Research Network “External Democracy Promotion”

Gruppenfoto des EDP Netzwerks mit Logo

The Research Network “External Democracy Promotion” (EDP) brings together poli­tical scientists from Germany and Europe who work at the inter­section of inter­national relations and compa­rative politics. Their common interest is in the range of cross-border activities of states, non-state actors and inter­national orga­nizations that pursue the declared aim of esta­blishing, protecting or deepening demo­cracy in other countries. The EDP network’s collaborative research currently focuses on the implications of the global auto­cratization trend for the theory, conception and practice of inter­national democracy promotion. 

The EDP network, which was launched in its current form in May 2015, builds and expands upon the discussion forum on “External Demo­crati­zation Policy”, which was supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG) from 2010 to 2015. Between 2015 and 2019, it was funded by the Leibniz Association. During this phase, the network’s activities and publi­cations focused on the dynamics of inter­action in demo­cracy promotion. The most important result of this research phase is a special issue in the renowned journal Demo­crati­zation on “The negotiation of democracy promotion”, edited by the network members Julia Leininger (IDOS), Jonas Wolff (PRIF) and the former network member Annika E. Poppe (PRIF). The policy-oriented PRIF Report "Democracy Promotion in Times of Uncertainty: Trends and Challenges", which was published in late 2018 and presented in the spring of 2019 in Berlin and Brussels, deals with current challenges to demo­cracy promotion and possible responses. 

Current infor­mation on the EDP network can be found on its homepage and on Twitter. The EDP Wire regularly features shorter articles and commen­taries from the EDP community. At PRIF, the project “Dynamics of interaction in contexts of shrinking civic space” engages in research on democracy promotion.

