About the Forum

The International Forum for Democratic Studies at the National Endowment for Democracy is a leading center for research, discussion, thought, and analysis on the theory and practice of democracy around the world. Established in 1994, the Forum strives to bridge the gap between academic research and the practice of democracy through several initiatives:

• Publishing the Journal of Democracy, the leading academic journal on democratization
• Hosting Fellowship Programs for international democracy activists, journalists, and scholars
• Coordinating the Network of Democracy Research Institutes (NDRI), a global think tank network
• Providing the Secretariat for the American Political Science Association’s Comparative Democratization Section (APSA-CD)
• Organizing research initiatives and conferences to explore critical themes for democratic development

Research and Conference Activities

Among the Forum’s central activities are research and conference initiatives that seek to analyze the challenges of democratic transition, reform, and consolidation.

In addition to organizing frequent events featuring expert analysis on the challenges to democracy around the world, the following projects are among other current initiatives within the Forum’s research and conferences rubric:

• Democracy Think Tanks in Action: Translating Research into Policy in Young and Emerging Democracies
• Reconsidering Democratic Transitions Series
  
• The Role of Economics in Democratic Transitions Series
• Seymour Martin Lipset Lecture Series on Democracy in the World 

To learn more about current Forum activities, visit the Forum News section, browse Forum Publications, or check our Events listing.

For more information about the Forum, email forum@ned.org