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2022-01-04
Brookings Institution;
The rule of law and democracy are crucial to capital markets. A free market balanced by a democratically elected, transparent and capable government, and a strong civil society ("an inclusive regime") yield stable growth rates and greater social welfare. Conversely, threats to democracy are threats to the private sector, which is why business leaders and institutional investors cannot afford to remain on the sidelines when such threats emerge.This paper explores the state of American democracy and whether it constitutes a systemic risk that impacts fiduciary duties. The paper proceeds in three parts. In the first, we assess the question of whether American democracy is backsliding towards failure, and argue that it is. In the second, we will examine whether democratic failure represents a systemic risk, and conclude that it does. In the third part, we offer some preliminary thoughts about what steps major private sector actors may undertake as part of their fiduciary responsibilities given the threats to U.S. democracy and markets.
2022-01-25
Indiana Bar Foundation;
This fifth edition of the Indiana Bar Foundation's Indiana Civic Health Index (INCHI) takes stock of Indiana's successes and shortcomings during the past decade and defines action steps to ensure Indiana becomes a national leader in civic health. In this latest INCHI we examine three election cycles – six elections during 10 years – and analyze trends during that time. The insights gained by examining Hoosiers' participation in civic life from 2010 to the present will inform and inspire citizens and leaders alike to build a culture of civic engagement enhancing our economic, social, and political well-being.Building on the recommendations outlined in the 2019 Indiana Civic Health Index, section one of the report details progress in advancing civic education in schools and promoting citizen participation in the election process, two goals that are profoundly intertwined. Studies show a consistent and robust relationship between school experiences with voting education and civic participation later in life. As cornerstones of representative democracy, civic education and participation are crucial to advancing our civic health.The second section of the report continues the review of Indiana's performance on an array of civic health indicators. Drawing on earlier analyses and incorporating the newest data, we examine ten years (2010-2020) of Indiana's civic activity, identifying areas of strength as well as opportunities for improvement. We hope this unique overview will further stimulate discussion and inspire a renewed commitment to advancing our civic health. Strengthening Hoosiers' civic health will require a concerted effort of all stakeholders interested in supporting citizen participation in its many forms; the result will be a more vibrant, successful, and engaged Indiana and nation.
2022-03-10
Benenson Strategy Group;
As American democracy finds itself under assault from lies about the 2020 presidential race being "stolen", election officials are a prime target in the attempt to undermine future elections. This poll of local election officials around the country shows how damaging the sustained attacks against them and their colleagues have been, putting apolitical election administration and our democratic system in serious danger.
2022-02-24
Public Religion Research Institute;
The right-wing QAnon conspiracy movement emerged on the internet in late 2017. While followers of the QAnon movement claim a variety of different beliefs, the main threads of QAnon's core theory are that a network of Satan-worshipping pedophiles control the government and media, and that a coming "storm" will sweep them out of power. The QAnon movement centered former President Donald Trump as its key leader, and said he was secretly fighting to unmask the evildoers who controlled the political and economic systems of power.Perhaps the most visible role QAnon has played was in the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol, from which the "QAnon shaman" became an iconic image. Fortunately, the goal of keeping Trump as president despite his electoral defeat was not achieved. Even through Trump leaving office, major social media platforms banning QAnon activity, and the leader of the movement, called "Q," disappearing from the internet, QAnon has continued to thrive on alternative platforms with a handful of influencers leading the group. PRRI data also shows that the proportion of Americans who believe, or are at least open to believing, QAnon conspiracies held mostly steady throughout 2021.To attempt to understand both the scope and the makeup of the QAnon movement, PRRI fielded a set of three questions in four different surveys over the course of 2021, measuring agreement or disagreement (completely agree, mostly agree, mostly disagree, or completely disagree) with foundational QAnon beliefs.
2022-06-06
More in Common;
The recognition of Juneteenth as a federal holiday presents a new opportunity to reflect on lessons of the past and weave more Americans' histories into our shared identity. In May and June 2022, More in Common partnered with YouGov to field a national survey to a representative sample of 2,500 adult U.S. citizens. This survey is the first of three that will be fielded in 2022 to explore associations with American identity, figures and events in American history, connections to national holidays, aspirations for our shared future, and more.
2022-05-25
ACAPS;
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a wide range of responders, both established organisations and first-time relief providers, have emerged to address the growing needs. At the national level, the Government of Ukraine (GoU) is attempting to centralise the reception and coordination of aid. At the oblast and local levels, the GoU, Oblast Military Administrations (OMAs), and hromadas (municipalities), alongside national and local NGOs and the Ukrainian Red Cross Society, have been distributing and providing aid to the affected population. With the networks and connections they have previously built, especially with public administrations, national NGOs present prior to the 2022 invasion may have considerable capacity to engage in the response. Insecurity has disrupted the activities of some of those NGOs, however, and led their staff to evacuate, particularly in the conflict-affected areas.At the same time, civil society organisations (CSOs), faith-based networks, and a considerable amount of newly emerged volunteers and volunteer networks are providing vital humanitarian response, particularly at the local level. While their capacity may be limited, they are more agile in their ability to reach the affected population even in the most hazardous areas and may have a better understanding of local needs. Civil society sees their contributions to the humanitarian response as a way of participating in the national effort.The international response, consisting of UN agencies and INGOs, considerably scaled up its presence since February, but a strong national response with its own coordination, processing, and delivery procedures characterises the environment it operates in. Population displacement, conflict dynamics, and differing local implementations of national directives mean that international organisations juggle supporting government entities, operating with established humanitarian responders, and establishing new relationships with more fluid ad hoc networks.The multitude of different responders involved at the local level, both new and established, has led to a number of issues, including parallel structures and a lack of respective understanding of how different levels of response are working to address needs. The ways in which the response operates (in terms of the coordination and delivery of assistance) considerably vary by oblast and even hromada. It has been impossible to quantify the impact and reach of the response of local formal and informal organisations, networks, and volunteers.These challenges make it difficult for local and international responders to effectively work together and create cohesion between the different levels of response. Regardless of the challenges, the GoU, NGOs, the international humanitarian system, and informal structures all play an important role in the response, demonstrating a need to enhance relationships, collaboration, and information-sharing between local and international levels of response.
