Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law is housed in the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
Trade
Scholarly Publications
Chinese Influence & American Interests: Promoting Constructive Vigilance
December 2018
For three and a half decades following the end of the Maoist era, China adhered to Deng Xiaoping’s policies of “reform and opening to the outside world” and “peaceful development.” After Deng...
The Slave Trade and the Origins of International Human Rights Law
December 2011
From Oxford University Press: There is a broad consensus among scholars that the idea of human rights was a product of the Enlightenment but that a self-conscious and broad-based human rights...
Human Rights for the 21st Century: Sovereignty, Civil Society, Culture
December 2009
A new moral, ethical, and legal framework is needed for international human rights law.
Other Publications
Facilitating Trade through Effective Border Control: Costa Rica's Challenging Reform Agenda
April 2015
Peñas Blancas, the border post where all overland commerce passed between Costa Rica and Central American countries to the north, was infamously slow and exceedingly congested.
Customs Reform in Indonesia
April 2015
This case describes the Indonesian government’s decision to combat systemic corruption and enhance efficiency in the customs service by “outsourcing” the customs inspections function to a foreign...
Getting Special Economic Zones to Work in Tanzania
March 2015
Tanzania spent years trying to attract foreign investment using Special Economic Zones (SEZs).
News
The Role of Corruption in China's Speedy, Risky Boom
May 2021
Is corruption the reason behind China's booming economy? Professor Yuen Yuen Ang explains its role in China's massive economic growth.
When Beijing Goes to Washington: Autocratic Lobbying Influence in Democracies
April 2021
Professor Erin Baggot Carter tells us how autocratic lobbying affects political outcomes and media coverage in democracies.
Where's Taiwan on the Trans-Pacific Partnership?
October 2015
With the announcement on Monday that an agreement has been reached on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the controversial trade accord is in the news all across Asia this week.
Events
When Beijing Goes to Washington: Autocratic Lobbying Influence in Democracies
September 23, 2020
This is a virtual event. Please click here to register and generate a link to the talk. The link will be unique to you; please save it and do not share with others.
U.S.-China Rivalry and the Origins of Taiwan's Developmental State
October 1, 2017
Abstract Scholars have credited a model of state-led capitalism called the developmental state with producing the first wave of the East Asian economic miracle.
Special Event: Party Politics and Cross-Strait Relations in Taiwan after the 2016 Elections
August 20, 2017
For this special theme panel, the Taiwan Democracy Project has invited presentations that examine important changes in Taiwan’s party politics and cross-Strait relations since the election of...
Multimedia
Taiwan and the TPP: A Re-Evaluation
April 2016
This half-day symposium brought together scholars and practitioners to reconsider Taiwan's prospects for entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership in light of the conclusion of negotiations in October 2015 and the election of a new president and...
People
Saumitra Jha Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Research Affiliate at the Center for Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, Associate Professor of Political Economy, GSB Senior Fellow, SIEPR 
Michael Bennon Research Scholar, CDDRL Program Manager, Global Infrastructure Policy Research Initiative