CDDRL News

Hakeem Jefferson, assistant professor of political science at Stanford, is at work on a new project that interrogates exactly how “homosociality” operates and shapes men’s political attitudes and social behaviors.

Miriam Golden presented her research in a CDDRL seminar on April 23, 2026.

Research Explores How Voter Capacity Shapes Democratic Outcomes

News April 27, 2026

Research Explores How Voter Capacity Shapes Democratic Outcomes

News April 27, 2026

Miriam Golden presents a new framework linking state capacity and fiscal capacity to reelection patterns across countries.

Simulating Gossip as a Means of Conveying Information and Boosting Cooperation

News April 24, 2026

Simulating Gossip as a Means of Conveying Information and Boosting Cooperation

News April 24, 2026

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

Peter Magyar, lead candidate of the Tisza party, speaks to supporters after the Tisza party won the parliamentary elections on April 12, 2026 in Budapest, Hungary.

Hungary’s 2026 Election Signals Democratic Shift

News April 20, 2026

Hungary’s 2026 Election Signals Democratic Shift

News April 20, 2026

Scholars Daniel Keleman and Hanna Folsz examine the defeat of Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz Party and the implications for Hungary and Europe.

Konstantin Sonin presented his research in a CDDRL seminar on April 9, 2026.

Why Authoritarian Governments Tell Obvious Lies

News April 20, 2026

Why Authoritarian Governments Tell Obvious Lies

News April 20, 2026

Professor Konstantin Sonin explores the power of misinformation in shaping public perception and political decision-making in a recent Rethinking European Development and Security (REDS) seminar.

Close-up of a person in a suit and red patterned tie using a smartphone, with a wristwatch visible on their left wrist.

Nationalist Tweets After Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

News April 17, 2026

Nationalist Tweets After Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

News April 17, 2026

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

Meet Our Researchers: Lisa Blaydes

Q&As April 14, 2026

Meet Our Researchers: Lisa Blaydes

Q&As April 14, 2026

Understanding how rulers, elites, and institutional incentives shape long-term political stability with Professor Lisa Blaydes.

Students from Stanford's Law and Policy Lab speak at a microphone

From Policy Lab to Proposed Federal Legislation

News April 10, 2026

From Policy Lab to Proposed Federal Legislation

News April 10, 2026

Working with Professor Diego Zambrano and the Neukom Center for the Rule of Law, Stanford Law and Policy Lab students helped shape a new proposed law to curb politically motivated lawsuits by foreign governments.

Vladimir Putin at a Victory Day rally in Moscow.

Putin’s Imperial Beliefs and Ambitions Explain the Russian Invasion

News April 9, 2026

Putin’s Imperial Beliefs and Ambitions Explain the Russian Invasion

News April 9, 2026

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

Didi Kuo presented her research in a CDDRL seminar on April 2, 2026.

In Advanced Democracies, Politics May Be Moving Beyond Policy

News April 8, 2026

In Advanced Democracies, Politics May Be Moving Beyond Policy

News April 8, 2026

Didi Kuo explores how non-programmatic competition is changing the relationship between voters, parties, and democratic institutions.

CDDRL Fisher Family Honors Class of 2027

CDDRL Welcomes Twelve Juniors to its Fisher Family Honors Program

News March 30, 2026

CDDRL Welcomes Twelve Juniors to its Fisher Family Honors Program

News March 30, 2026

The Class of 2026-27 will spend the next year and a half conducting original thesis research on democracy, development, and the rule of law — from post-Soviet privatization to the politics of interfaith marriage in India.

Mexico’s Rule of Law Reforms, Declines in Torture, and the Rise of Planted Evidence

News March 27, 2026

Mexico’s Rule of Law Reforms, Declines in Torture, and the Rise of Planted Evidence

News March 27, 2026

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

War, Elections, and Constitutional Crisis: Israel’s Democratic Debate in a Time of Conflict

News March 19, 2026

War, Elections, and Constitutional Crisis: Israel’s Democratic Debate in a Time of Conflict

News March 19, 2026

Constitutional scholar Masua Sagiv examines Israeli democracy, coalition politics, and institutional reform amid wartime pressures.

