We are partisans for democracy
What does it mean to be a partisan for democracy? We don’t take sides on the political spectrum, but we do defend the rights everyone has as a democratic citizen — from voting to protesting to consuming information from a free press that serves as a check on political leaders.
The McCourtney Institute for Democracy draws from the humanities and social sciences to examine democracy from multiple angles. This cross-discipline collaboration is evident in our research, education, and outreach efforts.
We educate the next generation of democratic citizens through our Nevins Fellows program, monitor attitudes toward democracy with the Mood of the Nation poll, and host speakers and events that bring people from diverse backgrounds and points of view together to discuss the role of democracy in our society.
We make all of this happen in partnership with our centers of excellence, the Center for American Political Responsiveness and the Center for Democratic Deliberation, and many other organizations throughout the College of the Liberal Arts and the broader Penn State community.
Stay Informed:
Democracy Works Podcast
From Brexit to the 2020 election, the United States and the United Kingdom seem more divided than ever as media, political polarization, and other factors combine to form what Mitchell Smith describes as “the Great Perceptual Divide.”
Smith joined Democracy Works to explore what this divide is, how it’s impacting politics on both sides of the Atlantic, and other countries might offer a model for moving beyond it.
He is Director of the School of International Affairs at Penn State and Professor of International Affairs. His book, The Great Perceptual Divide: Identity and Democracy in the U.S. and Britain, is available now from Bloomsbury Academic.
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