It is our pleasure to announce the publication of two new Research and Innovation Grants Working Papers produced under IIE’s Democracy Fellows and Grants (DFG) program, funded by USAID. 

Legitimacy Deficits in Colombia's Peace Talks: Elites, Trust, and Support for Transitional Justice—produced by Georgia State University researchers Ryan E. Carlin, Jennifer L. McCoy, and Jelena Subotic—examines how public perceptions of justice for war crimes vary across Colombia, and how those perceptions can be influenced to achieve a sustainable, negotiated peace as Colombia moves forward from the peace deal reached in September 2015.

 

Value for Money in Purchasing Votes? Vote-buying and Voter Behavior in the Laboratory—produced by researchers Jessica Leight at Williams College, Rohini Pande at Harvard University, and Laura Ralston at the World Bank—examines how vote-buying influences voter decisions in the ballot box and voter willingness to tolerate other corrupt behavior of the vote-buying politician.

These papers are the first of several in the DFG Research and Innovation Grants Working Papers Series, which is part of USAID’s work to bring the very best theory, evidence, and practical guidance to inform strategic planning and project design in the democracy, human rights, and governance sector. More papers in this series will be published throughout 2016, and made available on the USAID Democracy Fellows and Grants Program’s website throughout 2016. The Institute of International Education (IIE) manages USAID’s Democracy Fellows and Grants Program under a five-year cooperative agreement with USAID’s Center of Excellence on Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG Center).