Global Democracy Conference 2026

Theme: Confronting Public Support for Anti-Democratic Leaders
Location: University of Notre Dame
Dates: May 19–20, 2026

The Global Democracy Conference (GDC) returns in 2026, with scholars, policymakers, and activists coming together at the University of Notre Dame to explore urgent strategies for defending and renewing democracy worldwide. This year’s theme, Confronting Public Support for Anti-Democratic Leaders, will guide two days of keynotes, plenary roundtables, and invited sessions featuring academic and policy partners of the Kellogg Institute. 

In old and new democracies, voters appear increasingly willing to support radical candidates who, once elected, dismantle democracy from the inside. Judges, legislators, journalists, and civil society can resist the process of democratic backsliding, but mere containment is insufficient. Reversing the process ultimately requires electoral majorities committed to consistently voting democratic parties into office and rejecting illiberal electoral appeals at the ballot box. This conference is guided by the following key questions:

  • What factors have prompted the rise of public support for anti-democratic leaders?
  • How do illiberal executives rally public approval?
  • Under what conditions can democratic actors mobilize public support for democracy?
  • What strategies are more effective to confront anti-democratic leaders at the ballot box?
  • What role do digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence and social media, play in the mobilization of public support?

The 2026 Global Democracy Conference will convene scholars and practitioners to explore new areas of collaboration between academia and the policy world, connect scholars and practitioners from different regions of the world, and improve our collective ability to understand and address antidemocratic support among voters. The GDC includes two types of sessions: Plenary roundtables will feature 12-minute presentations by academics and practitioners, followed by a conversation led by a moderator. Invited Sessions will feature topics and formats proposed by leading academic and policy organizations at the Kellogg Institute’s invitation, broadening the range of conversations at the GDC. Sessions are organized in three thematic blocs:

  • Understanding the Shift – Sessions exploring the social, psychological, and political foundations that lead some citizens to embrace democracy and others to support its rivals.
  • Mobilizing the Citizen – Sessions examining how civic and digital arenas shape participation, from grassroots protest to online mobilization, and how pro-democratic actors can channel that energy.
  • Winning at the Ballot Box – Sessions identifying effective strategies for building and sustaining democratic majorities through campaigns, institutions, and leadership.


Finally, this year, the GDC will be followed by the Keeping the Republic Conference on May 21st, a forum for invited senior researchers and early-career scholars dedicated to a broad revitalization of American democracy. Be part of a global conversation on the future of democracy. Add the GDC to your calendar now and join us as registration opens later this year.

ADD TO CALENDAR

All roundtables and breakout sessions follow one of three themes, indicated by color coding:

Understanding the Shift – Sessions exploring the social, psychological, and political foundations that lead some citizens to embrace democracy and others to support its rivals.
Mobilizing the Citizen – Sessions examining how civic and digital arenas shape participation, from grassroots protest to online mobilization, and how pro-democratic actors can channel that energy.
Winning at the Ballot Box – Sessions identifying effective strategies for building and sustaining democratic majorities through campaigns, institutions, and leadership.
 

First Day – Tuesday, May 19, 2026

8:30-9:00am – Registration Check-In and Coffee

9:00-9:30am – Opening        
Aníbal Pérez-Liñán, University of Notre Dame

9:30-10:45am – Plenary Roundtable 1:

Why do Citizens Stand for Democracy – or Strongmen
What factors lead voters to support authoritarian leaders, and by contrast, which enable citizens to develop an enduring commitment to democracy? Under what conditions do normative preferences for democracy translate into voting, protesting, and engaging against undemocratic parties and candidates, and when do they not? Can citizen commitment to democracy be deepened through institutional interventions or actions such as civic education, campaigning, and elite messaging?

Chair: A chair will be added once confirmed.
Luis Schiumerini, University of Notre Dame 
An additional academic presenter will be added once confirmed.
Rodrigo Zarazaga, Center for Research and Social Action (CIAS)           


10:45-11:00am – Break

11:00am-12:15pm – Plenary Roundtable 2:

When Civil Society Helps – or Hurts – Democratic Support
Can social movements, NGOs, INGOs and other civil society organizations (CSOs), intentionally or unintentionally enable support for illiberal leaders? How do would-be authoritarian leaders co-opt civil society to enhance their legitimacy in the eyes of citizens? Can civil society organizations help mobilize electoral support for pro-democratic actors? How can social movements be channeled into sustainable electoral projects? 

Chair: Ann Mische, University of Notre Dame 
Tomás Gold, University of Southern California
Mohammad Ali Kadivar, Boston College
A practitioner will be added once confirmed.


12:15-1:00pm – Lunch Break

1:00-2:15pm – Breakout Sessions Block 1 (choice of two concurrent sessions):

Option A | Resisting Democratic Backsliding Upwards: Subnational Governments and Antidemocratic Leaders in Latin America
Presented by The Permanent Symposium on Educating for Democracy (Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Colombia, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú). 

