In Search of Sustainable Democracy: Reflections on Three Decades of Research

This seminar reflects on Professor Larry Diamond’s three decades of research seeking to identify the conditions for sustainable democracy. What have we learned about the conditions that support and undermine democracy? What is the relationship between democratic quality and democratic persistence? Is “democratic consolidation“ a useful concept? Can consolidated democracies become “de-consolidated“--and if so, when and why? Do the current travails of the advanced democracies represent merely ongoing challenges of governance, or are we entering a period of more fundamental challenge to democratic norms and institutions? Finally, what does all of this imply for the policy agendas of democracy reform and promotion? To find out more about CDDRL, please visit .