With the decrease of overtly authoritarian states in the post-Cold War world, the concept of democracy has become a world-wide governance ideal. It is clear, however, that interpretation of what democracy is, and how it operates, is not always easily determined. Better definition of what constitutes democracy, and especially how the effectiveness of democratic institutions can be determined, can serve to underpin improved analytic and policy approaches to building democratic institutions.

The conference will examine the state of the art of assessing the quality of democratic institutions and their functioning. We hope that the conference will lead to heightened focus on particularly salient issues. It is designed to focus on democratic development at the country level, although consideration could also be given to emphasis at the sub or supra-national levels.

The conference will include both academic researchers and policy and program implementation specialists. Conference participation will be limited to ensure maximum interaction and sharing of perspectives. The focus will be comparative, including the American experience. The workshops will be structured to maximize input from conference participants, and a publication incorporating participant views on guidelines for democratic performance will result from the conference.