The global enterprise of civic education and voter education has reached a stage where, as a result of waves of effort by international foundations, it is difficult to separate the collaboration of organisations in the traditional South from that of those in the North.
Indeed much of the experimentation and innovation in civic education and voter education is being done in the South by domestic institutions. In parts of the world, this work is being financed by national budgets and local solidarity funds, but much of it is still being financed by international development aid.
There is, however, an increasing number of regional democracy and election funds, some in private hands and some established by regional inter-government organisations. But apart from attempts to create indigenous sources of funds, the flow of intellectual capacity through election observation missions, sharing of best practice, and the mobility of academics, NGO staff, civil servants and election administrators has meant that the international partnership for civic education and electoral support is not a simple flow of resources from the North to the South.