Photo: © 2024 EDP Network

Members

Project Lead

Jonas Wolff

Jonas Wolff

Staff

Rebecca Wagner

Rebecca Wagner

Publications

  • International Conference Dealing with Autocracies in a Fragmented World Conference Report
    | 2023
    Abb, Pascal; Weipert-Fenner, Irene; Wolff, Jonas; Driedger, Jonas J. (2023): International Conference Dealing with Autocracies in a Fragmented World Conference Report, PRIF Conference Report, Frankfurt a/M.
  • The EU Response to Foreign Interference
    | 2023
    Harth, Lukas; Kriener, Florian; Wolff, Jonas (2023): The EU Response to Foreign Interference, Heidelberg Journal of International Law (HJIL)/Zeitschrift für ausländisches öffentliches Recht und Völkerrecht (ZaöRV), 83: 2, 197–207. DOI: 10.17104/0044-2348-2023-2-197
  • De-Demokratisierung und Konflikte um Demokratie in Lateinamerika
    | 2023
    Wolff, Jonas (2023): De-Demokratisierung und Konflikte um Demokratie in Lateinamerika Implikationen für internationale Demokratieförderung, in: Maihold, Günther/Sangmeister, Hartmut (eds), Zwischen Moskau, Peking und Washington. Lateinamerika in der Großmachtkonkurrenz, Baden-Baden: Nomos, 199–207.
  • Practices of policy orientation
    | 2023
    Holthaus, Leonie; Wolff, Jonas (2023): Practices of policy orientation, International Studies Review, 25: 1. DOI: 10.1093/isr/viac062
  • From the Varieties of Democracy to the defense of liberal democracy
    | 2023
    Wolff, Jonas (2023): From the Varieties of Democracy to the defense of liberal democracy V-Dem and the reconstitution of liberal hegemony under threat, Contemporary Politics, 29: 2, 161-181. DOI: 10.1080/13569775.2022.2096191
  • German Democracy Promotion: Change of Course under the Traffic Light Coalition?
    | 2022
    Wolff, Jonas (2022): German Democracy Promotion: Change of Course under the Traffic Light Coalition?, EDP Wire.
    Publication
  • Talking about self-determination. Contested conceptions and political implications of an undisputed concept
    | 2021
    Wolff, Jonas (2021): Talking about self-determination. Contested conceptions and political implications of an undisputed concept, in: Ish-Shalom, Piki (eds), Concepts at Work. On the Linguistic Infrastructure of World Politics,, Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan, 24-42.
  • A New Framework for Dealing with Venezuela: From Democracy to Conflict Resolution
    | 2021
    Wolff, Jonas (2021): A New Framework for Dealing with Venezuela: From Democracy to Conflict Resolution, Carnegie Europe.
    Publication
  • US Democracy Promotion after the Cold War
    | 2020
    Poppe, Annika Elena (2020): US Democracy Promotion after the Cold War Stability, Basic Premises, and Policy toward Egypt, London: Routledge.
  • The negotiation of democracy promotion
    | 2019
    Poppe, Annika Elena; Leininger, Julia; Wolff, Jonas (2019): The negotiation of democracy promotion Issues, parameters and consequences, London: Routledge.
    Publication
  • Delegitimation of Civil Society Organisations
    | 2019
    Wolff, Jonas (2019): Delegitimation of Civil Society Organisations Lessons from the Global South on “Foreign Agent” Narratives", in: European Civic Forum (eds), Activizenship, 3, Paris: European Civic Forum, 70-73.
  • Beyond contestation
    | 2019
    Poppe, Annika Elena; Leininger, Julia; Wolff, Jonas (2019): Beyond contestation Conceptualizing negotiation in democracy promotion, Democratization, 26: 5, 777-795. DOI: 10.1080/13510347.2019.1568991
  • Introduction. Negotiating the Promotion of Democracy
    | 2019
    Poppe, Annika Elena; Leininger, Julia; Wolff, Jonas (2019): Introduction. Negotiating the Promotion of Democracy, Democratization, 26: 5, 759-776. DOI: 10.1080/13510347.2019.1593379
  • Gemeinnützigkeit in Deutschland: Karneval und Religion ja, Politik und Menschenrechte nein
    | 2019
    Poppe, Annika Elena; Wolff, Jonas (2019): Gemeinnützigkeit in Deutschland: Karneval und Religion ja, Politik und Menschenrechte nein, PRIF Blog.
    Publication
  • Harmony and Resilience
    | 2019
    Poppe, Annika Elena (2019): Harmony and Resilience US Democracy Promotion's Basic Premises, Foreign Policy Analysis, 15: 4, 530–547. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/isafpa/ory017
  • Negotiating Between Unequal Neighbours: India's Role in Nepal's Recent Constitution-Making Process
    | 2018
    Bhattarai, Prakash (2018): Negotiating Between Unequal Neighbours: India's Role in Nepal's Recent Constitution-Making Process, PRIF Working Paper, 43, Frankfurt/M.
  • Responding to Closing Civic Space: Recent Experiences from Three Global Initiatives
    | 2018
    Hetz, Fabian; Poppe, Annika Elena (2018): Responding to Closing Civic Space: Recent Experiences from Three Global Initiatives, in: CSIS (eds), CSIS Human Rights Initiative Online Paper.
    Publication
  • "Othering" Across and Beyond the Pond
    | 2018
    Poppe, Annika Elena (2018): "Othering" Across and Beyond the Pond, PRIF Blog (Repost from AICGS blog contribution).
