Say what is measured
Name Democracys Standard v1.0 beta, the observation year, and V-Dem v16 as the source. “66 points” is not “66% democratic.”
A practical democracy toolkit
Understand power.
Put that knowledge to use.
For a classroom, a story, or a question about your community. Start with evidence, invite different perspectives, and choose a constructive next step.
01 / FOR THE CLASSROOM
A 30-minute democracy lab
Goal: distinguish a measured change, an explanation, and a value judgment.
- 5 min
Ask before you rank
What would you need to know to decide whether people have meaningful control over public power? Write down three signs, then compare them with our five tests.
- 10 min
Follow two different paths
Use the change explorer to choose a rising and a falling score. Open their profiles and print each country brief. Which dimensions moved? Does a gain always mean a high score?
- 10 min
Test an explanation
Find a dated primary source about one institutional change. State what it supports, what it cannot prove, and one alternative explanation. Do not attribute an exact number of points to an event.
- 5 min
Write a careful conclusion
Use three sentences: “The data show…” “One possible explanation is…” “We would need more evidence about…” Include the year, source, and one limitation.
02 / FOR REPORTING & RESEARCH
Before you quote a score
A useful finding should survive someone checking your work.
Inspect the underlying tests
Report more than rank. Show the dimensions, the start and end values, and the source-bound score area. Do not treat small differences as decisive.
Separate data from events
Read laws, official records, and independent country research. The International IDEA Democracy Tracker provides a separate source of event context; it does not explain exact changes in our score.
Make the evidence reusable
Link the profile and method. Download its country CSV or use our read-only data endpoint. Preserve attribution and the derived dataset’s CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
03 / CLOSER TO HOME
Five questions for any public institution
A discussion framework for councils, public bodies, and community decisions—not a validated local democracy index.
Can people influence who decides?
Look for selection rules, voting access, genuine alternatives, and how leaders can be replaced.
Who can challenge a decision?
Find published rules, independent review, appeal routes, conflict disclosures, and oversight.
Can people contribute before a decision is made?
Check notice periods, meeting access, consultation channels, and whether input can still change the outcome.
Are decisions explained in public?
Look for minutes, evidence considered, alternatives rejected, and responses to public input.
Who faces barriers to being heard?
Examine accessible formats, language, practical costs, outreach, and whose input appears in the record.
04 / MAKE IT CONCRETE
Your institution inquiry
Capture what you know, what you still need to find out, and a safe next step.