Programs
Democracy, Conflict, and Governance
Programs
Democracy, Conflict, and Governance
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About the Program

The Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program is a leading source of independent policy research, writing, and outreach on global democracy, conflict, and governance. It analyzes and seeks to improve international efforts to reduce democratic backsliding, mitigate conflict and violence, overcome political polarization, promote gender equality, and advance pro-democratic uses of new technologies.

President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he departs the White House on August 01, 2025 in Washington, DC.
paper
U.S. Democratic Backsliding in Comparative Perspective

Projects

Program experts

Sophia Besch

Senior Fellow, Europe Program

Saskia Brechenmacher

Senior Fellow, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program

Frances Z. Brown

Vice President for Studies; Acting Director, Africa Program

Thomas Carothers

Harvey V. Fineberg Chair for Democracy Studies; Director, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program

Mariano-Florentino (Tino) Cuéllar

President, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Sarah Daly

Sarah Daly

Nonresident Scholar, Democracy, Conflict and Governance Program

Steve Feldstein

Senior Fellow, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program

Francis Fukuyama

Nonresident Scholar, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program

Rachel Kleinfeld

Senior Fellow, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program

Beatriz Magaloni

Nonresident Scholar, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program

Jennifer McCoy

Nonresident Scholar, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program

Ben Naimark-Rowse

Ben Naimark-Rowse

Nonresident Scholar, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program

Andrew O’Donohue

Nonresident Scholar, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program

Mara Revkin

Nonresident Scholar, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program

Oliver Stuenkel

Senior Fellow, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program

Milan Vaishnav

Director and Senior Fellow, South Asia Program

Sarah Yerkes

Senior Fellow, Middle East Program

Richard Youngs

Senior Fellow, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program

Latest work
In The Media
in the media
Milei's Midterm Miracle

By anchoring bilateral relations in ideological alignment, Washington is turning diplomacy into a volatile enterprise that is subject to electoral trends abroad.

Foreign Policy
In The Media
in the media
The Global Backlash on Gender Rights
Rethinking Humanitarianism Podcast
In The Media
in the media
Tom Carothers Says We Misunderstand Democratic Backsliding
The Democracy Paradox Podcast
A police officer of the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) patrols in a street in Timbuktu at night on December 8, 2021. - France's anti-jihadist military force in the Sahel region, which involves over 5,000 troops will end in the first quarter of 2022
article
Digital Communication as a Weapon: The Case of Mali
  • Mirjam de Bruijn
collection
U.S. Democracy Under Pressure

In recent years, multiple international indices have downgraded U.S. democracy.  Polarization, accusations of voting irregularities, political violence, and other negative trends are having a corrosive influence on the state of U.S. democracy and leaders’ ability to govern, address domestic problems, and craft stable policies.  This project brings together the work of scholars across the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace who analyze the problems afflicting U.S. democracy based on comparative perspectives and offer insights that can strengthen U.S. governing institutions and society.

  • Jon Bateman
  • +7
see the collection
article
Defending Civic Space in the United States: Lessons Learned Around the World

In a context of democratic erosion, U.S. civil society organizations face a widening array of legal, political, and security threats. They can learn from the experiences of civic activists in backsliding democracies around the world.

paper
Closing Civic Space in the United States: Connecting the Dots, Changing the Trajectory

Over the past two decades, dozens of governments have used regulations, laws, and vilifying narratives to restrict the ability of civil society organizations to act and speak. Now, a similar set of tactics is being rolled out in the United States. What should philanthropists and organizations expect, and what can be done?

paper
Polarization, Democracy, and Political Violence in the United States: What the Research Says

What can be done about polarization in the United States? Reviewing a decade of research reveals unexpected findings.

collection
U.S. Democracy Under Pressure

In recent years, multiple international indices have downgraded U.S. democracy.  Polarization, accusations of voting irregularities, political violence, and other negative trends are having a corrosive influence on the state of U.S. democracy and leaders’ ability to govern, address domestic problems, and craft stable policies.  This project brings together the work of scholars across the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace who analyze the problems afflicting U.S. democracy based on comparative perspectives and offer insights that can strengthen U.S. governing institutions and society.

  • Jon Bateman
  • +7
see the collection
article
Defending Civic Space in the United States: Lessons Learned Around the World

In a context of democratic erosion, U.S. civil society organizations face a widening array of legal, political, and security threats. They can learn from the experiences of civic activists in backsliding democracies around the world.

paper
Closing Civic Space in the United States: Connecting the Dots, Changing the Trajectory

Over the past two decades, dozens of governments have used regulations, laws, and vilifying narratives to restrict the ability of civil society organizations to act and speak. Now, a similar set of tactics is being rolled out in the United States. What should philanthropists and organizations expect, and what can be done?

paper
Polarization, Democracy, and Political Violence in the United States: What the Research Says

What can be done about polarization in the United States? Reviewing a decade of research reveals unexpected findings.

Digital Feature

Explore the Global Protest Tracker

A one-stop source for following crucial trends in the most significant antigovernment protests worldwide since 2017.

Explore the tracker