Beyond Gaza: How Regional Rivalries Are Reshaping the Israel–Hamas Conflict

News March 18, 2026

Beyond Gaza: How Regional Rivalries Are Reshaping the Israel–Hamas Conflict

News March 18, 2026

Oded Ailam examines Hamas, Iran, and shifting Middle East alliances in an Israel Insights webinar hosted by the Jan Koum Israel Studies Program.

Hannah Chapman presented her research in a CDDRL and TEC sponsored REDS Seminar on March 12, 2026.

The Information Paradox: Citizen Appeals and Authoritarian Governance in Russia

News March 16, 2026

The Information Paradox: Citizen Appeals and Authoritarian Governance in Russia

News March 16, 2026

Associate Professor Hannah Chapman explores how the rise of crises affects authoritarian regimes’ ability to gather information from their citizens in the context of Russia.

A room filled with lots of boxes and plants

Germans Who Move and Declines in Local Political Engagement

News March 16, 2026

Germans Who Move and Declines in Local Political Engagement

News March 16, 2026

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

Oliver Kaplan presented his research in a CDDRL seminar on February 19, 2026.

Assessing Labor Market Discrimination Against Ex-combatants

News March 12, 2026

Assessing Labor Market Discrimination Against Ex-combatants

News March 12, 2026

CDDRL Visiting Scholar Oliver Kaplan explores how stigma shapes hiring decisions for ex-combatants in Colombia and identifies ways education, reconciliation efforts, and employer incentives can reduce discrimination.

Antwerp, Belgium. A body of water with trees and a building in the background. Tayla Kohler / Unsplash

European Parties, Political Cleavages, and Environmental Action

News March 10, 2026

European Parties, Political Cleavages, and Environmental Action

News March 10, 2026

CDDRL Research-in-Brief [3.5-minute read]

Meet Our Researchers: James Goldgeier

News March 9, 2026

Meet Our Researchers: James Goldgeier

News March 9, 2026

Exploring U.S. foreign policy and the path to studying how major international decisions are made with Professor James Goldgeier.

Laia Balcells presented her research in a CDDRL seminar on March 5, 2026.

Do Transitional Justice Museums Change Minds?

News March 9, 2026

Do Transitional Justice Museums Change Minds?

News March 9, 2026

Georgetown scholar Laia Balcells's research finds that museums commemorating past atrocities can shift political attitudes — but the extent of that shift depends on context.

Smoke rises over buildings on March 3, 2026, in Tehran, Iran.

Six Takeaways on the War and the Arab World

News March 6, 2026

Six Takeaways on the War and the Arab World

News March 6, 2026

Scholars convened by the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law’s Program on Arab Reform and Development identify six ways the conflict is testing the limits of Arab states' alliances, economic ambitions, and prospects for reform.

Judea Pearl (R) in conversation with Amichai Magen (L) at the 2026 Daniel Pearl Memorial Lecture.

Judea Pearl Examines Coexistence, Sovereignty Among Israelis, Palestinians

News March 4, 2026

Judea Pearl Examines Coexistence, Sovereignty Among Israelis, Palestinians

News March 4, 2026

UCLA scholar reflects on history, legitimacy, and the prospects for two states at the Jan Koum Israel Studies Program’s annual Daniel Pearl Memorial Lecture.

Adrienne LeBas presented her research in a CDDRL seminar on February 27, 2026.

Social Intermediaries and Statebuilding

News March 3, 2026

Social Intermediaries and Statebuilding

News March 3, 2026

Adrienne LeBas explores whether social intermediaries with strong state capacity can help build tax revenue.

Ukrainian leaders worried for the country's future four years after Russia's initial invasion

“We will not give up”: Ukrainian leaders mark four years of resistance against Russian invasion

News February 25, 2026

“We will not give up”: Ukrainian leaders mark four years of resistance against Russian invasion

News February 25, 2026

Addressing the Bechtel Conference Center, leaders rejected the prospect of territorial concessions, saying that Ukrainians “will not give up” on their country.

People arrive to pay tribute at Maidan Square, where thousands of memorial flags are on display as a reminder of the toll of the war on February 24, 2025, in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Four Years After the Invasion, Ukrainian Leaders Build Foundations for Recovery

News February 23, 2026

Four Years After the Invasion, Ukrainian Leaders Build Foundations for Recovery

News February 23, 2026

From parliament to regional government to independent media, alumni of the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law’s Strengthening Ukrainian Democracy and Development Program are implementing reform initiatives under wartime conditions.