Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law is housed in the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
Rule of Law
Scholarly Publications
Liberalism and Its Discontents
A short book about the challenges to liberalism from the right and the left by the bestselling author of The Origins of Political Order.
Engaging, Empowering, and Enabling Youth to Lead Social Action in the Favelas of Rio de Janeiro
January 2020
This study is the result of over four years of active collaboration between the Poverty, Violence and Governance Lab (PovGov) and the Rio-based NGO Agency for Youth Networks (hereafter, Agency)....
The Meaning and Limits of Freedom of Expression in Lebanon: Publications Court Jurisprudence on Freedom of Expression vs. Defamation
November 2016
AbstractIn light of the legal issues raised by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) trial (April to June 2015) against the Lebanese Al-Jadeed television on charges of contempt of court and...
Other Publications
Gifford Pinchot and Sustainable Forest Management
April 2015
The year was 1909, and Gifford Pinchot, Chief Forester of the United States, faced a terrible personal dilemma. He had discovered a pattern of corruption in the sale of public lands to developers...
Conference Report: Trans-Pacific Partnership [Oct. 2013]
January 2014
On Oct. 11-12, 2013, the Taiwan Democracy Project convened a conference on “The Trans-Pacific Partnership and Taiwan’s Future Development Strategy” at Stanford.
News
CDDRL Honors Aluma Named Knight-Hennessy Scholar
May 2022
Carson Smith (honors class of 2018-19) is among 70 scholars in the Knight-Hennessy Scholars' fifth cohort.
The Legacy of January 6
January 2022
On the first anniversary of the riot at the U.S. Capitol, scholars from across FSI reflect on the ongoing ramifications the violence is having on America's domestic politics and international...
Larry Diamond Named Mosbacher Senior Fellow in Global Democracy at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
December 2021
CDDRL’s Larry Diamond, a world-renowned expert on comparative democracy, is recognized for a career of impact on students, policymakers and democratic activists around the world.
Old Events
Fisher Family CDDRL Honors Program Information Session AY 22-23
December 1, 2021
The Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) will be accepting applications from eligible juniors on who are interested in writing their senior thesis on a subject touching...
Why is Osman Kavala in jail? Law, politics and human rights in Turkey
September 15, 2021
Osman Kavala, a Turkish philanthropist and civil society leader, has been in jail for four years without conviction.
Rebuilding the Rule of Law with Religion
August 12, 2021
About the Seminar: Mark Fathi Massoud will discuss his new book, Shari‘a, Inshallah: Finding God in Somali Legal Politics (Cambridge University Press 2021).
Projects
CDDRL Special Events
The CDDRL special events draw scholars and practitioners to the Center to comment on the most relevant and timely topics impacting the field of democracy, development, and the rule of law.
English
Leadership Academy for Development
Program Overview | Background and Rationale | Training Program | Curriculum | Case Studies | Partnership | LAD Around the World | Lectures | Student Testimonials | Interviews |...
English
Program on Social Entrepreneurship
"Transforming ripples into waves of transformational change across the world" Vision: The Program on Social Entrepreneurship at Stanford's Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law...
English
Multimedia
Syria Today, Syria Tomorrow: Politics, Security, and Society
November 2015
Abstract: The Syrian crisis continues to grind on without a viable settlement to the conflict in sight.
People
Lanhee J. Chen Affiliate, CDDRL David and Diane Steffy Fellow in American Public Policy Studies, Hoover Institution, Director of Domestic Policy Studies and Lecturer, Public Policy Program 
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 
Nathaniel Persily Co-director, Cyber Policy Center, Senior Fellow Professor, Law, Professor, by courtesy, Political Science, Professor, by courtesy, Communication 