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OECD Reinforcing Democracy Initiative

Democracies are under unprecedented levels of pressure from within and without. The polarisation of political discourse, geopolitical tensions, public health and economic crises, and creeping foreign influence in democratic processes – all also fueled by mis- and disinformation – have tested citizens’ trust in public institutions and are driving many governments to strengthen and protect democratic values and processes. 


Launched at the 2022 OECD Global Forum and Ministerial on Building Trust and Reinforcing Democracy, the OECD’s Reinforcing Democracy Initiative provides evidence-based guidance and good international practices to help countries reinforce democratic values and institutions.
 
Trust in public institutions underpins the 5 pillars of work that form the OECD Reinforcing Democracy Initiative:
 
  • Pillar 1 - Combating mis- and disinformation
  • Pillar 2 - Strengthening representation, participation and openness in public life
  • Pillar 3 - Embracing the global responsibilities of governments and building resilience to foreign influence
  • Pillar 4 - Gearing up government to deliver on climate and other environmental challenges
  • Pillar 5 - Transforming public governance for digital democracy

3 priorities for democratic resilience

Presentation of Government at a Glance

 

The 2023 edition of the OECD report Government at a Glance 2023, presents new data on public governance and focuses on 3 priorities to strengthen trust in government and reinforce democratic resilience: 

1.  Build on democratic strengths such as citizen and stakeholder participation and representation
2.  Reinforce key governance competencies to support delivery in the context of multiple crises
3.  Protect against active threats to public trust arising from failings in public integrity and mis- or disinformation
 
 
Download the presentation

Ministerial Declaration, 2022

 

OECD Global Forum & Ministerial Meeting, Luxembourg, 2022
Ministers and high-level representatives from 38 OECD countries, the European Union, as well as OECD accession candidate countries, met in Luxembourg on 18 November for the OECD Public Governance Ministerial on "Building Trust and Reinforcing Democracy" to propose concrete actions to address the pressing challenges facing democracies today.

Luxembourg Declaration
The Ministerial meeting culminated with the adoption of the Luxembourg Declaration on Building Trust and Reinforcing Democracy in which Ministers and high-level representatives restated their commitments and supported a range of concrete actions.
     
Global Forum & Ministerial website

Ministerial action plans

Combating Mis- and Dis-information

Enhancing Representation, Participation and Openness

Governing Green

Preparing the Ground for Government Action

Building Trust and Reinforcing Democracy: Preparing the Ground for Government Action
This groundbreaking publication sheds light on the important public governance challenges countries face today in preserving and strengthening their democracies, including fighting mis- and disinformation; improving government openness, citizen participation and inclusiveness; and embracing global responsibilities and building resilience to foreign influence.

Read the report:  in English, en français
READ THE REPORT

What drives public trust in government?

Download the presentation in PDF

Building Trust to Reinforce Democracy: Key Findings from the 2021 OECD Survey on Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions
This report presents the main findings of the first OECD cross-national survey of trust in government and public institutions, representing over 50,000 responses across 22 OECD countries.

Participating countries were: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Luxembourg, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Download the Summary brief in English, en français, en español.
READ THE REPORT

Pillar 1 Combating dis- and misinformation

OECD DIS/MIS Resource Hub

Misinformation and disinformation: An international effort using behavioural science to tackle the spread of misinformation
This study tested the impact of two behaviourally-informed interventions on intentions to share true and false news headlines about COVID-19 on social media: an attention accuracy prompt and a set of digital media literacy tips. The policy paper outlines key behavioural insights gained to help improve policy responses and stop the spread of mis- and dis-information.
READ THE REPORT

Pillar 2 Strengthening representation

OECD Guidelines for Citizen Participation Processes

Report on Public Communication

The Protection and Promotion of Civic Space

Pillar 3 Building resilience to foreign influence

 

Lobbying in the 21st Century: Transparency, Integrity and Access
Lobbying in the 21st century has also become increasingly complex, including new tools for influencing government, such as social media, and a wide range of actors, such as NGOs, think tanks and foreign governments. This report takes stock of the progress that countries have made in implementing the OECD Principles for Transparency and Integrity in Lobbying. It reflects on new challenges and risks related to the many ways special interest groups attempt to influence public policies, and reviews tools adopted by governments to effectively safeguard impartiality and fairness in the public decision-making process.
READ THE REPORT

Pillar 4 Governing green

Green Budgeting in OECD Countries

Green budgeting: A way forward

Improving the Landscape for Sustainable Infrastructure Financing

Pillar 5 Governance for digital democracy

 

The E-Leaders Handbook on the Governance of Digital Government
This Handbook presents the OECD Framework on the Governance of Digital Government, which was developed based on the experiences of Member and Partner countries. The Handbook identifies the aspects that need to be addressed when devising public governance frameworks for digital government, including contextual factors, institutional models and policy levers. Based on the Framework, the Handbook also provides a practical and easy-to-use toolkit for policy makers seeking to improve the digital government maturity of their administrations.
READ THE REPORT