Center For Constitutional Democracy

The CCD is a pioneer in the development of the emerging discipline of constitutional design, which provides an in-depth understanding of how law contributes to democratic institutions, democratic practices, and democratic cultural evolution. We train students in this evolving area of expertise, preparing them to support reform and to promote peace and justice in a global environment. By serving as advisers during the processes of constitutional drafting and reform, providing training to civil society and women’s groups in order strengthen their participation in the constitutional process, and offering PhD students and JD affiliates valuable and unique opportunities for research, fieldwork, and access to distinguished visiting scholars and conferences, the CCD seeks to transform the ideals of a productive democracy into firmly entrenched realities across the world. Nations and communities that value and promote the rights of women and disenfranchised minority groups, that appreciate the value in enforcing a system of checks and balances, and that perceive constitutions as important cultural tools in the promotion and longevity of democratic practices – these are the ones most likely to achieve long-term economic, political, and social stability. The multi-faceted, interdisciplinary work that the CCD does is always in service of this larger goal.