Chair: F. Luis Fernando Múnera Congote, S.J,  Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
Sebastián Líppez-De Castro, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
Maria Valeria Palanza, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile      
Jorge Aragón Trelles, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú

Option B | Strengthening Democratic Resilience, Action, and Narratives Globally 
What may be new and breakthrough pathways to strengthen democratic resilience and reinvigorate key democracy networks and stakeholders? What is the role of governmental and nongovernmental actors in defending vibrant democracies, as informed by the Brookings Democracy Playbook? 
Presented by The Brookings Institution’s Anti-Corruption, Democracy, and Security (ACDS) Project

Speakers for this panel will be added once confirmed


2:15-2:30pm – Break

2:30-3:45pm – Breakout Sessions Block 2 (choice of two concurrent sessions): 

Option A | From Outside, In: Evidence-based Democracy Assistance Approaches to Confronting Anti-democratic Leaders at the Ballot Box
How can political parties prevent autocrats from assuming office in the first place? How can these leaders be defeated, or at least their voting share reduced? What role can democracy assistance providers play in supporting political parties?
Presented by the Atlantic Council's Freedom and Prosperity Center

Chair: Patrick Quirk, Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center 
Laura Gamboa, University of Notre Dame
Johanna Kao, International Republican Institute 
Pedro A. Urruchurtu Noselli, Office of María Corina Machado
Derek Mitchell, Center for Strategic and International Studies

Option B | Public Opinion and Democratic Backsliding
Why are citizens willing to back – sometimes enthusiastically – democratic backsliding? What role do political competition and elite rhetoric play in such processes across Europe, Latin America and Africa? 
Presented by Vanderbilt University’s Center for Global Democracy   

Chair: Noam Lupu, Vanderbilt University
Rachel Riedl, Cornell University
Dan Slater, University of Michigan
Susan Stokes, University of Chicago


3:45-4:00pm – Break

4:00-4:45pm – Keynote “Roundtable”: The Keynote for the Conference’s First Day will be added to the schedule once confirmed. 

5:45-6:45pm – Reception
 

Second Day – Wednesday, May 20, 2026

8:30-9:00am – Registration Check-In and Coffee

9:00-9:30 am – Introduction to the Day
Aníbal Pérez-Liñán, University of Notre Dame

9:30-10:45am – Plenary Roundtable 3:

Why Citizens Turn Away from Human Rights and How to Win Them Back
Why and how do illiberal actors engage in anti-human rights rhetoric and actions? When are citizens willing to ignore, or outright support human rights violations, and by contrast, when do citizens develop a commitment to support the rights of vulnerable populations? What strategies can be used to mobilize citizens in support of human rights, and which democratic actors are best positioned to do so?  What examples from across the globe illustrate these dynamics at play? 

Chair: A chair will be added once confirmed.      
Abby Córdova, University of Notre Dame
Aleksander Kustov, University of Notre Dame
Noah Bullock, Cristosal Human Rights  


10:45-11:00 am – Break

11:00am-12:15pm – Plenary Roundtable 4:

Citizen Participation via Social Media and AI
How do new media environments affect citizen attitudes and participation under democratic threat? How can pro-democratic actors counter fake news? What risks and opportunities does AI pose for mobilizing citizens for democracy?

Chair: A chair will be added once confirmed.
Dahjin Kim, University of Notre Dame 
Joshua Tucker, New York University            
A practitioner will be added once confirmed.


12:15-1:00pm – Lunch Break

1:00-2:15pm – Plenary Roundtable 5:

Winning Campaigns — Autocratic Tactics and Democratic Responses
What are typical campaign strategies that illiberal executives or parties engage in to generate autocratic support? What works when campaigning for pro-democracy forces in environments where the idea of democracy is contested, and what doesn’t?  What strategies and messaging are most effective in mobilizing candidates and votes for pro-democratic parties?

Chair: A chair will be added once confirmed.
Marc Jacob, University of Notre Dame
Florian Foos, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)  
Seda Demiralp, Işık University 

 

2:15-2:30pm – Break

2:30-3:45pm – Breakout Session Block 3 (choice of two concurrent sessions):

Option A | Pathways of Power Grabs: Confronting Autocracy at the Ballot Box in 2026
What have been the comparative pathways towards power grabs by would-be-autocrats in Hungary, Brazil, and the United States, all countries with upcoming elections in 2026? How have these leaders strategized to reach and persuade voters to vote against their interests? What strategies and actions have contributed to connect with the public in order to beat back state capture across these cases? 
Presented by the German Marshall Fund 

Chair: Melissa Hooper, German Marshall Fund
Daniel Hegedus, German Marshall Fund 
Juan Albarracín, University of Illinois 
Julia Vaughn, Common Cause Indiana

Option B | Does Autocracy Deliver? Comparing Autocracy and Democracy in the Global South 
Are Autocracies better than Democracies at delivering governance outcomes, or is this a misperception? How do Pro-Autocracy narratives originate in the Global South, and who crafts them? How can we counter anti-democratic narratives and bolster the popularity of democratic governance systems?  
Presented by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace 

Chair: A chair will be added to the schedule once confirmed. 
Amr Hamzawy, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Sarah Yerkes, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace


3:45-5:00pm – “Networking “ Break

5:00-6:00pm – Closing Keynote
Susan Stokes, Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago and Director of the Chicago Center for Democracy
Author of “The Backsliders: Why Leaders Undermine their own Democracies”

6:15-7:00pm – Shared Global Democracy/Keeping the Republic Conferences Reception