Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law

CENTER ON DEMOCRACY, DEVELOPMENT AND THE RULE OF LAW Bridging the worlds of scholarship and practice to understand and foster the conditions for effective representative governance, promote balanced and sustainable economic growth, and establish the rule of law. The Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) at Stanford University is an interdisciplinary center for research on development in all of its dimensions: political, economic, social, and legal, and the ways in which these different dimensions interact with one another. We seek to understand how countries can overcome poverty, instability, and abusive rule to become prosperous, just, democratic, and well-governed societies. We also want to analyze the ways in which democracy and development can be threatened by the authoritarian resurgence, technology, populism, and the broader process of globalization. Research The Center's research agenda is comprised of programs that explore some of the most intractable problems and most exciting innovations in the study of development and democracy. Education We welcome undergrad and graduate students, as well as post-docs in two major programs: the Fisher Family Undergraduate Honors Program and Pre- and Post-Doctoral Fellowship Program. Training Our practitioner-based training programs engage emerging civic leaders and social entrepreneurs who are working to achieve or deepen democracy and social justice in some of the most challenging environments around the world.