Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law
CENTER ON DEMOCRACY, DEVELOPMENT AND THE RULE OF LAW
Bridging the worlds of scholarship and practice to understand and foster the conditions for effective representative governance, promote balanced and sustainable economic growth, and establish the rule of law.
The Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) at Stanford University is an interdisciplinary center for research on development in all of its dimensions: political, economic, social, and legal, and the ways in which these different dimensions interact with one another. We seek to understand how countries can overcome poverty, instability, and abusive rule to become prosperous, just, democratic, and well-governed societies. We also want to analyze the ways in which democracy and development can be threatened by the authoritarian resurgence, technology, populism, and the broader process of globalization.
What We Do
Research
The Center's research agenda is comprised of programs that explore some of the most intractable problems and most exciting innovations in the study of development and democracy.
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Education
We welcome undergrad and graduate students, as well as post-docs in two major programs: the Fisher Family Undergraduate Honors Program and Pre- and Post-Doctoral Fellowship Program.
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Training
Our practitioner-based training programs engage emerging civic leaders and social entrepreneurs who are working to achieve or deepen democracy and social justice in some of the most challenging environments around the world.
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Events & News
News
https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/11/four-stanford-students-named-2025-rho…"
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Kate Tully Among Four Stanford Students Named 2025 Rhodes Scholars
https://knight-hennessy.stanford.edu/news/traveling-turkey-ayca-alemdaroglu"
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Traveling Turkey with Ayça Alemdaroğlu
https://stanforddaily.com/2024/11/04/scholars-on-middle-east-authoritarianism/"
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Stanford experts detail democratic decline, authoritarian trends in the Middle East
Events
Thu
Nov
21
Thu
Dec
05
Thu
Jan
09
10:00 AM - 11:15 AM
Seminars
Thu
Jan
16
12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Seminars
Spotlight
The Autocratic Challenge to Liberal Democracy and the Future of Global Development
American Democracy and the 2022 Midterm Elections
Russia's Invasion of Ukraine: What it Means and Why You Should Care
Books and Publications by Our Faculty
ISIS in Iraq
Munqith Dagher, Karl Kaltenthaler, Michele Gelfand, Arie Kruglanksi, and Ian McCulloh
Struggles for Political Change in the Arab World
Lisa Blaydes, Amr Hamzawy, and Hesham Sallam
Political Logic of Poverty Relief
Alberto Díaz-Cayeros, Beatriz Magaloni, and Federico Estévez