Transformation Index | BTI

🤔 What was all the fuss about? 🌍 This summer, #Hungary took on the presidency at the Council of the European Union and President Viktor #Orbán promised bold foreign policy moves for the six-month period. After an ambitious start, efforts have cooled. What can we expect from a last month of Hungarian presidency? The author of our recent #BTI Blog article, Tamas Matura, Ph.D., dr. jur. from Corvinus University of Budapest, 1) analyses early concerns about the presidency by #EU member states 2) compares the start of the presidency with recent developments and 3) questions whether Orbán is just preparing for a final push - particularly in light of the recent outcome of #US elections and the set return of Donald #Trump to the White House. ⬇️ Read the article via the link in the comments (7 Min read) Bertelsmann Stiftung #BTI2024 #EastCentralandSoutheastEurope photo by European Parliament via Wikimedia Commons

Where does Democracy go from here? 2024 was a landmark year with over 70 elections and 4.2 billion voters worldwide. Essential to democracies around the globe, #elections are an important part of political participation, and viewed as a privilege by many people. Still, it can be observed that there is a shift away from traditional democratic values, and an anti-incumbent mood is reflected in election results. This brings political change - whether towards more democratic leaders, or leaders with autocratic tendencies. Our team member Sabine Donner recently had the chance to articulate her expertise around this issue in an interview with CNN International. In the attached article, you can find a transcript of the interview with the essential points Sabine made. Bertelsmann Stiftung #BTI2024 #democracy

Between Autocracy and Democracy: Exploring Political Heterogeneity in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia ❓ How does political heterogeneity shape this region? With over half of the countries classified as hardline autocracies (54%), the contrasts are significant. 📉 Since 2008, the region has experienced a slight decline in political and economic transformation, with Russia’s war on Ukraine putting further tension on the region’s countries and demanding resilience. 🔎 The cleavage between democracies and autocracies can be observed in the correlation between the Democracy Status and the Governance score. Upper-end democracies like #Armenia, #Mongolia, #Ukraine, and #Moldova contrast with autocratic states such as #Belarus, #Russia, and #Turkmenistan. 🌍 In the context of the war in Ukraine and the different political positions towards the West or Russia, the #BTI2024 ‘credibility’ indicator for international cooperation shows that democracies are rated significantly higher than autocracies. ℹ For more insights on the complex constellation of this region, check out our full report (link in comments). Bertelsmann Stiftung #EasternEurope #Caucasus #CentralAsia  #Democracy #Transformation #Governance

🗺  BTI Region Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia Over the next two weeks, we will take a closer look at the BTI Region Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (Post-Soviet Eurasia). It encompasses 13 countries: Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Georgia Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Moldova Mongolia Russia Tajikistan Turkmenistan Ukraine Uzbekistan ⬇ The slides below show an overview of this region across the three BTI dimensions #PoliticalTransformation, #EconomicTransformation and #Governance. What stands out? 💼 It can be observed that 54% of the states (Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan) are classified as hard-line autocracies. Kyrgyzstan is categorized as a moderate autocracy and the Republic of Georgia as a defective democracy. The group of countries scoring highest in this region include Armenia, Ukraine, Moldova and Mongolia as defective democracies. 💰 The data reveals that the majority of countries in the region demonstrate a limited economic transformation, with the exception of Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, where the extent of transformation appears to be very limited. ⚙ Ukraine (score of 6.04) and Moldova (5.69) demonstrate good governance, situated at the upper end of the spectrum. In contrast, Turkmenistan (2.18), Belarus (2.22) and Russia (2.55) indicate failed governance. The key challenges in this dimension are the war in Ukraine, autocratic tendencies of the government (e.g. in Belarus), corruption (e.g. Azerbaijan) and the regression of international cooperation and international credibility. 📄 Have a look at the #BTI2024 regional report to gain more insights into the findings on this region (link in the comments). Bertelsmann Stiftung #EasternEurope #Caucasus #CentralAsia #Democracy #Transformation

