EMBRACing changE: Overcoming obstacles and advancing democracy in the European Neighbourhood

拥抱分析了欧洲邻国民主化的障碍，确定了克服这些障碍的方法，并为促进欧盟民主(EUDP)提出了新的政策工具。“拥抱”评估了民主建设方面的发展，评估了欧盟发展方案的文书、抱负和概念。《拥抱》调查政治僵局和开放事件，以确定、分析和解释行为、体制和结构障碍，以及克服这些障碍的条件。拥抱对民主化轨迹的变化以及出现障碍的文化、历史和地缘政治背景很敏感。它还密切关注来自欧盟内部的障碍。Emcept调查了当地对改进欧盟发展方案的需求，并为欧盟发展方案从业人员和支持民主活动人士开发了新的政策工具(例如，数字平台、欧盟发展方案地图工具、欧盟发展方案最佳做法集、政策文件、视频剪辑、播客、培训网络研讨会)。阿韦恩的实证研究方法结合了定量的大n和定性的中n比较研究策略。从数量上分析了所有23个邻国在过去20年中欧盟发展计划的更大趋势及其对民主化的影响。从定性上讲，《拥抱》调查了东欧、南高加索、西巴尔干、北非和中东的12个选定国家的僵局和开放事件。系统地将区域内和区域间的比较包含在了研究设计和WP结构中。在数据收集和分析方面，位于欧盟和非欧盟国家的财团合作伙伴联手合作。六个利益攸关方委员会监督整个研究过程，确保考虑到当地的需要和叙述。在这样做的过程中，拥抱为欧盟提供了深入的知识和创新的政策工具包，加强了为建立稳定和安全的欧洲邻国而建立的伙伴关系，并激励有韧性的政治行为者接受民主改革。

EMBRACE analyses blockages to democratisation in the European neighbourhood, identifies ways to overcome them and suggests new policy tools for EU democracy promotion (EUDP). EMBRACE takes stock of developments in democracy-building, assessing EUDP instruments, ambitions and concepts. EMBRACE investigates episodes of political deadlock and opening to identify, analyse and explain behavioural, institutional and structural blockages, and the conditions under which they can be overcome. EMBRACE is sensitive to variation in democratisation trajectories, and the cultural, historical, and geopolitical context in which blockages emerge. It also keeps an eye on the blockages from within the EU. EMBRACE surveys the local needs for an improved EUDP and develops new policy tools (e.g. digital platform, EUDP mapping tool, EUDP best-practices collection, policy papers, video clips, podcasts, training webinars) for EUDP practitioners and pro-democracy activists. EMBRACE’s approach to empirical research combines a quantitative large-n with a qualitative middle-n comparative research strategy. Quantitatively, EMBRACE analyses the larger trends of EUDP and its effects on democratisation over the last two decades in all 23 neighbours. Qualitatively, EMBRACE investigates episodes of deadlock and opening from 12 selected countries in Eastern Europe, South Caucasus, Western Balkans, Northern Africa and the Middle East. Intraand cross-regional comparison is systematically included in EMBRACE’s research design and WP structure. For data collection and analysis, consortium partners located in EU- and in non-EU countries team up. Six stakeholder committees monitor the entire research process assuring that local needs and narratives are considered. In doing so, EMBRACE provides the EU with in-depth knowledge and an innovative policy toolkit enhancing partnerships for a stable and secure European neighbourhood, and incentivising resilient political actors to embrace democratic change.