2022-05-12
Institute for the Development of Social Investment (IDIS);
Current research on the philanthropic environment in Brazil shows improvement in the country's donation culture over time. Recent studies have shown both a more mature donation culture and that empathy, solidarity, and an openness toward donations are on the rise. Brazilians have a more positive perception of civil society organizations (CSOs) and a greater understanding of what they do. Their impact is increasingly communicated, and there is a greater acceptance that CSOs should help address social and environmental challenges. This improvement in donation culture was accompanied by the development of new technological tools for donating, including giving platforms, greater reliance on social media, and even a slight emergence of crypto giving.This report examines three nonprofits and social businesses representing three different donation models advancing the donation culture in Brazil: Arredondar, BSocial, and Editora MOL. These initiatives were chosen with their broader transformative power in mind; in addition to the direct financial impact, they influence donors' mindsets, therefore strengthening giving culture in Brazil. They emphasize accountability and transparency and believe that digitalization will unlock growth potential. Critically, they overcome three barriers to donating: lack of money, the belief that causes are irrelevant to potential donors, and uncertainty whether the donation will be well-spent.In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, all three initiatives found a change in the mentality of the public and companies and a more pro-donation attitude. Once the economic situation is improved, this may lead to a consistent recovery in donations. With knowledge and an understanding of new models for enabling donations that this report offers, it will be possible to go even further.
2022-04-28
Niskanen Center;
Policing protests requires law enforcement to accomplish two primary goals that are sometimes in tension with one another: protecting the constitutional right of free speech and assembly and preserving public safety. Law enforcement agencies are expected to apply proportional and impartial strategies and tactics to accomplish both imperatives. The law enforcement response to protests is primarily a local function in the United States, but the federal government plays two key roles in shaping that response, one direct and one indirect. The principal direct role involves federal law enforcement agencies responding to protests on federal property, in and around federal buildings, and when called on to provide mutual aid or other forms of assistance in communities. The principal indirect role involves training state and local police on how to handle protests and other crowd events. Several crowd policing events in the past two years have revealed related deficiencies in the manner by which federal agencies fulfill these two roles. To remedy deficiencies in its response to protests and similar crowd events, the federal government should conduct a comprehensive review of the relevant training and policies of every federal agency that engages in crowd control, crowd management, or the response to civil disturbances. That review should focus on the extent to which the training and policies are consistent with current research evidence and best practices. The federal government should also work with researchers to begin testing and evaluating changes to training, policies, and operations. This will involve carrying out honest after-action reviews that seek to identify which approaches worked well and which ones require further adjustments. In following these steps, the federal government can take a leadership role in adopting, testing, refining, and modeling evidence-based practices for handling crowd events in the most judicious and effective manner.
2022-04-28
Brazilian Philanthropy Network for Social Justice (Rede de Filantropia Para a Justica Social);
Understanding the legal environment where civil society organizationsoperate is key to stimulate the establishment of a giving culture in Brazil.The publication Evaluation of the legal environment for civil society actors, produced within the Giving to Change program, intends to:(1) share an assessment of problems and opportunities related to the legal environment of CSOs;(2) disseminate agendas and initiatives to improve the legal environment of CSOs;(3) provide information to organizations that might wish to engage with advocacy actions to improve their legal environment;(4) recommend contents and other sources of information on the subject.
2022-03-23
AFFINITY GROUP OF NATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS (AGNA)/CIVICUS;
This report analyses the role and contributions of civil society organisations (CSOs)1 to Ghana's national development. In doing so, the report focuses on CSOs' engagements with and contributions to the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) responses and post-pandemic recovery. It also discusses the barriers facing CSOs in their attempt to contribute to national development and towards a desired future post COVID-19 in Ghana.
2022-05-31
Third Sector Foundation of Turkey (TUSEV);
This study is a continuation of the research on individual giving and philanthropy in Turkey conducted in 2004, 2015 and 2019 by TÜSEV. The main goals of this research are to provide an overview of: individuals' perceptions of civil society organisations in Turkey; their engagement with CSOs; giving practices, and to track behaviors and trends in these areas through time. For this study as for previous ones, the authors and research team have collected and analysed data from interviews with a representative sample of the voting-age population in Turkey. The fieldwork for this report focused on the year before October-November 2021, a period of significant challenges including Covid-19, lockdowns and natural disasters. The authors take into account the impact of these events in their evaluation of how both the giving behavior and the attitude toward civil society and philanthropic activities in general have developed and changed. The report also provides a comparative analysis of the change that took place in the field of individual giving in Turkey over a 15-year period.Previous studies can be accessed from TÜSEV website: https://www.tusev.org.tr/en/research-andpublications/online-publications
2022-01-11
American Enterprise Institute;
This study looks at how key demographic groups have voted over time. This compilation covers 13 presidential elections, and it will be invaluable for scholars, journalists, and others interested in how voting patterns have changed over time. To complement the data, the editors interviewed Joe Lenski (cofounder and executive vice president of Edison Research), who has been involved with the national exit poll since 1988 and who now, with a small army, conducts the exit poll for the four networks called the National Election Pool. Karlyn Bowman and Samantha Goldstein conducted the interview in June 2021. The interview has been edited for clarity.
