What We Do

Ineffective governance and weak institutions are at the root of global threats to democracy, including entrenched corruption, the rise of authoritarianism, and protracted conflict. IRI strengthens democracy worldwide by deploying approaches that enhance citizens’ ability to meaningfully participate in government planning and decision-making, while helping those in office respond to citizen needs with accountability and transparency.

Freedom of speech, assembly, and association are under threat around the world. To address this evolving challenge, IRI works with citizen groups around the world to strengthen their ability to advocate for themselves within their own country.

Violent conflict and state fragility threaten global security. IRI works with partners to craft interventions that shore up faltering institutions and create the conditions for the peaceful resolution of conflict.

Foreign authoritarian actors are taking an increasingly aggressive approach to exerting influence globally – exporting their authoritarian models, undermining democratic governance, and challenging U.S. global leadership. IRI’s Countering Foreign Authoritarian Influence (CFAI) programming equips democracies with the tools they need to push back through cutting-edge research and support for on-the-ground partners.

Free and fair elections are critical to democratic governance and are under attack around the world. To guard against these threats and ensure that elections reflect the will of the people, IRI works with partners to expand voter education, maximize participation, mitigate electoral violence, and build confidence in electoral outcomes through independent international electoral observation missions.

Independent media plays a vital role in strengthening democracy by producing widely accessible information free of institutional bias, promoting transparency and accountability, and raising awareness against authoritarianism. IRI supports media development so citizens have access to accurate and timely information.

A robust democracy depends on the equal and active participation of all. IRI empowers and amplifies the voices of the people and integrates them into political and civic life. In so doing, IRI supports sustainable democratic development.

Strong multiparty systems are a core component of representative democracy and help to protect America’s national security.Competitive, issue-based political parties organize the democratic process by providing meaningful choices for voters, engaging citizens in the political process, cultivating responsive leaders, and holding governments accountable. IRI supports and strengthens political parties to increase their representation, effectiveness, and accountability.

Understanding what works, how, and why is critical to achieving and sustaining meaningful impact. IRI’s Research, Learning, and Evaluation practice conducts rigorous research and designs and implements analytical systems to enable our practitioners to develop and implement effective, evidence-based, and results-oriented projects.

Technology is the battleground for the future. The rapid adoption of digital technology has transformed how governments operate; how citizens engage and what they expect of leaders; how elections take place; what political campaigns look like; and the threats that democratic actors face.

IRI promotes women’s meaningful political participation throughout all our regional programs, as well as our dedicated global initiative, the Women’s Democracy Network (WDN).

Empowering young people to participate and lead is essential to the democratic health of all societies. IRI equips young people around the world with the skills and networks to engage in civic and political processes.