| nternational Institute for Democracy and Electoral | | | | 6. Voter Education |
| Assistance is one of the most interesting, if not | | | | 7. Parties and Candidates |
| the most useful, possible sources in the area of | | | | 8. Voting Operations |
| democracy research. Though at the moment | | | | 9. Vote Counting |
| they have nothing that could be used as a source | | | | 10. -Elections and the Media |
| of data for measuring democracy, they have few | | | | 11. Elections and Technology |
| projects that may be very useful potential | | | | 12. Electoral Integrity |
| sources in the future. | | | | The first phase of the project is planned to be |
| International IDEA was created in 1995 by 14 | | | | completed by the end of 2002 when the data |
| countries for the purpose of promotion and | | | | about 60 countries will be available on the EPIC |
| advancement of democracy and improvement | | | | site ( According to the plan the data for 30 were |
| and consolidation of electoral processes | | | | supposed to be available by the end of 2001, but |
| world-wide. Today, the Institute has 19 members | | | | so far this is not the case. The second phase |
| and four associate members. These are Australia, | | | | should include finding partners in different regions |
| Barbados, Belgium, Botswana, Canada, Chile, | | | | of the world and establishment of 6-7 regional |
| Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, India, Mauritius, | | | | centers for data collection. |
| Namibia, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, | | | | From the point of view of measuring democracy |
| South Africa, Sweden, and Uruguay. The following | | | | the most interesting, if not very useful, is the |
| international non-governmental organizations are | | | | State of Democracy project. The |
| associate members: the Inter-American Institute | | | | project’s goal is to develop a democracy |
| of Human Rights (IIHR), the International Press | | | | assessment tool that can be used for any |
| Institute (IPI), Parliamentarians for Global Action | | | | country in the world, regardless of the level of |
| (PGA) and Transparency International. As it can | | | | economic development, social characteristics and |
| be see in it from the name of the institution | | | | other peculiarities. (IDEA 2002a: 6). Several |
| International IDEA is focused mainly on issues of | | | | arguments in the justification of the questionnaire |
| advancing democracy and creating sustainable | | | | are offered (IDEA 2002b: 1). The argument that |
| electoral institutions and processes. Institute has | | | | justifies the use of common analytical tool is that |
| international staff and is based in Stockholm. | | | | democratization is a process that is never |
| Some IDEA projects have regional focus and | | | | completed and democracy is not all or nothing, or |
| some of them are limited in duration and in | | | | present or absent state, it is more a matter of |
| number of countries included. The institute | | | | degree. Because of that the advancements or |
| currently does not have a project operational that | | | | retreats in the levels of democracy can be |
| could be used for the purpose of the | | | | measured. The argument that continues itself on |
| measurement of democracy, or for that matter, | | | | previous argument is that the idea of democracy |
| for data collection that could be used for | | | | is a common for all social settings, and can be |
| measuring democracy. But among many projects | | | | disaggregated into a set of indicators and indices |
| there are three interesting projects that could | | | | that could have general applicability on a large |
| potentially be useful as a source of information or | | | | number of countries regardless on their |
| have other interesting elements that could be | | | | differences (IDEA 2002b: 1). |
| used for the measurement of democracy. Those | | | | According to the authors of the assessment |
| projects are Administration and Cost of Elections | | | | questionnaire the best people to do assessment |
| project (ACE), the Electoral Process Information | | | | of democracy are the citizens that live in each |
| Collection project (EPIC) and the State of | | | | country that is assessed. The purpose of the |
| Democracy project. | | | | project is to provide research framework for |
| The ACE project is joint project of IDEA, | | | | that can be used by country experts. The actual |
| International Foundation for Election Systems | | | | job of deciding what criteria are important for the |
| (IFES) and the United Nations Department of | | | | assessment, and what value should be assigned |
| Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA). The goal | | | | to them is left to country specialists to decide. |
| of the project is to produce a comprehensive and | | | | The project intention is not to produce ranking, to |
| user-friendly collection of comparative information | | | | place countries in it and to compare it, but it |
| on electoral management, administration and | | | | rather focuses itself on the progress and |
| costs. This information is currently available online | | | | setbacks that took place within one country and |
| at | | | | aims to compare countries with themselves, or to |
| The main goal of the project is to provide | | | | be more precise to measure advancement or |
| complete and systematic election information to | | | | retreat of democracy. |
| those who are dealing with elections, designing of | | | | The concept of democracy that is used in this |
| electoral systems, administration of elections and | | | | project is based on two principal elements. First |
| to people who are monitoring electoral process. | | | | element is popular control over public decisions |
| The ACE database provides large amount of | | | | and decision-makers and the second one is the |
| information about almost all aspects of electoral | | | | political equality. In order for these principles to be |
| systems and management of elections. The | | | | realised in practice a set of institutional and |
| topics are dealt with in a way that is accessible to | | | | societal components is (IDEA 2002b: 1). |
| the peoples that are not too familiar with the | | | | Those components are: |
| details of electoral systems and with the | | | | 1. A guaranteed framework of equal citizen rights, |
| management of electoral process. The ACE | | | | including access to justice and the rule of law, as |
| database, apart from general information about | | | | well as the freedoms of expression, association |
| typology of electoral systems and descriptions of | | | | and assembly, and the basic economic and social |
| different forms that electoral systems and | | | | rights to enable citizens to exercise these |
| electoral administration, is also providing a large | | | | freedoms effectively. |
| sample of original material about elections, | | | | 2. Institutions of representative and accountable |
| electoral systems, electoral regulations, | | | | government, including not only free and fair |
| management of the elections and materials used | | | | elections to provide the means for popular choice |
| in the electoral process. The data are divided into | | | | and control over government, but also procedures |
| topic and are presented according to them. Topics | | | | to ensure the continuous accountability of officials, |
| included in the ACE are Electoral Systems, | | | | elected as well as non-elected, to the public. |
| Legislative Framework of Elections, Electoral | | | | 3. A civil or democratic society, including free and |
| Management, Boundary Delimitation, Voter | | | | pluralistic media of communication, and the civic |
| Education, Voter Registration, Voting Operations, | | | | associations, consultative processes and other |
| Parties and Candidates, Vote Counting, Media and | | | | forums necessary to ensure popular participation |
| Elections, Election Integrity and Elections and | | | | in the political process, and to encourage |
| Technology. | | | | government responsiveness to public opinion and |
| Another project is the EPIC project. The goal of | | | | the more effective delivery of public services. |
| EPIC project is to collect all data that might be | | | | The principles of equality and popular control are |
| available on elections in a large number of | | | | realised in practice through mediating values of |
| countries and to make them easily assessable to | | | | participation, authorization, representativeness, |
| everybody that have an interest in it. The data | | | | accountability, transparency, responsiveness and |
| that will be collected will be mainly raw data about | | | | solidarity.From observance of these values |
| the different aspects of elections. The data will be | | | | democratic institutions derive their democratic |
| divided into following topics: | | | | character. Each of these mediating values also has |
| 1. Electoral Systems | | | | set of requirements that need to be fulfilled in |
| 2. Legislative Framework | | | | order for them to be effective, and they also |
| 3. Electoral Management | | | | have institutional means of realization that need to |
| 4. Boundary Delimitation | | | | be present. |
| 5. Voter Registration | | | | |