Expert Voices: The Shape of Democracy

“Democracy is not one size fits all and it looks different around the world. Because it is so varied and because there is no universally agreed upon definition, it can sometimes seem intangible. Sharing stories of how people around the world engage with democracy, participate in democracy, and exercise democracy can help us understand it more clearly. 

The stories in this month’s IFES Voice help us see what democracy is and why it matters. They show us that democracy does matter to real people living real lives, lives often very different from our own. Democracy stories help us put a face to the concept of democracy. They make it something we can relate to—something we can touch; something we can feel. Most of all, these stories give us hope. Hope to carry on with the often difficult and sometimes demoralizing work that we do, and they give us reason to keep reaching for the tangible evidence that democracy does matter.”