Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law is housed in the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
Center on Democracy, Development and 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.
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.
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.
News & Events
News
The War in Ukraine Will Continue to Evolve. Here's How.
November 28, 2022
Explore the Lives and Shared Legacy of Coretta Scott and Martin Luther King, Jr. with Clayborne Carson
November 23, 2022
Good to Be Back Again: Reflections on the 2022 Leadership Network for Change Reunion
November 15, 2022
What to make of the 2022 midterm results and what it might mean for 2024
November 11, 2022
Events
Tue
Dec
6
12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
Local Leaders, Dispute Arbitration, & Violence in Nigeria
Virtual to Public. Only those with an active Stanford ID with access to E008 in Encina Hall may attend in person.
Tue
Jan
10
12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
Classless Politics: Islamist Movements, the Left, and Authoritarian Legacies in Egypt
Virtual to Public. Only those with an active Stanford ID with access to E008 in Encina Hall may attend in person.
Tue
Jan
17
12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
Urbanization, City Size, and Public Services
Virtual to Public. Only those with an active Stanford ID with access to E008 in Encina Hall may attend in person.
Wed
Jan
18
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Fisher Family CDDRL Honors Program Information Session AY 23-24
Encina Ground Floor Conference Room E008, Encina Hall, Ground Floor, East Wing
Spotlight
American Democracy and the 2022 Midterm Elections
Robert G. Wesson Lecture: Facing Autocracy, a Global Challenge
Russia's Invasion of Ukraine: What it Means and Why You Should Care
Books and Publications by Our Faculty
Liberalism and Its Discontents
Francis Fukuyama
System Error
Rob Reich, Mehran Sahami, and Jeremy M. Weinstein
Russia Resurrected
Kathryn Stoner
How to Make Love to a Despot
Stephen D. Krasner
Ill Winds
Larry Diamond
Clientelism, Capitalism, and Democracy
Didi Kuo
State of Repression
Lisa Blaydes
Political Logic of Poverty Relief
Alberto Díaz-Cayeros, Beatriz Magaloni, and Federico Estévez
Explore More
Democracy IRL Podcast
Listen on Spotify or iTunes
Newsletter
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