Tuesday, 16^th April 2024, from 17:30 to 19:00 h. CEST (UTC+2). Venue: Espacio Bertelsmann (c/ O’Donnell 10, Madrid).

The quality of democracy in developing and transformation countries has been in steady decline over the past 20 years, the number of autocratic countries has been on the rise and political instability is now commonplace in an increasing number of countries. These are some of the findings of the Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI) 2024, the index developed by the Bertelsmann Foundation aimed at measuring the quality of democracy, economic performance and governance worldwide.

Out of the 137 countries analyzed in the 2024 edition, only 63 remain democracies, while a majority are classified as autocracies. Elections in 25 countries have been less free and fair in the last two years alone, while assembly and association rights in 32 states have been increasingly curtailed and the freedom of expression has faced tightened controls in 39 countries.

The authors of the index give an overview of the current trends in democracy development around the world, with a special focus on Latin America.

See: ”Latin America and the Caribbean Report”.

Hashtag: #BTIdemocracies

Programme

Institutional welcome

Clara Bassols, Director, Fundación Bertelsmann | @FBertelsmann
Charles Powell, Director, Elcano Royal Institute | @CharlesTPowell

Keynote: Diego López Garrido, Director, Fundación Alternativas; Former Secretary of State for the European Union | @DiegoLGarrido

Presentation of the Bertelsmann Transformation Index

Sabine Donner, Senior Expert, Bertelsmann Stiftung | @BertelsmannSt
Hauke Hartmann, Senior Expert, Bertelsmann Stiftung | @BertelsmannSt

Roundtable: Where are Latin America and Africa leading to?

Sabine Donner, senior expert, Bertelsmann Stiftung | @BertelsmannSt
Hauke Hartmann, Senior Expert, Bertelsmann Stiftung | @BertelsmannSt
Carlos Malamud, Senior Analyst, Elcano Royal Institute | @CarlosMalamud
Moderated by: Vicent Climent, Project Manager, Fundación Bertelsmann