Welcome to “Transitions”

Welcome to "Transitions," the Democracy Lab blog. As the title suggests, we aim to use this space to tell the story of political and economic change experienced by nations around the world as they strive toward greater freedom and prosperity. It’s a story of great complexity, and it rarely follows clean, straight lines. But our contributors — respected journalists and experts from around the world — have the advantage of being able to tell it from the inside.

The continuing saga of the Arab Awakening still holds the world’s attention, of course, and we’ll follow it through the eyes of Mohamed El Dahshan, an Egyptian development economist who also tracks events in Tunisia and elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa region.

But we shouldn’t forget other parts of the world that are going through their own transformations. One of the most dramatic is taking place in Burma (aka Myanmar), where long years of harsh military rule are gradually giving way to greater openness. Min Zin, a Burmese political scientist and writer now contemplating a return to his home country after long years in exile, will report for us on what’s happening there.

Transitions come in a variety of flavors. Venezuela faces a crucial presidential election this year, and journalist Francisco Toro and economics professor Juan Cristóbal Nagel are perfectly positioned to document the twists and turns to come. Jakarta-based journalist Endy Bayuni will write about the continuing travails of Indonesia’s vibrant yet fragile democracy. And writer Jackee Budesta Batanda and development expert Denis Barnabas will keep us up to date on the drama of Uganda’s struggle to reconcile the need for stability and growth with the search for a liberal society. This is an agenda-free space. Our writers will call it as they see it. But nor they can be pretend to being completely disinterested in the outcome. These are their countries, and this is their story to tell. We hope you enjoy the ride.