Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law is housed in the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
Democracy promotion
Scholarly Publications
Policy Coherence and Incoherence: The Domestic Politics of American Democracy Promotion
December 2005
This paper argues that it is difficult to understand the effects of American democracy promotion abroad without examining the bureaucratic context from which the policy emerges at home.
Democratization in Postcommunist Europe: Illiberal Regimes and the Leverage of International Actors
September 2006
The European Union (EU) may be presiding over the most successful democracy promotion program ever implemented by an international actor.
Engaging Autocratic Allies to Promote Democracy
April 2006
The democracy-promotion toolbox has been filled for more than two decades with various standard assistance programs, including technical support for reforming government agencies; training for...
Other Publications
How to Look Credible in Promoting Liberty
June 2003
George W. Bush wants Americans and the world to believe that the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime two months ago represented a defeat for tyranny and a victory for liberty.
Should Democracy Be Promoted or Demoted?
January 2007
Francis Fukuyama and Michael McFaul present an argument for continued American efforts to promote democracy and a plan to strengthen policy tools for those efforts.
News
Twenty-seven Stanford Summer Fellows on Democracy and Development announced for 2007
May 2007
The Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) at Stanford University is pleased to announce its new class of Stanford Summer Fellows on Democracy and Development.
Larry Diamond releases a new book, The Spirit of Democracy: The Struggle to Build Free Societies Throughout the World
January 2008
In his new book, The Spirit of Democracy: The Struggle to Build Free Societies Throughout the World (Times Books 2008), Larry Diamond intensely scrutinizes the global effort on democracy promotion.
Afghanistan at Halftime
September 2005
In a recent op ed, CDDRL's J. Alexander Thier discusses Afghanistan's landmark September 2005 elections.
Old Events
Why being resource poor helps post-war development
October 23, 2007
Desha is a doctoral candidate at Stanford, where she researches the effects of international organizations on local institution-building.
Political Reform in the Middle East: How Far Is It Going?
April 27, 2005
Marina S. Ottaway specializes in democracy and post-conflict reconstruction issues.
Projects
Program on Democracy - Completed
In the past three decades, the number of democracies in the world has tripled, and democracy has become the only broadly legitimate form of government.
English
Transitions to Democracy
Do international factors, including democracy promotion policies of Western actors, play a significant role in encouraging or discouraging transitions to democracy?
English
Reorganizing U.S. Government Democracy Promotion Efforts Project
What could be done to improve the United States government's efforts to promote democracy abroad? Project participants were asked to assess various policy options and generate candid analysis and...
English
Multimedia
Mikhail Khodorkovsky: Russia: Back to the Future
April 2015
On April 13, 2015, Stanford's Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) welcomed former Russian businessman and political prisoner Mikhail Khodorkovsky as he presented his talk, Russia: Back to the Future. Mr.
The Paradoxes of Political Aid in the Arab World
May 2015
AbstractEuropean and US-based scholars and practitioners have debated the purposes and sometimes the (limited) macro-effects of programs designed to promote transitions from authoritarianism to democracy in Middle East countries.
The Tunisian Transition and the Challenge of Youth Alienation
April 2015
AbstractSocial and economic grievances of Tunisian youth played a major role in igniting the uprising in Tunisia, and more generally, the so-called Arab Spring.
People
Michael A. McFaul Director, Senior Fellow Professor, Political Science, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution 
Francis Fukuyama Senior Fellow Director, Ford Dorsey Master's in International Policy, Professor, by courtesy, Political Science 
