The Obama Foundation Democracy Forum will be held in New York City on November 17. President Obama will join pro-democracy thinkers, leaders, and activists from around the world to focus on the biggest challenges democratic institutions face today.
Jackie Shaw - Institute of Development Studies ids.ac.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ids.ac.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Published on 13 April 2021
Research Fellow
Like so many aspects of life, democratic debate is increasingly moving online. Yet it seems that every time citizens adopt a new digital tool or enter a new digital space to voice opposition, repressive governments respond with a whole arsenal of methods to dampen dissent and deny the right to opinion and expression.
For every new activist tactic, the state comes up with three or four countermeasures. Research by a new network of African digital rights researchers, activists and analysts has found that this digital game of whack-a-mole is playing out across the continent.
The right to be heard and to influence decision-making on issues that affect our lives is a cornerstone of open democracy and one of the UN’s sustainable development goals. In an increasingly digital world, being heard involves mobile phones and social media – especially during a pandemic when social distancing makes public protes