Green Shoots in Autocracy Reversals

Even amid a long, global decline in democratic indicators, some countries are showing concrete signs that authoritarian momentum can stall or reverse — driven by civic mobilization, generational activism, and shifting external pressures. Studying these 'green shoots' reveals the tactics, institutions, and international conditions that make democratic recovery more likely. — Identifying how and where democratic reversals happen offers pragmatic levers for policymakers, donors, and activists to defend and rebuild democracy rather than only cataloging decline.