In authoritarian contexts, the reality is that, when they amass sufficient power, they may attract the attention of the regime. However, the objective is to ensure that, when that time comes, they are sufficiently robust, connected and politicised to serve as a new arena for resistance. But how do we identify PoDs? PoDs do not announce themselves. They emerge subtly in everyday struggles and are often‘invisible’ when the environment is scanned through the formal political lens and traditional tools of analysis. They do not identify as democratic actors. Nor do they usually conform to the institutional and organisational norms that have become standard in the mainstream civil society or political spaces. Instead, they emerge organically, shaped by social and economic struggles, organised out of necessity and driven by their immediate needs defined by present material conditions. In other words, their organisation is not based on formality, but on function. These pockets can be found in unlikely places, such as a cooperative of women traders that rotates its leadership, a youth network deliberating on urban safety, or a group of farmers deciding together how to use a communal irrigation scheme. They are often found at the margins of society, in sites of everyday struggle, ranging from big cities to townships, peri-urban communities and rural peripheries. Identifying these PoDs requires an open mind and a willingness to reimagine where democratic agency takes place. For a long time, this has occurred silently outside of mainstream civic and political spaces. Over time, the characteristics of spaces defined as‘Pockets of Democracy’ have become discernible through the implementation of the concept. These characteristics are innate to the pockets and can be cultivated and amplified through various interventions. It is important to understand that, in this context, a PoD is defined by the characteristics it already possesses, rather than its potential to achieve these indicators. These indicators enable democracy actors to distinguish PoDs from other forms of organisation and determine whether a space is worth investing in. For a space to qualify as a PoD, according to the definition of the term, it must exhibit all of the following indicators: → Democratically self-organised: People come together voluntarily in PoDs, where they collectively define their structure, processes, and goals. Leadership emerges from within through democratic means and is accountable to the group. Decision-making is participatory, and mechanisms for dialogue, consensus or voting are employed, even if informally. These must be internally defined, reflecting the community’s own commitment, and not be externally imposed. → Organised around social and economic interests: PoDs are always embedded in the everyday social and economic interests of their members. They revolve around shared needs, common struggles or collective aspirations tied to livelihood, survival or dignity. PoDs are rarely organised for civic or political purposes. In fact, spaces that are specifically organised to pursue civic interests do not meet our definition of a PoD. They are organised around the everyday concerns of their members, such as food, education, informal trade, health, labour, climate and housing, which are not necessarily political. These everyday issues serve as powerful entry points for civic engagement. This connection to social and economic struggles lends PoDs legitimacy and durability. → Defined membership and shared goals: A PoD is a group with a defined membership or a group of people with shared struggles, identity, common interests or collective agenda. It is not a loose‘catch-all’ space for people with unrelated interests. Rather, its defining characteristic as a pocket is the clarity and specificity of its purpose, which is usually narrowly defined around the social or economic pursuit that unites its members. This could be a women’s farming cooperative, an association of informal traders, or a radio station serving a specific community. The members are not beneficiaries or a constituency for an agenda, but rather the owners and drivers of the space who exercise their own agency. → Demonstrable self-sustainability and long-term resilience: Resilience is a hallmark of a real pocket. Genuine PoDs have a demonstrable capacity and track record of sustaining themselves without external intervention. The staying power and resilience exhibited by the pocket are amongst its most important characteristics. Its ability to adapt and endure, especially in hostile or shifting contexts, signals its authenticity and democratic potential. PoDs survive not because they are externally resourced, but because they are needed and supported by the communities they serve. Due to their rootedness, they can weather repression, resource scarcity and shifts in context. They draw on local knowledge and internal systems of support and solidarity. A PoD demonstrates: - the ability to mobilise internal resources(time, skills, materials, and finances); - continued functionality, with or without external support, including after support ends or when political pressure increases; and - the capacity to self-correct, resolve internal disputes and maintain cohesion over time. Pockets of Democracy: ideas for democracy support in constrained contexts 7