Taking the pulse of democracy around the globe

Bruno Kaufmann, swissinfo.ch's global democracy correspondent, has just returned from his 200-day "modern democracy" world tour. In his backpack: fascinating stories and challenging insights.

During his travels over five continents, the Swedish-Swiss democracy reporter met activists, campaigners for independence, local journalists and Buddhist monks, as well as mayors, diplomats, curious border officials and many other interesting people in 100 cities of 20 countries.

Academics and the media may be debating the worldwide decline of democratic practices, but Kaufmann found plenty of evidence to the contrary: a world full of encouraging developments and little-known achievements.

In most cases, while national entities are often struggling, democratic progress is visible in cities and provinces. Go local (and regional) to win a global approach to modern democracy, Kaufmann says. 

Retrace his 200-day voyage by clicking on some of the 20 stops.