The report was prepared as part of an Applied Research Project of the Geneva Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, commissioned by the International Publishers Association.

The report considers the freedom to publish situation in 22 countries across 6 continents and underlines the marked evolution from the State as censor to a collection of levers that can be used by a range of actors interested in restricting the freedom to publish and ultimately resulting in structural constraint and self-censorship.

While using existing data and indices, the report does not clasify the countries or provide an index, rather it presents a framework of markers, four diagnostic lenses through which publishing environments can be assessed:

  1. Legal Environment
  2. Political Climate
  3. Structural Enabling Conditions
  4. The Gap Between Formal and Substantive Freedom

Among the key findings of the report:

  • Self-censorship is everywhere: It can be anticipatory or reactive as well as market-driven. The end result is works that do not make it to the page or the reader, in the absence of any court order.
  • Child protection is the most versatile framework for restrictions: Protecting children is often used to restrict the freedom to publish or the freedom to read while other political objectives are in play to target LGBTQI+ representation, sexuality and material that challenges prevailing ideological norms.
  • Literacy and reading culture as part of a general infrastructural framework: In the absence of a strong reading public, it is difficult to see the freedom to publish exist in any meaningful way.
  • The report concludes that formal protections are necessary, but far from sufficient. It presents the essential variable in characterizing any publishing environment as the widening divide between legal permission and practical feasibility.

Read the full report here