Annika Silva-Leander is Senior Programme Manager in the Democracy Assessment (DA) Unit, and lead author of International IDEA’s Global State of Democracy Report. The unit also produces the annually updated Global State of Democracy Indices and the EU-co-funded COVID-19 Global Monitor on Democracy and Human Rights.

Until May 2021, Silva-Leander was the Head of the Democracy Assessment unit. Prior to that (2015 to 2018), she was the Senior Adviser to the Secretary-General of International IDEA. Prior to joining International IDEA, Silva-Leander worked for 10 years as a Social Development Specialist at the World Bank in Washington D.C., in Indonesia and in Cambodia. During that time, she conducted analytical work and managed projects on civic engagement and participation, social accountability in governance and service delivery contexts, community-driven development, poverty reduction with marginalized groups and in social protection and public health. She has also done various assignments for UN institutions, including UNICEF and UNDP.

Prior to the World Bank, Silva-Leander worked as a Programme Manager at the AVINA Foundation’s regional office in Costa Rica. She has experience from working in Latin America, South and South-East Asia and Africa.

Her research has focused on civic engagement in governance and democratization processes, civil society participation in anti-corruption reform, and social development.

Her doctoral thesis analyzed the role of non governmental organizations in anti-corruption reform in Indonesia. Silva-Leander is Swedish-Chilean.

You can follow Annika on her Twitter account: @AnnikaSilva