The foundations of democratic politics are now increasingly under threat. Since 1985, more countries have moved closer toward autocratic government than toward more substantial and meaningful democratic government. The Defending Democracy Lab provides new insights into ways of strengthening democratic accountability, stifling democratic backsliding, and countering emerging anti-democratic terms.  

The lab’s goal is to offer interdisciplinary research, pedagogical innovations for the university and high-school level, and new forms of civic engagement that intersect with three central themes: Populism and Polarization, Strategies of Democratic Resistance, and Mechanisms of Democratic Renewal.