what works best
Introducing Power for Democracies
We are a new pro-democracy research initiative based in Berlin that aims to protect and strengthen liberal democracies across the globe. In order to defend and advance democracies, we research and analyse pro-democracy projects by civil society organizations in the context of current and emerging threats to democracies.
Power for Democracies does this by aggregating and analysing existing research and by conducting and commissioning new research.
We aim to publish recommendations that private, institutional, and civil society actors may use to decide how and where to allocate their limited resources to best serve democracies.
Why do we think an organization like Power for Democracies is needed?
Liberal democracies around the world are being challenged in many ways, creating an urgent need for effective civil society and citizen engagement. While the challenges are broad and complex, there is little scientific evidence or practitioners’ consensus on how to most effectively protect and strengthen democratic norms and institutions. In particular, there are only few well-established methodologies for evaluating the strategies and tactics used by civil society actors – and few evidence-based recommendations that donors can rely on.
Power for Democracies aims to fill some of these gaps.
Who is behind Power for Democracies?
Power for Democracies was founded by Markus N. Beeko (former Secretary General of Amnesty International in Germany) together with Stefan Shaw and Stephan Schwahlen, the co-founders of the philanthropic advisory organisations effektiv-spenden.org and legacies.now. The initial funding for Power for Democracies was provided by small family foundations and private individuals in Germany and Switzerland who wish to make an effective contribution to the support of liberal democracies around the world.
We need your Power for Democracies!
We are recruiting for our global, diverse, and passionate team. If you are interested in joining a results-orientated endeavour, please check out our current vacancies on our job portal.
See open positions