Democracy learned. Democracy practiced.
The Cornell Center on Democracy believes that research matters by contributing to the human condition, enhancing democratic rights and practices. That means getting knowledge out of the lab and into the hands of the people who need it most — educators, public servants, community leaders, and civic practitioners working to strengthen democracy every day.
Our education and engagement work is built around one idea: democratic skills can be taught, practiced, and spread. We develop the tools, programs, and partnerships to make that happen — at Cornell, across New York, and around the world.
For Civic Leaders and Practitioners
Democracy doesn't automatically sustain itself. It depends on people who contribute to democratic dialogue, shape institutional practice, and uphold rights and freedoms. To do so, civic leaders and practitioners engage with institutions, information ecosystems, and communities. Together, we can address how institutions work, why they sometimes fail, and what it takes to rebuild trust and participation.
We translate our research into practical resources designed for people doing that work — training materials, toolkits, and convenings that connect the latest evidence to real-world challenges in governance, civic life, and community engagement.
Policy Briefs
The objective of the Cornell Center on Democracy Policy Briefs is to provide tools that translate theory and evidence-based analysis into practice by informing and supporting decision-making on democracy-related issues. Policy briefs are tools that can help democracy advocates translate community and societal concerns into actionable recommendations or policy remedies. It is also a useful resource that allows for timely responses to new developments and emerging crisis situations related to democracy, especially for media and broader public audiences. Effectively communicating with policymakers, policy implementers, and other stakeholders is essential for creating meaningful change.
- Legitimacy Fragmentation as a governance-Alignment risk in multilateral development bank-Financed
- Hungary under Tisza: A Test Case for Democratic Recovery
- Myanmar (Burma)’s 2025 Election: Significant or Spurious?
- Leading Democracy Tool Releases 2025 Data: An Unprecedented Drop for the United States
- GLD-CGD Report: Mobilizing public goods in poor communities
Related Reports
- Key takeaways from the conference ‘Democracy and policy: reimagining a global democratic future’
- Democratic Backsliding and Openings Guides:
Democratic Toolkits
Our open-access toolkits distill cutting-edge research into practical strategies for public servants, civic educators, and civil society organizations. Each toolkit is grounded in evidence and designed for use — in classrooms, training programs, community organizations, and government offices.
Convenings and Public Programs
The Cornell Center on Democracy partners with a broad array of community, philanthropic, and think-tank partners to set agendas on democratic renewal and incubate new ideas for strengthening civic education, engagement, and institutions, for democratic governance.
We bring together scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and civic leaders to exchange ideas, challenge assumptions, and build the networks democracy needs.
Upcoming and Ongoing Convenings
- Fall 2026 — We will hold a public launch event for the Center on Democracy. More to come!
- 2027–2028 Preview — Ongoing Convenings: A continuing series to advance and disseminate research results, deepen partnerships, and sustain the connections between research and practice.
Past Related Events
The following events were held through the Cornell Brooks Public Policy's Center on Global Democracy or through the College of Arts & Sciences Distinguished Visiting Journalist program, which intersects with issues of democracy. These are the kinds of events that the Center for Democracy will be holding in the future.
Ex-Costa Rican president warns of ‘great reversal’ in democracy
NY Times writer and Klarman '79: Civil debate can change minds
Non-Resident Fellowship (NRF) Program
The Non-Resident Fellowship (NRF) Program is intended for academics and practitioners who wish to deepen their research on democracy policy during one year as part of the Cornell community. The program is designed to expand networks, encourage research collaboration, and engage with democracy scholars and practitioners from around the world.
Communities of Practice (CoP)
To further our objective of creating and strengthening democracy research communities that bridge theory and practice from around the world, the Cornell Center on Democracy launched, in January 2026, a new collaboration format “Democracy Communities of Practice (CoP)” that brings together Cornell faculty, NRFs, and outstanding scholars and experts from diverse fields and geographies. Meeting virtually on a bimonthly basis to discuss each of the NRF annual themes, these are safe spaces for impact-driven intellectual inquiry and policy design, where current work and research are shared, ideas are exchanged, and feedback is requested from peers.
Network of University Democracy Centers (NUDC)
The Cornell Center on Democracy is a founding member of the Network of University Democracy Centers (NUDC), created in 2025 to connect and strengthen the community of university-based centers and institutes in the United States focused on research, teaching, and civic engagement on democracy-related issues. The network seeks to facilitate coordination, collaboration, and community-building among democracy centers around research, teaching, and evidence-based policymaking and curricular issues. More specifically, the network aims to facilitate the sharing of information and resources; to promote the collection and deployment of scientific evidence and rigorous research to inform policy; to advance public education objectives; and to foster wide-ranging pluralistic dialogue and discussion. All of these efforts aim to bolster democracy, democratic institutions, and democratic practices, rights, and civic engagement around the world. None of the institutions speaks for any other or on behalf of any university administration.
Democracy Dialogues Podcast
The Center’s podcast “Democracy Dialogues” brings cutting-edge academic research on democracy to citizens who will shape democracy’s future. Each episode features academics and democratic practitioners to dig into new research and the contemporary challenges of democracy, and to analyze the potential and opportunities for democracy to deepen, evolve, and contribute to citizens’ thriving.
Global Democracy Coalition (GDC)
The Cornell Center on Democracy is an active member of the Global Democracy Coalition (GDC), an International IDEA-led, multi-stakeholder alliance of more than 170 organizations working to advance and protect democracy worldwide. Belonging to the GDC family connects Cornell to an exceptional network of scholars, practitioners, and advocates committed to sharing knowledge, best practices, and lessons learned in the global democracy ecosystem. This trust-anchored alliance strengthens the University’s connections with organizations that share the same mission of democracy renewal, improving the collective capacity to respond to challenges.