Skip to main content

The German Marshall Fund of the United States

  • Who we are
    • Programs
      • Alliance for Securing Democracy
      • Asia Program
      • Balkan Trust for Democracy
      • Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation
      • Congressional Affairs
      • Europe Program
      • Fund for Belarus Democracy
      • Future of Geopolitics
      • GMF Cities
      • GMF Digital
      • Leadership Programs
      • Mediterranean Program
      • Security and Defense
    • Offices
      • Ankara
      • Belgrade
      • Berlin
      • Brussels
      • Bucharest
      • Paris
      • Warsaw
      • Washington, DC
    • About Us
    • Marshall Plan
    • Our Partners
  • Experts
  • Events
    Mar
    8
    Upcoming Event

    NATO 2030: United for a New Era

    March 8, 2021 | 10:00AM to 11:00AM EST
    • Major Conferences & Forums
      GMF brings together hundreds of policymakers, elected officials, academics, and business leaders from around the world to discuss topics from energy to migration, economics to security, urban growth to diplomacy.
    All Events →
  • Our Work
    • Topics
      • America
      • Asia
      • Europe
      • Cities and Regions
      • Security
      • Trade and Economies
      • All Topics
    • Research
      • Publications
      • Transatlantic Takes
    • Perspectives
      • Audio
      • Video
      • Blog post
      • In The News
  • Stay Informed
In the News

Here’s What We Know About How to Help Spread Democracy

December 22, 2015

Nelli Babayan

The United States and Europe haven’t been as successful as they wished in helping nations become more democratic, as Sarah Bush explained in herrecent Monkey Cage post. But some specific programs have meaningfully increased the chance that a country will transition to democracy. Here’s one group: programs that educate and familiarize leaders from transitioning countries with democratic rules and principles.

In a recent study, political scientists Thomas Gift and Daniel Krcmaric argue that “leaders educated at Western universities are more likely to democratize than other leaders.”

This matters because, as other political scientists show, elites play a significant role in fostering and consolidating democracy, so the chances of reversal to authoritarian tendencies are minimal if any. The more elitesidentify with democracy by invoking democratic rules in their discourse and policies, the more likely it is that a country will transition to democracy...

Washington Post
Read the full article

Related Content

Report

Russia: A Test for Transatlantic Unity

May 10, 2016 | By Nelli Babayan, Marie Mendras, Chris Miller, Andrew Moravcsik, Ulrich Speck, Angela Stent, Stephen Szabo
Report

Europe and United States Must Prioritize Unity to Counter Russia’s Aggression

May 10, 2016 | By Marie Mendras, Andrew Moravcsik, Chris Miller, Nelli Babayan, Angela Stent, Ulrich Speck
Strengthening Transatlantic Cooperation

Our Organization

  • About GMF
  • Career Opportunities
  • Our Partners
  • Press Room
  • Support Our Work
  • Core Values

Our Work

  • Leadership
  • Policy
  • Civil Society
  • Research & Analysis

Our Experts

  • Find an Expert

Follow

  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Diversity Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Credits

Stay Informed

Don’t miss out on the latest from GMF. Sign up to receive emailed newsletters, announcements, and event notifications.

Subscribe