default/files/multimedia_reports/electoral-training-and-education-the-case-of-the-electoral-institute-in-nigeria-case-en.pdf 

What do parliamentary buildings really say about democracy? Are they open, welcoming spaces for citizens - or distant symbols of power?

This special podcast episode launches the fourth guide “Parliament as a Space and Place” - in a series of eight Citizen Engagement Guides, by Inter Pares - Parliaments in Partnership, which is implemented by International IDEA and in collaboration with the International Parliament Engagement Network (IPEN), with support from the European Union.

Timed to commemorate the International Day of Democracy, this podcast explores how parliaments function both as physical spaces and symbolic places that shape public trust, identity, and participation.

Featuring global experts and real-world examples - from Berlin’s iconic glass dome to mobile parliaments that bring democracy to rural communities - this episode shows how architecture and design can either build bridges between citizens and their representatives or reinforce barriers.

Join us as we unpack how parliaments can move beyond walls to become truly inclusive spaces of belonging, connection, and democratic engagement.

Background reading: 

• Parliament as a Space and Place Guide
• Guides on Citizen Engagement for Parliaments 
• More on Inter Pares

Guests: 

• Professor Cristina Leston-Bandeira, Chair of the International Parliament Engagement Network, and Professor of Politics at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom.
• Anna-Maria Pawliczek, Senior Officer, Division Int 4, International Exchange Programs, International Parliamentary Cooperation, German Bundestag

About the Host: 

Jessica Benton Cooney is a Senior Communications Consultant for International IDEA’s Inter Pares: Partnerships in Parliament project, where she leads strategic communications for this European Union–funded initiative to strengthen global parliamentary development.

Against a background of deteriorating informational environments, falling trust in state institutions and growing electoral result disputation, electoral processes and those who administer them are increasingly being placed under the microscope. Ensuring that the integrity of elections withstand such scrutiny and that voters remain informed and engaged falls largely to election trainers and educators, and it is their vital work that is the focus of the first series of Peer-to-Peer, International IDEA’s new elections podcast. 

Through interviews with electoral trainers and educators from around the world, the first series explores how different election commissions tackle the thorny issues affecting their field. How can thousands of temporary poll workers be prepared for election day operations in a short space of time? How can election training be delivered during a pandemic? How can voters be motivated to cast their ballot?  

At Peer-to-Peer episode #3, Erik Asplund and David Towriss explore the pioneering electoral training education carried out by the Association of Electoral Administrators within UK’s decentralized system of election administration.

In conversation with the Association’s Chief Executive Peter Stanyon, they learn how this independent, membership-based organization provides training support to the electoral officers at the heart of UK electoral administration and how their professional electoral administration qualification has become a staple across the country. Peter also reflects on the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic had upon the Association’s training delivery in the lead up to the UK’s local elections in May 2021.               

More information on the Association of Electoral Administrators: https://www.aea-elections.co.uk/

Against a background of deteriorating informational environments, falling trust in state institutions and growing electoral result disputation, electoral processes and those who administer them are increasingly being placed under the microscope. Ensuring that the integrity of elections withstand such scrutiny and that voters remain informed and engaged falls largely to election trainers and educators, and it is their vital work that is the focus of the first series of Peer-to-Peer, International IDEA’s new elections podcast.

Through interviews with electoral trainers and educators from around the world, the first series explores how different election commissions tackle the thorny issues affecting their field. How can thousands of temporary poll workers be prepared for election day operations in a short space of time? How can election training be delivered during a pandemic? How can voters be motivated to cast their ballot?

In episode #2 of Peer-to-Peer, Erik Asplund and David Towriss are guided through electoral education and training in Moldova by the Director of the Centre for Continuous Electoral Training, Doina Bordeianu and her predecessor in that role, Natalia Iuras. 

Doina and Natalia talk about the growing importance of e-learning and what they have done to overcome the interactive challenges that this form of training delivery poses. They also share some of the innovative civic education programmes that the Centre has developed ahead of the 2021 Parliamentary elections and explain why this part of it’s mandate is so important.       

Against a background of deteriorating informational environments, falling trust in state institutions and growing electoral result disputation, electoral processes and those who administer them are increasingly being placed under the microscope. 

Ensuring that the integrity of elections withstand such scrutiny and that voters remain informed and engaged falls largely to election trainers and educators, and it is their vital work that is the focus of Peer-to-Peer, International IDEA’s new elections podcast series. 

Through interviews with electoral trainers and educators from around the world, the series explores how different election commissions tackle the thorny issues affecting their field. 

How can thousands of temporary poll workers be prepared for election day operations in a short space of time? How can election training be delivered during a pandemic? How can voters be motivated to cast their ballot?

In episode #1 of Peer-to-Peer, Erik Asplund and David Towriss spoke to Maria Pilar Biggio Pastor about her work as the Training and Education Manager in Peru’s National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE). 

Their conversation took place shortly after the conclusion of Peru’s 2021 general elections and Maria shared her insights into how ONPE dealt with the challenges posed by a large temporary work force of over half a million, a linguistically diverse electorate and a high national Covid-19 death rate.     

Hosts: Erik Asplund, Programme Officer in International IDEA's Electoral Processes Programme & David Towriss, Research Assistant at International IDEA

Guest: Maria Pilar Biggio Pastor, Training and Education Manager in Peru’s National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE)

For more information on ONPE and in particular the Information and Electoral Education Unit please see International IDEA case study authored by María del Pilar Biggio Pastor.

For more information on training, education and research in electoral administration in general please visit International IDEA project page.

Gender inequalities and marginalisation of segments of societies remain a persistent challenge in democracy building across all regions of the world. What measures have been taken to promote gender equality in democracy building processes—on political participation and representation (political parties, parliaments, local government councils), constitution building, electoral processes? What are the pros and cons of gender quotas? What is the largest challenge to gender equality globally?

The Communications Intern of International IDEA for the summer of 2021, Violet Marmur, talks to Rumbidzai Kandawasvika-Nhundu, International IDEA's Senior Advisor for Democracy and Inclusion.

GUESTS: Rumbidzai Kandawasvika-Nhundu is International IDEA's Senior Advisor for Democracy and Inclusion.