What We Do

About the Forum

The International Forum for Democratic Studies is a leading center for analysis and discussion of the theory and practice of democracy around the world. Bridging the gap between academic research and the practice of democracy, Forum initiatives include publishing the Journal of Democracy, housing fellowship programs for democracy activists and researchers, and organizing events. Through its Power 3.0 blog and other products, the Forum also fosters discussion on modern challenges to democracy, from transnational kleptocracy and authoritarian influence to risks emanating from the evolving global information space.
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  • Power 3.0
    Blog and Podcast

    The Forum's blog and podcast explore how authoritarians survive and thrive in the globalized age and how democracies contend with this challenge.

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  • Latest
    Resources

    A selection of resources from the International Forum for Democratic Studies.

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  • Focus
    Areas

    Major themes explored by the Forum include authoritarian influence, transnational kleptocracy, the information space, and democracy and civil society.

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  • Democracy
    Challenges

    The series of four issue briefs highlight emerging global challenges to democracy, including integrity of the information space, transnational kleptocracy, emerging technology, and global authoritarian influence.

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WHAT WE’RE UP TO

LATEST Forum NEWS

Sep 16, 2024

Getting Ahead of Digital Repression: Authoritarian Innovation and Democratic Response

In April 2024, the Hoover Institution's project on China’s Global Sharp Power, Stanford University’s Global Digital Policy Incubator, and the National Endowment for Democracy’s International Forum for Democratic Studies held a closed-door,...

Jun 05, 2024

Forum Q&A: Ethan Tu and Billion Lee on How Taiwan’s Civil Society Collaborates to Address Information Integrity Challenges from Beijing

2024 has been called the “year of elections” with over four billion people set to cast their ballots. The potential threat to the integrity of the information space is severe. For those concerned with how authoritarian powers might influence...

Apr 04, 2024

International Forum for Democratic Studies Celebrates 30th Anniversary

This month, the International Forum for Democratic Studies celebrates 30 years as a leading center for democratic thought and analysis. Under the leadership of Marc F. Plattner and Larry Diamond, the International Forum was established in...

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July 17, 2025

China Salon on Emergent Digital Repression: How the PRC is using AI to Censor, Surveil, and Troll

11:00 AM - 12:15 PM
The National Endowment for Democracy hosts a discussion on how large language models (LLMs) and other advanced AI developments fit into the PRC’s wider apparatus of digital repression and worldwide influence projection.

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Publications

  • The CCP’s Global Censorship Campaign – and How NED’s Partners Break Through

    In collaboration with NED’s International Forum for Democratic Studies, scholars have analyzed how the CCP deploys online tools as part of a broader strategy to shape global narratives, censor and suppress dissent, and bolster its legitimacy. 

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  • Saying "Farewell" to NED Vice-President Christopher Walker

    Chris Walker has been with NED for 13 years, first as the Executive Director of the Forum and then as NED’s Vice-President for Studies and Analysis. In that time, he has been responsible for shaping discourse and programming on democratic resilience not just at NED, but across the wider foreign policy community. He has supervised and helped build-out the Forum, the Reagan-Fascell Fellows Program, and the Journal of Democracy.

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  • Data-Centric Authoritarianism front cover

    Data-Centric Authoritarianism: How China's Development of Frontier Technologies Could Globalize Repression

    A new report authored by Valentin Weber reviews four key data-centric technologies whose development could fortify Beijing’s tech-enabled authoritarian governance model and offers seven critical steps democracies and civil society must take to ensure a more democratic digital future.

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  • The Struggle Against Authoritarian Influence in the Western Balkans: Montenegro as a Test Case

    A new report authored by Vanja Ćalović Marković explores how Montenegro has become an ideal testing ground for authoritarian actors, and how lessons learned from these influence experiments can be applied by authoritarian actors globally.

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  • Stronger Together: Coalitions as a Catalyst for Information Integrity

    A new report authored by Tim Niven explores how sweeping changes in the information environment are advancing the efforts of authoritarians in the information space and how coalitions provide civil society organizations with a powerful framework to fight back.

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  • Fighting Kleptocracy in an Era of Geopolitics

    In a new International Forum report, Ben Judah analyzes how the counter-kleptocracy agenda intersects with, and is at times superseded by, competing geopolitical priorities.

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  • Leveraging AI for Democracy: Civic Innovation on the New Digital Playing Field

    A new report by Beth Kerley, Carl Miller, and Fernanda Campagnucci outlines possible paths toward a prodemocratic vision for AI.

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