In a recent article in The Atlantic, CDDRL Director Larry Diamond argues that third-party candidate participation in presidential debates is an essential next-step for democracy in the U.S. Citing numerous challenges facing independents in the country, Diamond believes reform of current debate regulation is necessary to "renew the vigor and promise of democracy" in America. 

In a recent Q&A for The New York Times, Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow Francis Fukuyama assesses China's political development, asserting that the country's strong state capacity must be balanced by rule of law and democracy. Although the country has found success as a highly autonomous bureaucracy, Fukuyama cautions that bad leadership in both business and government may serve as a source of political decay in the future.