Regional Index of Democratic Resilience

The Regional Index of Democratic Resilience is the foundation's evidence-based answer to a question that recurs in every donor and ministry conversation: how is the region actually doing on the institutional fundamentals, expressed in a way that is comparable across fourteen very different countries and that does not collapse into a single ranking?

The index is composite. It measures four sub-domains — institutional checks and balances, media independence, civic space, and electoral integrity — using a mix of original country-rapporteur scoring (anchored to a published scoring rubric) and pre-existing public data from V-Dem, Reporters Without Borders, and CIVICUS. The methodology is published in full, including every disagreement between the rapporteurs and the editorial board, before the first scores are released.

The launch publication is scheduled for the foundation's inaugural Forum. Subsequent annual editions will track movement and explain the why — what changed, where, and by what mechanism. The index is designed to be used by ministries, donors, and journalists; it is not designed to embarrass any country.