Center for Constitutional Democracy

What Center for Constitutional Democracy does

The Center for Constitutional Democracy (CCD) is an academic research center housed at Indiana University Maurer School of Law in Bloomington, Indiana, co-founded in 2004 by Professors David C. Williams and Susan Williams after Williams began directing the predecessor program in 2003. The Center studies, drafts, and amends constitutions, and works with governments and reformers globally to build legal institutions that incentivize peaceful constitutionalism. It operates through two integrated lines of work: a portfolio of degree and certificate programs (PhD in Law and Democracy, Joint JD/PhD, Dual Major MELC, JD Fellow Program, and a 12-credit Certificate in Rule of Law and Constitutional Design), and direct constitutional advisory services delivered to named institutional partners in Burma/Myanmar, Jordan, Liberia, Libya, Ukraine, South Sudan, Yemen, Vietnam, Cuba, Ireland, Thailand, and Puerto Rico.

CCD's product portfolio is built entirely on human expertise and academic infrastructure rather than technology. The Center produces the open-access Indiana Journal of Constitutional Design, runs a biweekly seminar series and annual student symposium, hosts visiting scholars, and convenes cross-border programs such as the Women Judges in Dialogue conference for MENA-region constitutional courts. Underlying components include interdisciplinary faculty spanning law, political science, anthropology, and area studies; a JD/PhD fellow pipeline that places alumni into organizations like International IDEA and NDI; and partnerships with entities such as the National Endowment for Democracy, IU Hamilton Lugar School's Arabic Flagship Program, and Trinity College Dublin.

The Center is a non-profit unit funded primarily through Indiana University internal allocation plus external grants, notably Title VI from the U.S. Department of Education and program-specific grants from the National Endowment for Democracy. Advisory services are provided free of charge to partner governments and civil society organizations; revenue is not commercially generated and is not publicly disclosed. Distribution is global, with active engagement in roughly 13 countries, and the Center's leadership transitioned in July 2026 when founding co-directors retired, with Professor Ethan Michelson serving as Interim Executive Director and Rafael Macía as Interim Associate Director.

Name

Center for Constitutional Democracy

Legal name

Center for Constitutional Democracy

Website

https://ccd.indiana.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Center for Constitutional Democracy is an academic research center at Indiana University Maurer School of Law that provides constitutional design education and advisory services to governments, civil society organizations, and reform movements in 13+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Constitutional Design Education and Advisory

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHAIAJ

Law School Research Centers & Institutes (e.g., Law & Economics, Human Rights)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Law Schools

SECONDARYEDAHABAF

Law & Legal Studies Research Universities

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Private Research Universities

Keywords

• Constitutional design
• Democratic institution building
• Rule of law training
• Comparative constitutional law
• Legal reform advising

Headquarters

HQ city

Bloomington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. University Funding and Grants: As an academic center at Indiana University Maurer School of Law, the CCD operates primarily through university funding and external grants from government programs such as Title VI (Department of Education) and organizations such as the National Endowment for Democracy.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Center for Constitutional Democracy is an academic research center at Indiana University Maurer School of Law that studies, drafts, and amends constitutions and works with governments and reformers worldwide to build legal institutions that incentivize peaceful constitutionalism. It offers interdisciplinary graduate degree programs (PhD in Law and Democracy, JD Fellow Program, Certificate in Rule of Law and Constitutional Design, Joint JD/PhD, Dual Major MELC), publishes the Indiana Journal of Constitutional Design, runs a Seminar Series, and provides direct constitutional advising services to reform movements and governments in countries including Burma, Jordan, Liberia, Ukraine, South Sudan, Libya, Yemen, Cuba, Vietnam, Thailand, Puerto Rico, and others.

Product overview

The Center for Constitutional Democracy is an academic center at Indiana University Maurer School of Law that offers a portfolio of educational programs and advisory services focused on constitutional design and democratic institution-building. The core offerings include a Ph.D. Program in Law and Democracy, JD Fellow Program, Certificate in Rule of Law and Constitutional Design, Joint JD/Ph.D. Program, and Dual Major MELC Program. The Center also publishes the Indiana Journal of Constitutional Design, runs a Seminar Series featuring visiting scholars, and provides constitutional advising services through Global teams working in over a dozen countries worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ph.D. Program in Law and Democracy An interdisciplinary doctoral program that addresses the many ways in which law fosters democratic institutions, political participation, and human rights, requiring grounding in political science, anthropology, area studies, and law.
• JD Fellow Program Provides law students opportunities to conduct research and carry out projects relating to constitutional advising work, including work on human rights, electoral quotas, presidentialism, and legal history.
• Certificate in Rule of Law and Constitutional Design A 12-credit certificate program providing basic skills necessary to participate in constitutional design projects, including predicting consequences of constitutional choices and tailoring provisions to specific country needs.
• Joint JD/Ph.D. Program Combined degree program allowing students to obtain both JD and Ph.D. degrees simultaneously, with up to 30 credits counted toward both programs.
• Dual Major MELC Program A dual major Ph.D. combining Near Eastern Languages & Cultures with Law and Democracy, integrating constitutional design studies with Middle Eastern language and cultural studies.
• Indiana Journal of Constitutional Design An online, open access, interdisciplinary forum devoted to the development of constitutional design, including research summaries, taxonomies, and theoretical models.
• Seminar Series Regular seminar presentations addressing issues in constitutional design and implications for creating and strengthening democratic institutions in new or fragile democracies.
• Constitutional Advising Services Advisory services during constitutional drafting and reform processes, with global teams working in countries including Burma, Jordan, Liberia, Ukraine, South Sudan, Libya, Vietnam, Cuba, Yemen, Ireland, Thailand, and Puerto Rico.

