Key Technical Resources
Responding to Democratic Backsliding: A Practitioners Guide
This guide aims to facilitate democracy support staff decision
making by providing recommendations for responding to instances of democratic backsliding. It compiles current research on how such backsliding occurs and what factors have been observed to prevent further democratic decline. The goal of this guide is to help practitioners identify where they should focus their attention and how limited resources might best be applied given the pattern of democratic backsliding that a country is experiencing.
Responding to Democratic Openings: A Practitioners Guide
This guide aims to facilitate democracy support staff decision making by providing recommendations for responding to democratic openings. The goal of this guide is to help practitioners identify where they should focus their attention and how limited resources might best be applied given the pattern of democratic opening that a country is experiencing.
Guide to Trauma-Informed Approaches for Youth Empowerment
A practical guide (Sept 2024) for development practitioners with guidance and tools to support the mental well-being and resilience of youth through trauma-informed approaches (TIA) and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS). It translates SAMHSA’s six TIA principles and USAID’s Positive Youth Development (PYD) framework into concrete actions across assessment, design, implementation, and MEL—prioritizing safety, inclusion, and youth agency.
AI in Global Development Playbook
The AI in Global Development Playbook provides a roadmap for using trustworthy AI to drive sustainable development through good governance, collaboration, and practical guidance.
Democratic Leadership in Crisis Contexts: A Communication Guide
A practical guide for democratic leaders to apply transparent, inclusive, and accountable communication before, during, and after crises to build trust and safeguard democratic norms.
Feedback Loops Guide
The Feedback Loops Guide is a practical toolkit from NDI that helps local leaders design and implement two-way communication processes with citizens to improve trust, responsiveness, and decision-making in democratic governance.
The 5Rs Framework in the Program Cycle
This USAID Technical Note describes the 5Rs Framework and demonstrates how it can be applied to strengthen local systems and promote sustainability.
US Democracy Organizational Mapping
This is part of an ongoing research project to map out US based democracy organizational infrastructure.
Democracy Narratives in Action Resources
Advancing support for liberal democracy and more effectively countering authoritarian narratives and attacks on democratic principles and institutions requires evidence-based pro-democracy narratives. You can find the open access Democracy Narrative Research and Resources including:
• global and U.S. research reports
• narrative and message frameworks
• summaries with resources and non-technical language glossary
• updated narrative model and worksheets
• information on the Pro-Democracy Narrative Playbook
Rule of Law IDEAS CoLab
The Rule of Law IDEAS CoLab is an innovation hub reimagining justice. We design people-centered, data-driven solutions, offer practical tools and resources, and host the xUSAID Rule of Law Repository—all to help close the global justice gap and build trust in legal systems.
DECfinder: Preserving Development Knowledge for the Future
DECfinder gives you access to over 111,000+ curated documents from USAID’s Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC) — including evaluations, reports, and project insights from decades of U.S. development work around the world.
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