The Fisher Family Summer Fellows on Democracy and Development Program at Stanford University's Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law is now accepting applications for our summer 2026 program. The deadline to apply is 11:59 pm PST on Thursday, January 15, 2026.

The program brings together an annual cohort of approximately 30 mid-career practitioners from countries in political transition who are working to advance democratic practices and enact economic and legal reform to promote human development. Launched by CDDRL in 2005, the program was previously known as the Draper Hills Summer Fellows Program. The new name reflects an endowment gift from the Fisher family — Sakurako (Sako), ‘82, and William (Bill), MBA ‘84 — that secures the future of this important and impactful program.

From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, our program participants are selected from among hundreds of applicants every year for the significant contributions they have already made to their societies and their potential to make an even greater impact with some help from Stanford. We aim to give them the opportunity to join a global network of over 500 alumni from 97 countries who have all faced similar sets of challenges in bringing change to their countries.

The Fisher Family Summer Fellows Program provides an intensive 3-week on-campus forum for civil society leaders to exchange experiences and receive academic and policy training to enrich their knowledge and advance their work. Delivered by a leading Stanford faculty team composed of Michael McFaul, Kathryn Stoner, Francis Fukuyama, Larry Diamond, Erik Jensen, and more, the program allows emerging and established global leaders to explore new institutional models and frameworks to enhance their ability to promote good governance, accountable politics, and find new ways to achieve economic development in their home countries.

Prospective fellows from Ukraine are also invited to apply for our Strengthening Ukrainian Democracy and Development (SU-DD) Program, which runs concurrently with the Fisher Family Summer Fellows Program. The SU-DD program provides a unique opportunity for mid-career practitioners working on well-defined projects aimed at strengthening Ukrainian democracy, enhancing human development, and promoting good governance. Applicants to the SU-DD program will use the Fisher Family Summer Fellows Program application portal to apply and indicate their interest there. You will then be directed to a series of supplemental questions specific to the SU-DD program, including requiring a detailed description of your proposed project.

In 2025, the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) celebrated the 20th year of its Fisher Family Summer Fellows on Democracy and Development Program. This summer, 27 democracy leaders from across the developing world convened at Stanford for an intensive three-week training focused on democracy, good governance, and rule of law reform. Chosen from a highly competitive applicant pool, the fellows represent a diverse range of professional backgrounds and geographical regions, spanning civil society, public service, social enterprise, media, and technology. Launched in 2005, the program was previously known as the Draper Hills Summer Fellows Program. It was renamed in 2023 in recognition of a gift from the Fisher family — Sakurako (Sako), ‘82, and William (Bill), MBA ‘84 — that endowed the program and secured its future.

Fellows were instructed by a leading Stanford faculty team composed of FSI Director and former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul; CDDRL Mosbacher Director Kathryn Stoner; Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow Francis Fukuyama; Senior Fellow in Global Democracy Larry Diamond; and Erik Jensen, Lecturer in Law at Stanford Law School on new institutional models and frameworks to enhance their ability to promote good governance, accountable politics, and find new ways to achieve economic development in their home countries.

Esteemed guest lectures were also presented by individuals from the greater FSI and Stanford communities, as well as by Damon Wilson, President of the National Endowment for Democracy; Joshua Achiam, Head of Mission Alignment at OpenAI; Austin Mejia, Product Manager and Head of AI for Wearables at Google and a founding member of the AI for Developing Countries Forum, which advocates for equitable AI development globally; and various speakers from the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, the leading think tank focused on the most critical economic and policy issues facing the nine-county Bay Area region.

During the program, the fellows delivered "TED"-style talks during our Fellow Spotlight Series, sharing personal stories about the struggles in their home countries, stories of their fight for justice, equality, and democracy, and stories of optimism and endurance. You can watch their talks in the playlist below:

Please join us in congratulating Professor James S. Fishkin, Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) and Director of the Deliberative Democracy Lab at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL), on receiving the Medal of Friendship, Mongolia’s highest state honor, in recognition of his pioneering contributions to deliberative democracy. The award was decreed by the President of Mongolia, Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, on October 7, 2024, and presented to Fishkin by former CDDRL Visiting Scholar (2014-16) Zandanshatar Gombojav, now Chief of Staff to the President, during the Constitutional Amendment and Deliberative Democracy academic conference in Ulaanbaatar in May 2025.

Professor Fishkin, the Janet M. Peck Professor of International Communication at Stanford University, was honored for his work in introducing Deliberative Polling to Mongolia. This methodology, which gathers randomly selected citizens to discuss important political issues, has twice played a key role in shaping constitutional amendments in the country. The process is now required by law before the Parliament (the State Great Hural) can consider a change to the constitution, which it can then approve by 2/3 vote.

The award ceremony was part of a celebration of the 10th Anniversary of Deliberative Polling in Mongolia, marked by an international symposium that brought together experts from South Korea, Japan, China, France, Ireland, the United States, and Australia. These scholars shared insights on deliberative practices and democratic innovations in their respective countries. Key Mongolian decision-makers involved in the constitutional amendment processes also participated in the panels, reflecting on the role of public engagement in shaping governance.

During the event, Fishkin participated in a panel titled "Deliberative Democracy: Citizen Engagement and Best Practices", moderated by Alice Siu, Associate Director of the Deliberative Democracy Lab. In his presentation, Fishkin discussed how Mongolia has achieved a novel solution to a challenge facing many countries: how to amend the constitution by combining the deliberations of the people with those of their representatives.