Democratic countries are now in the minority, freedom of expression is declining, and high levels of disinformation and polarization fuel democratic backsliding. This, and much more, is reported in the latest Democracy Report from the V-Dem Institute at the University of Gothenburg.
A look back at 2024 before the upcoming release of version 15 of the V-Dem dataset and the V-Dem Institute Democracy Report 2025
Season's Greetings from the V-Dem Institute with some tips on what to read, listen to, and watch during the holidays, and a heads-up of what’s to come in 2025.
V-Dem’s data is a mix of observable data (official statistics) and expert coded data. More than 4200 Country Experts have contributed to the V-Dem project over the years, providing detailed, local knowledge from qualified experts familiar with political developments in a given country via our online surveys.
For this coming data collection cycle, we would like a few more applications from experts on a small number of countries and subject areas/surveys.
The V-Dem Institute’s Democracy Report 2024 reveals a concerning global trend of declining quality of elections, and the US is no exception. Contrary to the allegations made by Trump and his supporters, the main reason for this worsening is not an increased prevalence of election fraud or irregularities.
The Presidential elections in the US on November 5 take place in an environment of “toxic” levels of polarization and increasing political violence. The outcome of the election is often framed by both sides as pivotal for the survival of the US democracy. V-Dem indicators provide evidence of a significant worsening of the quality of debate in the US over the past decade.
V-Dem Institute will take part in the APSA Conference in Philadelphia, September 5-8, 2024. We hope to see many of you there!
The Launch of the V-Dem Institute Democracy Report 2024 and the V-Dem Dataset version 14 will take place on March 7.
A statement released on November 20, calling on the United Nations to appoint a special rapporteur on democracy, has been signed by more than 80 civil society organizations, networks, and research institutions, including V-Dem.
We invite applications for one or more post-doctoral researchers in Political Science, to conduct research within the V-Dem Institute research programs.