Quantifiable outcome

• Worked with reform leaders in over 13 countries including Burma, Jordan, Liberia, Libya, Ukraine, South Sudan, Yemen, USA, Cuba, Vietnam, Sri Lanka
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, minor and developing.

• Center for the Study of the Middle East (CSME) - IU Hamilton Lugar SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2023Co-sponsor of Women Judges in Dialogue conference bringing together women judges from constitutional courts across MENA region. Partnership enables expansion of judge training programs and hosts annual symposium now in third year. Funded by Title VI federal grant from Department of Education.
• Independent Elections Commission (Jordan)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011First non-Jordanian organization to sign MoU with Jordan's Independent Elections Commission. CCD delivered research projects on electoral systems including comparative reports on global candidate age requirements and electronic voting systems. Created comparative database of electoral law in MENA region with applicable legislation.
• Constitutional Court of JordancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Signed MoU to run series of workshops for Court members in Amman on citizen access to constitutional courts, theories of constitutional interpretation, and independent budgetary control. Program expanded to include judges from other MENA constitutional courts including Morocco and Lebanon.
• Lawyers for Justice in LibyamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011UK-based NGO partnered with CCD on constitutional transition programs in Libya from 2011-2015. Jointly developed 'Destoori' (My Constitution) civic education program training teams to travel around Libya discussing constitutions with citizens.
• Women's League of Burma (WLB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Over 20 years of partnership training WLB leaders on constitutional design, gender equality, and democracy. Helped draft position paper advocating for gender quotas in peace process stages. Working with them to provide materials and support for women's political and NGO leadership training inside Burma.
• International IDEA (Constitution-Building Programme)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCD alumnus Rafael Macía served as consultant for International IDEA's Constitution-Building Programme, an intergovernmental organization advancing rule of law and democratic reform globally. Potential for continued collaboration between CCD scholars and IDEA programs.
• IU Hamilton Lugar School (Arabic Flagship Program)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCD collaborates with IU's Arabic Flagship Program allowing students to interact with visiting MENA judges in Arabic-language conversations about different legal systems. Partnership leverages federal Title VI funding for cross-departmental engagement.
• Trinity College DublinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCD deepened relationship with Trinity College Dublin through speaker and student exchanges. Consultation on constitutional challenges of Irish reunification in post-Brexit context.
• Senate Finance Committee of Puerto RicodevelopingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCD requested to assist developing reform package to discourage over-reliance on debt as government funding mechanism. Memorandum of understanding in development for future collaboration on fiscal constitutional reform.
• National Democratic Institute (NDI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCD regularly hosts NDI speakers and practitioners in Seminar Series. Collaboration provides career guidance to students on alternative career paths in democracy assistance and constitutional governance support.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• International IDEA: Intergovernmental organization dedicated to democratic institution-building and constitution-building globally. Directly comparable to CCD in mission (constitutional design advising) and even shares personnel (CCD alumnus Rafael Macía is a consultant for IDEA's Constitution-Building Programme).
• National Democratic Institute (NDI): Core U.S.-funded democracy assistance organization working with political parties, civil society, and elections worldwide. Directly comparable as a peer in democratic governance support; CCD already partners with NDI via seminar series.
• International Republican Institute (IRI): U.S.-funded counterpart to NDI supporting democratic governance, political processes, and civil society globally. Comparable peer in democracy promotion and constitutional reform advising in transition countries.
• The Carter Center: NGO founded by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter with active democracy, governance, and conflict-resolution programs. Comparable as a peer in long-horizon democracy support and constitutional transition advising.
• U.S. Institute of Peace: Independent, federally funded institution working to prevent and resolve violent conflicts abroad. Comparable in providing technical advising to governments on constitutional and governance reform in fragile states.
• Constitution Unit (University College London): Academic research center at UCL focused on constitutional change and democratic reform, particularly in the UK and Europe. Direct peer in academic constitutional design research and advising.
• V-Dem Institute (University of Gothenburg): Leading academic institute producing the Varieties of Democracy dataset and research on democratic erosion and constitutional design. Comparable peer as an academic hub producing widely-cited scholarship on democratic governance.
• International Commission of Jurists: International NGO of jurists dedicated to promoting human rights and rule of law through the legal profession. Comparable peer in advising on rule-of-law reform and judicial independence in transition countries.
• World Justice Project: Independent organization producing the WJP Rule of Law Index and supporting rule-of-law reform globally. Comparable peer in producing open-access measurement and advising on rule-of-law reform.

Broad incumbents

• National Endowment for Democracy (NED): U.S. quasi-governmental foundation that funds democracy-promotion work globally and is itself a major CCD funder (Thailand program). Comparable as an incumbent in the democracy assistance ecosystem with much broader geographic and thematic scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/CCDemocracy
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/iumaurerlaw
• Facebookfacebook.com/CenterForConstitutionalDemocracy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Center for Constitutional Democracy