DAL News

Banner graphic with a weathered American flag background — stars fading into stripes in red, white, and blue — reading 'Reimagining Democracy: A Weekly Series Featuring Stanford Scholars' in bold black text.

From Budapest to Brasília: What Brings Democracies Back

News October 23, 2026

From Budapest to Brasília: What Brings Democracies Back

News October 23, 2026

In a recent session of Stanford Continuing Studies’ "Reimagining Democracy" series, Anna Grzymala-Busse and Alberto Díaz-Cayeros compared Europe and Latin America and reached a shared conclusion: democracy can recover from illiberal rule, but only where it delivers for citizens and voters keep showing up.

A diagonal split image in duotone. On the left, an aerial view of Serbia’s National Assembly in Belgrade in grey; on the right, in red, a nighttime crowd at Slavija Square holding up phone lights.

A Student Movement Takes On a Captured State in Serbia’s Election

News October 22, 2026

A Student Movement Takes On a Captured State in Serbia’s Election

News October 22, 2026

Raša Nedeljkov, Dragana Žarković Obradović, and Gazela Pudar Draško explained the deeply unequal conditions under which Serbia’s October 25 election is taking place, and how a student-led movement has built an unusual challenge to the ruling party.

Property damage to the National Congress building, invaded January 8, 2023, by Bolsonaro supporters.

Brazil's Democratic Pact Is on the Brink of Collapse

Commentary October 12, 2026

Brazil's Democratic Pact Is on the Brink of Collapse

Commentary October 12, 2026

Natália Neris and Sami Sternberg, representatives of Pacto pela Democracia, an inaugural participant in DAL’s Democracy Garage, argue that whoever wins the October 25 runoff, Brazil’s democratic pact faces its gravest threat since the 1988 Constitution was enacted.

A man in a Colombian football jersey casts his vote in the presidential election on May 31, 2026, in Bogotá, Colombia.

What a DAL Panel Got Right About Colombia's Election — and What It Didn't See Coming

News September 21, 2026

What a DAL Panel Got Right About Colombia's Election — and What It Didn't See Coming

News September 21, 2026

Convened one day after the first round, four scholars forecast a referendum on Petro's presidency and a system running out of patience. The vote that followed was far closer than their models predicted.

Illustration of diverse young activists emerging from a garage carrying books and a raised-fist flag, with a network of connected stars overhead, symbolizing the Democracy Garage.

Democracy Action Lab Launches First Cohort of the Democracy Garage

News September 15, 2026

Democracy Action Lab Launches First Cohort of the Democracy Garage

News September 15, 2026

The first democracy accelerator of its kind in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Hector Fuentes presented at LASA via Zoom as Beatriz Magaloni and Kim Juarez looked on.

Democracy Action Lab Brings Research and Practice to LASA2026 in Paris

Blogs June 8, 2026

Democracy Action Lab Brings Research and Practice to LASA2026 in Paris

Blogs June 8, 2026

The DAL delegation presented on public opinion, the Democracy Garage, and Venezuela, and strengthened ties with its Academic Consortium over dinner in Paris.

Alberto Vergara addresses a largely student audience at Stanford during his talk on democratic hollowing on May 15, 2026.

Scholar Traces Peru's Decade of Political Instability to "Democratic Hollowing"

News June 1, 2026

Scholar Traces Peru's Decade of Political Instability to "Democratic Hollowing"

News June 1, 2026

Political scientist Alberto Vergara argues Peru's crisis stems not from a power grab, but from the dissolution of power itself.

Beatriz Magaloni interviews a voter on April 12, election day, at a polling station in the province of Anta, Cusco. Several interviews were conducted that same day inside and outside polling stations in this southern Andean region.

Colonialism, Extractivism, and Institutional Fragility Shaped the Elections in Peru

Blogs May 29, 2026

Colonialism, Extractivism, and Institutional Fragility Shaped the Elections in Peru

Blogs May 29, 2026

A Democracy Action Lab fieldwork mission to Lima and Cusco around Peru's first-round 2026 election finds a democracy whose deepest fractures predate the ballot.

Dr. Beatriz Magaloni (right) meets with members of the Afro-Descendant Farmers’ Association of María la Baja (ASOCAAFRO) in Colombia’s Caribbean region.

Elections in the Shadow of Violence: Democratic Resilience in Colombia

Blogs May 19, 2026

Elections in the Shadow of Violence: Democratic Resilience in Colombia

Blogs May 19, 2026

Reflecting on a Democracy Action Lab fieldwork mission to Bogotá and the Caribbean coast in the run-up to Colombia's 2026 electoral cycle.

Prof. Adam Prezworski, Prof. Beatriz Magaloni, and Prof. Alberto Díaz Cayeros present during DAL’s Inaugural Conference at El Colegio de Mexico.

Stanford’s Democracy Action Lab Launches in Mexico City

Blogs May 8, 2026

Stanford’s Democracy Action Lab Launches in Mexico City

Blogs May 8, 2026

The new initiative from the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law connects research with frontline efforts to address democratic backsliding across Latin America.

man holds a portrait of nicolas maduro during a march

Venezuela After Maduro, Explained

News January 9, 2026

Venezuela After Maduro, Explained

News January 9, 2026

A Democracy Action Lab panel weighed competing scenarios for Venezuela’s political future amid elite continuity, economic crisis, and international intervention.

Meet Our Researchers: María Ignacia Curiel

News November 24, 2025

Meet Our Researchers: María Ignacia Curiel

News November 24, 2025

Tracing paths from political violence to democratic participation with CDDRL Research Scholar María Ignacia Curiel.

The Fragility and Appeal of Authoritarianism in El Salvador

News November 21, 2025

The Fragility and Appeal of Authoritarianism in El Salvador

News November 21, 2025

CDDRL Research-in-Brief [4-minute read]

Political scientists emphasize need for pro-democracy coalitions at launch of Democracy Action Lab

News October 23, 2025

Political scientists emphasize need for pro-democracy coalitions at launch of Democracy Action Lab

News October 23, 2025

Political science scholars discussed strengthening pro-democracy coalitions in a Wednesday event marking the launch of CDDRL’s new Democracy Action Lab.

Wall plastered with posters and graffiti text reading "DEMOCRACY NOW"

Stanford Launches New Democracy Action Lab to Confront Global Democratic Backsliding

News October 21, 2025

Stanford Launches New Democracy Action Lab to Confront Global Democratic Backsliding

News October 21, 2025

By combining rigorous research with practitioner collaborations, the Democracy Action Lab at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law turns ideas into action.

Lilian Tintori, Waleed Shawky, and Gulika Reddy

Confronting Repression: Strategies for Supporting Political Prisoners

News August 8, 2025

Confronting Repression: Strategies for Supporting Political Prisoners

News August 8, 2025

A panel discussion featuring 2025 Fisher Family Summer Fellows Lilian Tintori and Waleed Shawky, along with Gulika Reddy, Director of the International Human Rights and Conflict Resolution Clinic at Stanford Law School, explored the human cost of political imprisonment, the barriers advocates face, and the strategies available to combat them.