Delivering on Democracy

Helping democratic institutions deliver improvements to citizens’ lives is an overarching objective of CDG programs. In many transitioning democracies, citizens have experienced either minor or no tangible benefits from their new governments: In Somalia/land this become a common challenge of peacebuilding and state-building, poverty levels have remained the same; government services remain ineffective or have disconnected from their governments. Government leaders who fail to deliver basic levels of stability, safety, and opportunity risk losing their legitimacy. When they fail to deliver on basic needs for prolonged periods, their poor performance can lead to a crisis of legitimacy not just for particular governments, but for the concept of democracy as a viable form of government.