The McCourtney Institute for Democracy

06/16/2026

As we near July 4 in our 250th year, we turn our attention to the document that charted a path for a new country—the Constitution. Far from being the source of our problems as has become fashionable to believe, Dr. Yuval Levin argues that the Constitution holds the power to save us. According to Levin, “it doesn’t mean thinking alike, it means acting together.” Are you wondering how we could possibly act together when we disagree so vehemently? Join us as we meet a scholar who “may be the most important voice in the political culture right now.”

06/16/2026

Congratulations, Michele! We're thrilled to have you among our grant recipients.

CAS and CAMS associate professor Michele Kennerly has received a Research in Democracy grant from Penn State's McCourtney Institute of Democracy for her project entitled, "Lucy and Nina After Haymarket." The grant supports Kennerly's early-stage work on the public lives and afterlives of Lucy Gonzalez Parsons and Nina Van Zandt Spies after the ex*****on of their husbands, two of the so-called Haymarket martyrs. To consider what those two women faced as they negotiated their intimate proximity to one of the most (in)famous labor events in the history of the United States is to wrestle with how a capitalist democracy handles those it injures to protect itself.

06/04/2026

New from our Mood of the Nation Poll: Approval ratings for President Trump and the Supreme Court are low but the generic ballot for control of Congress remains close. https://democracy.psu.edu/poll-report-archive/fewer-than-four-in-ten-americans-think-president-trump-is-doing-a-good-job/

05/28/2026

Please join us in congratulating Jenna Spinelle on being named a 2026-27 Visiting Fellow at SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University!

11-member cohort will bring fresh perspectives to the institute while exploring big questions about democracy, citizenship, and community

05/20/2026

On the season finale of the Democracy Works podcast, we tackle a topic that's been at the heart of many of our episodes: Is the best way to create change through individual action or structural reform? Our guests, Michael Brownstein and Dan Kelly, argue that it doesn't have to be an either/or question and offer suggestions for democracy reformers looking for a different approach.

Brownstein and Kelly are authors, with Alex Madva, of "Somebody Should Do Something: How Anyone Can Help Create Social Change," out now from MIT Press.

Listen to the episode: https://democracyworks.simplecast.com/episodes/somebody-should-do-something

05/15/2026

Award-winning author and Brookings Senior Fellow Jonathan Rauch will present a virtual lecture on Christianity and democracy for the Centre County Chapter of the ACLU on Wednesday, May 27 at 6:00 p.m.

Join on Zoom (https://psu.zoom.us/j/98877658888) or attend in person at the University Baptist and Brethren Church, 411 S. Burrowes St., State College.

Drawing on philosophy, history, scripture, and today’s headlines, his inspirational talk reveals what Jesus and James Madison have in common and how, together, their teachings can help to heal our politics—and maybe Christianity, too.

05/13/2026

C-NET has been our recording partner for live events for many years. Congratulations to Cindy on her retirement!

“It’s been a great joy serving as C-NET’s executive director, I can say for certain that I will miss it.”

05/13/2026

Kudos to Democracy Works podcast co-host Cyanne Loyle on her recent TEDx talk about the practice of lawfware, or when the government uses its power to restrict rights and freedoms instead of protecting them.

What happens when governments stop using the law to protect their citizens, and starts using it to punish them instead? This practice, known as Lawfare, can ...

05/12/2026

Center for Democratic Deliberation Director Katya Haskins recently appeared on the Realms of Memory podcast to discuss the 2026 Oscar-winning documentary "Mr. Nobody Against Putin," which chronicles Putin’s efforts to militarize Russian youth through the school system following the start of the war in Ukraine. Haskins is a scholar of public memory in Russia and the former Soviet Union.

The challenge of any documentary director with a mission is to make the viewer care. What makes the 2026 Oscar award winning documentary Mr. Nobody Against P...

04/30/2026

Jim Piazza, Liberal Arts Professor of Political Science, has a new paper that finds political violence deters people from participating in civic and democratic activities. However, his research also shows that socially-cohesive neighborhoods are able to maintain civic engagement despite the threat of political violence. In Jim's words, "Neighborhoods matter!"

Read the paper: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ssqu.70160