Stanford Deliberative Democracy Lab

What Stanford Deliberative Democracy Lab does

The Stanford Deliberative Democracy Lab (DDL) is a university research laboratory housed within the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) at Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, located at 616 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford, California. The lab is devoted to studying democracy and public opinion through Deliberative Polling® — a methodology originated in 1988 by Professor James Fishkin that combines random sampling of citizens with structured deliberation (briefing materials, facilitated small-group discussions, expert plenary sessions, and pre/post surveys) to measure how opinions change under informed conditions. The lab has executed over 100 Deliberative Polls across 34 countries on topics including constitutional amendments, climate and energy policy, healthcare, education, elections, AI governance, and political reform, with notable engagements such as Mongolia's statutory national Deliberative Poll, the Zeguo Township participatory-budgeting experiment in China, the America in One Room project, and industry-led forums on generative AI and AI agents.

DDL's core product offering is the Online Deliberation Platform, a video-based small-group discussion tool that supports remote deliberation, complemented by briefing materials, questionnaires, classroom toolkits, and courses on deliberative democracy. Its methodology asset — Deliberative Polling® — is a registered trademark and a recognized research protocol published in leading political-science journals.

The lab operates as a non-commercial academic institution rather than a revenue-generating business. It is funded through Stanford University allocations, academic grants, and project-based contracts with governments and international organizations, with primary customers being national, regional, and local governments that commission bespoke Deliberative Polls to inform policy or constitutional decisions, alongside academic collaborators such as NORC at the University of Chicago. Distribution is handled through direct institutional partnerships and the dissemination of findings via peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and major media coverage including the New York Times, PBS, BBC, CNN, and Financial Times.

Name

Stanford Deliberative Democracy Lab

Legal name

Stanford Deliberative Democracy Lab (DDL)

Website

https://deliberation.stanford.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Stanford Deliberative Democracy Lab, housed at Stanford's CDDRL, conducts Deliberative Polling® research across 34 countries, serving national, regional, and local governments seeking informed public input on constitutional, policy, and emerging-technology issues including AI.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Opinion Research Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910), Political Organizations (813940)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ), Electoral Support & Election Observation (BPADAGAA)

Keywords

• Deliberative polling research
• Public opinion methodology
• Democratic governance research
• Civic engagement studies
• Informed public opinion measurement

Headquarters

HQ city

Stanford

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, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Academic Research Funding: As a Stanford University research lab within the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL), the lab operates primarily through academic grants, university funding, and research contracts with governments and international organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Stanford Deliberative Democracy Lab designs, conducts, and analyzes Deliberative Polls® — research projects that combine scientific random sampling with structured small-group deliberation to measure what the public would think when given balanced information and time to deliberate. Deliverables include pre- and post-deliberation surveys, briefing materials, plenary expert sessions, policy findings, and academic publications, delivered through direct partnerships with governments, international bodies, and academic collaborators across 34 countries.

Product overview

The Deliberative Democracy Lab (DDL) offers a suite of products and services centered on Deliberative Polling®, a research methodology that combines random sampling of citizens with facilitated deliberation to measure informed public opinion. The core offering is the Online Deliberation Platform, a video-based discussion tool designed for small group discussions. Additional resources include briefing materials, questionnaires, classroom toolkits, and courses on deliberative democracy. The lab's work spans global deliberative polls conducted across 34 countries on various policy topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Deliberative Polling® A registered, proprietary research methodology that combines scientific random sampling of a population with structured small-group deliberation, balanced briefing materials, trained moderators, and plenary expert Q&A to produce informed public opinion estimates. Delivered as commissioned research projects for governments, parliaments, and academic partners; has been used for constitutional amendments, policy consultation, and democratic reform across 34 countries.
• Stanford Online Deliberation Platform A video-based discussion platform designed for small group discussions, enabling remote participants to engage in online deliberation sessions for Deliberative Polling and related research projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• 16-point increase in Yes vote for Australian Republic referendum after deliberation (from 57% to 73%)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor, core and notable.

• Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2022The Deliberative Democracy Lab transitioned from the Department of Communication to CDDRL within Stanford's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, strengthening alignment with democracy and governance research programs.
• Tribu FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Supporting partner for Lxs 400 National Deliberative Poll in Chile, a project organized by Chile's Senate Presidency and Challenges of the Future Commission.
• NORC at the University of ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019NORC recruited participants for the America in One Room national Deliberative Poll, providing scientific sampling expertise for the US project's representative random sample of over 500 participants.
• Center for Comparative Urban Governance at Fudan UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2015Advised the Deliberative Poll on Urban Governance in Shanghai at Puxing Sub-district in Pudong New District, implementing neighborhood committee self-governance fund selection.
• Program on Liberation Technology, CDDRLcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2015Joint initiative for the Deliberative Poll at the 2015 Internet Governance Forum, extending deliberation and consultation within internet governance through the Deliberative Poll mechanism.
• Shanghai Municipal Party CommitteenotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 May 2015Commissioned the 2014 No.1 Research Program that resulted in the Deliberative Poll on Urban Governance in Shanghai, the first such poll on urban governance in China.
• The Asia FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Collaborated on Deliberative Polling and the Future of Mongolia's Constitution research, contributing to Mongolia's landmark constitutional reform process.
• MacNeil/Lehrer ProductionscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Organized the 'By the People' project bringing views of informed ordinary citizens to national discussions. Conducted National Issues Convention and What Next California Deliberative Polls.
• Haas Center for Public ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Tom Schnaubelt, Director of Haas Center for Public Service, joined DDL as Lecturer and Senior Advisor on Civic Education in August 2022.
• Central Party School, BeijingnotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 April 2005Endorsed the Zeguo experiment in China, providing legitimacy for the first government-conducted Deliberative Poll that was implemented as public policy.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Healthy Democracy: US nonprofit specializing in deliberative democracy events and civic engagement programs at the state and local level. Directly competes in the same niche of facilitating structured citizen deliberation for governance input.
• V-Dem Institute (University of Gothenburg): Academic research institute producing the Varieties of Democracy dataset and methodologies for measuring democratic governance globally. Directly comparable as a research-oriented democracy measurement organization with global reach.
• Pew Research Center: Nonpartisan, nonprofit public opinion research organization producing rigorous polling on politics, media, and social trends. Directly comparable to DDL in its mission to measure public opinion empirically and inform policy discussions, though it lacks the deliberative component.
• More in Common: International civic organization that runs deliberative and dialogue-based programs to bridge societal divides and inform policy. Operates similar deliberative methodology projects across multiple countries, making it a close functional peer.
• International IDEA: Intergovernmental organization supporting democratic processes including constitutional design, electoral support, and citizen participation globally. Highly comparable in addressing the same government clients (Mongolia, EU, others) on democratic reform and constitutional consultation.
• National Democratic Institute (NDI): Nonprofit that works with governments and civil society to strengthen democratic institutions worldwide, including citizen participation and political reform. Comparable in mission and government client base, though focuses more on political party and electoral support.

Broad incumbents

• Brookings Institution: One of the largest US think tanks producing policy research across governance, democracy, and economic issues. Comparable in producing influential policy research cited by governments, though with a broader topical mandate and less focus on deliberation.
• Freedom House: Established US-based organization that produces the annual Freedom in the World report and supports democracy and human rights globally. Operates in the same democratic governance space but with a broader advocacy and ratings mandate.
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Major international think tank conducting policy research on democracy, governance, and international affairs. Comparable as a global policy research institution serving governments and policymakers, though with a much broader portfolio.

Emerging players

• MIT Center for Constructive Communication: Academic research center at MIT developing technologies and methods for productive public deliberation and civic engagement. Comparable as an academic institution working at the intersection of deliberation methodology and technology, with overlapping research interests.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stanford-deliberative-democracy-lab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Stanford Deliberative Democracy Lab