Challenge
The U.S. Government has made investments in recent years to better understand the phenomenon of democratic backsliding and to measure threats to democratic space in its partner countries. Authoritarian actors’ efforts to project influence in the developing world are damaging to countries’ sovereignty, increase vulnerability to corruption, create economic dependence, and spread malign authoritarian practices. Assessing resurgent authoritarian influence in these countries and formulating effective responses is critical in bolstering countries’ progress toward self-reliance.
Solution
Making Cents International, in a joint venture with our partner Development Professionals, Inc., is supporting USAID’s Center for Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG Center) to better understand and respond to the phenomenon of democratic backsliding. Awarded under the Analytical Services IV IDIQ, the ATARI Task Order has developed and piloted a new diagnostic tool for assessing resurgent authoritarian influence (RAI) in USAID partner countries and worked collaboratively with USAID Missions and select stakeholders to formulate effective responses.
In accordance with USAID’s RAI framework, the diagnostic tool supported qualitative and quantitative research capable of assessing a country’s relative exposure to foreign influence and related vulnerability of its democratic institutions and principles. We developed and piloted an approach to utilize the tool to conduct rapid appraisal and strategy development exercises in select countries. The RAI diagnostic tool has been piloted in Nepal and in El Salvador, Kyrgyzstan, Peru, and Indonesia. The methodology for diagnosing a country’s exposure and vulnerability to RAI serves to help our team recommend appropriate strategic and programmatic responses to USAID.
An important component of our work was the development and dissemination of practitioners’ guidance with promising approaches and identified best practices for countering RAI. ATARI has also systematically collected, generated, and shared insights on RAI through a systematic review of existing research and data, and has issued a Request for Applications to award grants to support research, including in countries impacted by RAI, addressing identified knowledge or data gaps.
As a result of our activities, ATARI has provided solid and reliable analyses for the DRG Center, producing evidence and systematic analysis on RAI issues around the world to inform USAID’s strategic and programming decisions.