Research ›› Democracy Research Guide


Measurement and Ranking

There is tremendous variety in the NGOs, IGOs and other bodies with a presence on the Internet and the number of such Web sites grows daily. The organizations currently presented in this section were chosen for their mission of fostering positive, democratic change around the world.


Given the dynamic nature of the Web, this section is not an exhaustive list of relevant organizations and responsibility for site content and maintenance rests with the owners. Please note that the inclusion of an organization does not imply endorsement by the National Endowment for Democracy. If you would like to suggest a site to be added to this list please send a message to Kristina@ned.org.


Amnesty International
http://www.amnesty.org
Amnesty International is a global campaigning movement working to protect human rights as defined by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international conventions.
Subject: Human Rights; Measurement and Ranking
Region: Global
Languages: English; French; Arabic

Research Tools:
1. comprehensive guide to international and regional standards which protect the right to a free trial
2. searchable on-line archive of Amnesty International reports
3. latest news releases and archive of news releases since 1995
4. well developed links page categorized by human rights sub-themes


Freedom House
http://www.freedomhouse.org
Freedom House is a broad-based, non-partisan organization focused on promoting democratic values around the world and standing opposed to dictatorships.
Subject: Measurement and Ranking; Civil Society Strengthening
Region: Global
Languages: English

Research Tools:
1. annual Freedom in the World report (an annual comparative assessment of the state of political rights and civil liberties in 191 countries)
2. on-line country reports and other publications related to religious freedom; offered through its Center for Religious Freedom division
3. on-line version of its annual survey of country freedom scores, 1972-73 to present


Human Rights Watch
http://www.hrw.org
Human Rights Watch strives to protect the human rights of people around the world in aspects ranging from working to uphold political freedom, to protecting people from inhumane conduct in wartime.
Subject: Human Rights; Measurement and Ranking
Region: Global
Languages: English; Portuguese; French; Russian; Spanish; Chinese; Arabic

Research Tools:
1. latest news concerning human rights advances and atrocities from around the world
2. full-text reports on the human rights conditions in each individual country as well as regional overviews
3. extensive research, advocacy efforts and links on specific, little-discussed human rights issues such as child soldiers, academic freedom and freedom on the Internet


Inter-Parliamenary Union (IPU)
http://www.ipu.org
The IPU is the international organization of Parliaments of sovereign States established in 1889. The Union is the focal point for world-wide parliamentary dialogue and works for peace and co-operation among peoples and for the firm establishment of representative democracy.
Subject: Elections; Political Parties and Political Leadership; Measurement and Ranking; Legislative Development and Assistance
Region: Global
Languages: English; French

Research Tools:
1. PARLINE- a database containing general information on participanting Parliament's chambers, description of the electoral system, results of the most recent elections, information on the presidency of each Chamber, information on the mandate and status of members of Parliament.
2. PARLIT- a searchable bibliographic database on books and articles dealing with parliamentary law and practice
3. full-text, monthly web publication The Journal, which gives the latest news on parliamentary proceedings around the world
4. links to Parliamentary web sites, organized by country
5. Women in National Parliaments data and bibliographic database
6. links to other organizations
7. information on current and past conferences


International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA)
http://www.idea.int
A Swedish based organization IDEA was founded to promote and advance sustainable democracy and strengthen electoral processes worldwide.
Subject: Elections; Measurement and Ranking
Region: Global
Languages: English

Research Tools:
1. links to various organizations dealing with elections, local governments and constitutions
2. links to IDEA member countries and institutions
3. International IDEA Voter Turnout Website, www.idea.int/vt/index.cfm.
4. International IDEA Handbook Electoral System Design, www.idea.int/esd/publications.cfm. Fully revised in 2002, this handbook is available in English, Spanish, Arabic and French.


World Audit
http://www.worldaudit.org
World Audit publishes the on-line World Democracy Audit that is a digest of statistics and reports from other organizations such as Freedom House, Amnesty International and The International Commission of Jurists.
Subject: Measurement and Ranking
Region: Global
Languages: English

Research Tools:
1. 210 country reports that rate the condition of the press, democracy and corruption in the respective nations--beneficial for comparative study



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