Countries dependent on revenue from extractive industries are plagued by government mismanagement, lack of transparency and corruption, according to a new report.

A “striking governance deficit” prevents citizens of resource-rich states from enjoying the benefits of energy development and mining, …

While Western commentators have lauded China’s model of authoritarian development – even advocating its transferability to other developing economies – President Xi Jinping isn’t so enthusiastic. “China’s model of development is not sustainable,” he said this month. But …

The April 9 inauguration of Serzh Sarkisian to his second term as president of Armenia marked the end of a tumultuous post-election period, writes Martha Beard, who recently returned from the Caucasian republic.* On the same day, opposition forces, led …

Algerian authorities illegally barred 96 civil society activists from travelling to the World Social Forum last week in the latest indication that the regime is more insecure than it appears, say observers.

The activists included members of the Algerian …

The failure of young democracies in so many regions of the world has had enormous consequences, writes Joshua Kurlantzick. Most obviously, the renewed strength of authoritarian rule means that billions of people continue to live under repressive or pseudo-democratic …

“Kenya‘s Supreme Court today ordered a recount of votes cast at 22 polling centers, after presidential elections in which a second-round run off was only avoided by the narrowest of margins,” AFP reports:

The court also ordered …

There is increasing international focus on the role of legislatures in promoting government accountability. Nigeria is the world’s 8th larger exporter of petroleum which makes up nearly 40% of its GDP and 80% of government revenue. Despite this natural …

President Thein Sein’s government top-down reform process has pushed through important initiatives at a rapid pace to open unprecedented political space in Burma, says a leading rights advocate.

“But open political space will not bring meaningful change unless …

Nigeria’s diversity is given political expression in federalism, but shared problems have a unifying effect across state, class, religious and ethnic lines, writes Dave Peterson, the National Endowment for Democracy’s Africa Program Director, who recently returned from an …