📅#Elections in November 2024 The Election Calendar is our tool to keep track of elections in BTI countries during the election super year 2024. 👇 The slides below highlight the different political contexts as well as interesting aspects and provide context for the 3 upcoming elections in BTI-analyzed countries this month. 💭 Take a look at our #ElectionCalendar2024 (link in the comments) for detailed information on upcoming elections. The BTI country reports for countries with scheduled elections are also accessible via the calendar. Bertelsmann Stiftung #democracy #elections #BTIElectionCalendar #BTI2024

🌍 With the US #elections looming above all else, let’s not forget that October was the most eventful month in this #superelectionyear. From #Botswana to #Moldova, from #Uruguay to #Tunisia, eight elections took place in BTI-analyzed countries. The slides below review each election’s unique outcomes and provide information on the political challenges shaping them. 🔍 Key insights: The BTI’s "free and fair elections" indicator sheds light on one aspect of the different political landscapes in the respective countries. While Tunisia has seen a sharp decline in the quality of elections, Uruguay continues to excel in achieving excellent results in this indicator, highlighting the different challenges and contextual factors of global elections. For a detailed overview of recent and upcoming elections in BTI countries, please refer to our election calendar (link in the comments). Bertelsmann Stiftung #democracy #elections #BTI2024 #BTIElectionCalendar

Recent parliamentary elections in #Georgia saw the ruling party Georgian Dream secure 54%, while the opposition garnered 38% collectively. Georgian Dream claims to be pro-European, but critics accuse the party of instrumentalising a re-orentiation of Georgia toward Moscow. In light allegations of vote-buying and voter-intimidation raised by national and international observers, we offer a closer look at one of the prime issues of debate within Georgia’s civil society: the #ForeignAgentsLaw. Read the analysis (prior to the elections) of the so-called #RussianLaw and its effects by our author Giorgi Kldiashvili from Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) via the link in the comments. Bertelsmann Stiftung #BTI2024 Photo by J. Groeneveld, Flickr

What values does #democracy actually represent? It was a pleasure and a privilege for #BTI team members Hauke Hartmann and Sebastian Plate to participate in the Forum 2000 Foundation conference last week. A huge thank you to Hernan Alberro and Eva Michlova for their kind hospitality. Inspiring speeches, engaging debates and lots of rewarding contacts. To read our takeways from three days full of discussion, debate and networking around democracy and its values, consult the attached article. ⬇️ Bertelsmann Stiftung #BTI2024

🌍 Economic reforms in #Nigeria - Hope or Hardship for Nigerians? 🗣️ In our new #BTI blog article, our author Anietie Ewang, researcher for the Africa Division at Human Rights Watch, voices her opinion on the economic reforms affecting the livelihood of many Nigerians. She critiques the choices made by the Tinubu administration and shares her expertise on what needs to happen to stop the increasing divide between populace and government in Nigeria. Read the full article via the link in the comments (10 min read) ⬇️ Bertelsmann Stiftung #BTI2024 Photo: Picasa, Adedotun Ajibade / Wikimedia Commons

BRICS - Economic Titan or Fragile Alliance? 🔎 In light of the upcoming BRICS Summit in Kazan from October 22 to 24, and Russia's current chairmanship, our author and BTI Regional Coordinator for Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia Dr. Hans-Joachim Spanger discusses in our new BTI Blog the political heterogeneity among the BRICS members and the ambitious goals that struggle to gain unanimous support from the group. ⬇ The slide below illustrates this heterogeneity using BTI's Political Transformation Index. 💡 Did you know that the BRICS member states account for 36% of global GDP? 🧠 You can find more interesting facts and expert insights on the BRICS group and the upcoming summit in our latest blog article (Link in comments). Bertelsmann Stiftung #BRICS #BTI2024 #politicaltransformation #democracy