Study reveals power of civil movements

A new Freedom House study has found that democratic transitions led by non-violent civic coalitions lead to far better results for freedom than top-down initiatives by elites. “How Freedom is Won” analyses 67 countries that have undergone transitions from authoritarian rule since 1972.

The study examines four key characteristics of each transition - the societal forces driving it, the strength of non-violent civic resistance, the level of violence and the sources of that violence - to determine how successful transitions to democracy are achieved. The findings suggest that policy makers should offer support to nascent civic resistance movements in order to foster democratic change.

The publication can be downloaded from Freedom House’s website:
http://www.freedomhouse.org/research/specreports/civictrans/FHCIVICTRANS.pdf
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