Staffan Darnolf, IFES senior advisor, presented a paper on the impact of the international community on elections at the International Political Science Association (IPSA) biannual conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  

International electoral process experts are often asked to provide technical advice to election management bodies (EMBs) during elections. International observers are also usually on hand to witness polls and the counting of ballots. Yet the impact of this assistance has been largely been overlooked by scholars. Based on an analysis of the effectiveness of the various methods of electoral support utilized by international organizations to promote democracy, Darnolf’s paper seeks to identify whether improvements can be made to these democracy-promoting tools.

Darnolf presented his paper at the panel entitled “Internationalization of Elections – The Role of Regional and International Organizations and Actors,” which met on February 19. The other panelists were Professor Peter Burnell from the University of Warwick, Professor Lars Svasand from the University of Bergen, and Dr. Jorgen Elklit from Aarhus University. Dr. Nasos Roussias from the Juan March Institute and Professor Lise Rakner from the University of Bergen were the discussants.

Please click here to download Darnolf’s paper, International Election Support: Helping or Hindering Democratic Elections?.