Books etc

Books and other material by the V-Dem Team

V-Dem book3 copy

Why Democracies Develop and Decline

Michael Coppedge, Amanda B. Edgell, Carl Henrik Knutsen, and Staffan I. Lindberg (Eds.)
2022 | Cambridge University Press

This book uses V-Dem data to retest all the leading hypotheses about the causes of democracy levels, upturns, and downturns. It also proposes a novel theoretical framework that orders the best explanatory factors into causal sequences, clarifying which ones have the most direct effects and which ones matter indirectly.

varieties of democracy

Varieties of Democracy: Measuring Two Centuries of Political Change

Michael Coppedge, John Gerring, Adam Glynn, Carl-Henrik Knutsen, Staffan I. Lindberg, Daniel Pemstein, Brigitte Seim, Svend-Erik Skaaning, and Jan Teorell.
2020 | Cambridge University Press.

This book is an essential user’s guide to the V-Dem project. It creates opportunities for V-Dem data to be used in education, research, news, analysis, advocacy, policy work, and elsewhere.

Defending Democracy against Illiberal Challengers

The V-Dem Institute launched a project on democratic resilience as part of its work on autocratization – the decline of democracy. Our Resource Guide “Defending Democracy against Illiberal Challengers” provides an overview of cutting-edge research and innovative ideas that democratic actors can enact for strengthening democracy. Democratic actors including politicians, activists, and journalists face dilemmas every day. This Resource Guide systematically analyzes strategies for addressing these dilemmas based on the available research evidence.