    Publication
  • Democracy Promotion in Times of Uncertainty
    | 2018
    EDP Network (2018): Democracy Promotion in Times of Uncertainty Trends and Challenges, PRIF Report, 13, Frankfurt/M.
  • Democracy Promotion in the 21st Century
    | 2018
    Poppe, Annika Elena; Richter, Solveig; Wolff, Jonas (2018): Democracy Promotion in the 21st Century, in: Poppe, Annika Elena/Richter, Solveig/Wolff, Jonas (für das EDP Netzwerk) (eds), PRIF Report, 13.
  • Democracy Promotion and the Challenge of Shrinking Civic Spaces
    | 2018
    Poppe, Annika Elena; Wolff, Jonas (2018): Democracy Promotion and the Challenge of Shrinking Civic Spaces, in: Poppe, Annika Elena/Richter, Solveig/Wolff, Jonas (für das EDP Netzwerk) (eds), PRIF Report, 13.
  • Democracy Promotion under the Current US Administration
    | 2018
    Poppe, Annika Elena (2018): Democracy Promotion under the Current US Administration, in: Poppe, Annika Elena/Richter, Solveig/Wolff, Jonas (für das EDP Netzwerk) (eds), PRIF Report, 13.
  • Democracy Promotion in the Americas
    | 2018
    Wolff, Jonas (2018): Democracy Promotion in the Americas, in: Poppe, Annika Elena/Richter, Solveig/Wolff, Jonas (für das EDP Netzwerk) (eds), PRIF Report, 13.
  • Shrinking Spaces. Eine Herausforderung der internationalen Demokratie- und Zivilgesellschaftsförderung
    | 2018
    Baldus, Jana; Poppe, Annika Elena; Wolff, Jonas (2018): Shrinking Spaces. Eine Herausforderung der internationalen Demokratie- und Zivilgesellschaftsförderung, Afrika Süd, 47: 5.
    Publication
  • Wir müssen Shrinking Spaces besser verstehen, um dem Phänomen begegnen zu können
    | 2018
    Poppe, Annika Elena (2018): Wir müssen Shrinking Spaces besser verstehen, um dem Phänomen begegnen zu können, PRIF BLOG.
    Publication
  • Strategic responses to the "Foreign Agent" label
    | 2018
    Wolff, Jonas (2018): Strategic responses to the "Foreign Agent" label Instead of letting governments define the terms, CSOs need to take "foreign agent" allegations seriously and address them strategically, OpenGlobalRights.
    Publication
  • La deslegitimación de las organizaciones de la sociedad civil
    | 2018
    Wolff, Jonas (2018): La deslegitimación de las organizaciones de la sociedad civil Reflexiones sobre las respuestas estratégicas a la acusación de "Agenta Extranjero", in: Rodríguz-Garavito, César/Gomez, Krizna (eds), Encarar el desarío populista. Un nuevo manual de estrategias para actores de derechos humanos, Bogotá: Dejusticia, 131-140.
    Publication
  • Nachhaltiger Frieden: Liberal-demokratische Friedenskonzepte unter Druck
    | 2018
    Bethke, Felix S.; Debiel, Tobias; Hartmann, Christof; Poppe, Annika Elena; Schablitzki, Jan; Wolff, Jonas (2018): Nachhaltiger Frieden: Liberal-demokratische Friedenskonzepte unter Druck, in: Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC)/Leibniz-Institut Hessische Stiftung Friedens- und Konfliktforschung (HSFK)/Institut für Friedensforschung und Sicherheitspolitik an der Universität Hamburg (IFSH)/Institut für Entwicklung und Frieden (INEF) (eds), Friedensgutachten 2018, Berlin: LIT Verlag, 65-83.
    Publication
  • The Delegitimization of Civil society Organizations
    | 2018
    Wolff, Jonas (2018): The Delegitimization of Civil society Organizations Thoughts on Strategic Sesponses to the “Foreign Agent” Charge, in: Rodríguz-Garavito, César/Gomez, Krizna (eds), Rising to the Populist Challenge. A New Playbook for Human Rights Actors, Bogotá: Dejusticia, 129–137.
    Publication
  • An Overview of Global Initiatives on Countering Closing Space for Civil Society
    | 2017
    Baldus, Jana; Poppe, Annika Elena; Wolff, Jonas (2017): An Overview of Global Initiatives on Countering Closing Space for Civil Society, Washington, D.C.: CSIS Human Rights Initiative.
    Publication
  • Widerstand gegen internationale Zivilgesellschaftsförderung: mehr als nur „eine illegitime Ausrede“
    | 2017
    Poppe, Annika Elena; Wolff, Jonas (2017): Widerstand gegen internationale Zivilgesellschaftsförderung: mehr als nur „eine illegitime Ausrede“, BBE-Newsletter für Engagement und Partizipation in Europa (Nr. 7).
    Publication
  • The Contested Spaces of Civil Society in a Plural World
    | 2017
    Poppe, Annika Elena; Wolff, Jonas (2017): The Contested Spaces of Civil Society in a Plural World Norm Contestation in the Debate about Restrictions on International Civil Society Support, Contemporary Politics (open access), 23: 4. DOI: 10.1080/13569775.2017.1343219
  • Negotiating Democracy Promotion – Negotiating Interference
    | 2017
    Wolff, Jonas (2017): Negotiating Democracy Promotion – Negotiating Interference The case of US-Bolivian relations, Research Network External Democracy Promotion (EDP).
    Publication
  • Widerstand gegen internationale Zivilgesellschaftsförderung
    | 2016
    Poppe, Annika Elena; Wolff, Jonas (2016): Widerstand gegen internationale Zivilgesellschaftsförderung Mehr als nur „eine illegitime Ausrede“, openDemocracy.
    Publication