Democracy and Governance
Approach to Democracy and Governance
Democratic, well-governed states are central to the President's Freedom Agenda. USAID pursues programs in democracy and governance in order to promote transformational development, strengthen fragile states and support strategic states, consistent with its Policy Framework for Bilateral Foreign Aid.
USAID democracy and governance programs focus on strengthening four key dimensions of democracy and good governance:
- Rule of law. USAID promotes rule of law-the foundation of justice and human rights-through support for constitutional and legal reform, human rights promotion and protection, judicial independence and reform, and improved administration of justice.
- Institutions of democratic and accountable governance. USAID strengthens institutions of democratic and accountable governance through support for anticorruption programs, executive branch performance, strengthening of legislative processes and institutions, security sector reform, and local government and decentralization.
- Political freedom and competition. USAID expands political freedom and competition through support for democratic political parties, electoral administration, independent media, and civil society.
- Citizen participation and advocacy. USAID helps citizens engage the political process through programs that assist nongovernmental organizations (particularly advocacy groups), think tanks, labor unions, and independent media.
Because political change occurs at the country-level, USAID focuses its democracy and governance programs in response to the following objectives in distinctive country contexts: expanding freedom in authoritarian states; supporting democratic breakthroughs; consolidating democratic progress; and building the foundations for stability and democracy in fragile states. This country-driven approach, which builds on local commitment and leadership, has directly contributed to democratization in countries around the globe.
Country Contexts
In authoritarian and semi-authoritarian states, the major challenge facing USAID is how to foster political competition in the face of a hostile regime that is prepared to use the resources of the state to oppose meaningful reform. USAID's strategic approach in these countries is to strengthen democratic activists outside of government and, when possible, pockets of reform within government. The USAID programs in Georgia, Ukraine, and the Kyrgyz Republic before the color revolutions demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach.
When supporting democratic breakthroughs, USAID's approach is to provide catalytic support to maintain the democratization momentum while safeguarding independent voices outside of government. Assistance is often provided to new ministries, the key offices of the president and prime minister, the newly empowered legislature, and the courts. The democratic breakthrough in Georgia as a result of its 2003 Rose Revolution produced a shift in USAID strategy toward this type of assistance when it was clear that the democratic breakthrough offered new opportunities for rapidly advancing democratic reforms.
Through our efforts to consolidate democracies, USAID's goal is to promote consolidation of democratic reforms and to prevent backsliding. To do this, USAID strives to provide steady, long-term assistance that is focused on strengthening the rule of law and institutions of democratic and accountable governance. An example of this type of support is the central role that USAID is playing in supporting the successful consolidation of democracy in Indonesia.
One of the most challenging environments facing USAID democracy and governance promotion efforts is in fragile states. In fragile states, USAID's strategic approach is to promote stabilization, reform, and recovery by building institutions of democratic and accountable governance and the rule of law while also addressing causes of fragility such as ethnic grievances and economic exclusion. For example, in Sudan, USAID's democracy and governance program addresses three pivotal areas: transforming a former rebel movement into part of a representative, accountable government and a democratic political party; establishing a democratic Government of South Sudan through policy advice, technical training, and support for establishing organizational structures; and supporting democratic political processes, including constitution drafting, development of political parties development, elections preparations, and consensus-building.
Geographic Balance
Regional distribution of USAID democracy and governance (DG) funds is largely driven by strategic concerns related to the President's Freedom Agenda and the War on Terror. Consequently, 55% of USAID-managed DG funds went to the Asia and Near East region in FY 2004. In contrast, 23% of DG funds supported programs in Europe and Eurasia, 11% went to Latin America and the Caribbean, 9% went to Africa, and 2% was allocated to USAID/Washington.
Basis of Allocation Decisions
While the allocation of DG resources within countries is largely based on the specific country context, allocation of DG resources among countries is primarily determined by the State Department with USAID collaboration. Twelve percent of DG funds in FY 2004 were DA funds. The remaining 88% in that year was split between ESF and ACI (64%) and FSA and AEEB (24%).
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