Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law (CERL)

What Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law (CERL) does

The Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law (CERL) is a non-partisan interdisciplinary research institute housed within the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Founded in 2012, CERL operates with a staff of approximately 16 and is led by Faculty Director Claire Finkelstein (Algernon Biddle Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy at Penn Carey Law School) and Executive Director Marcos Gonzalez Soler (former New York Deputy Secretary for Public Safety for Governor Hochul). Its work combines law, philosophy, and ethics to analyze national security, warfare, democratic governance, and rule-of-law challenges, with active programming in civilian harm mitigation, AI and autonomous weapons ethics, democratic erosion, and counterterrorism law.

CERL's core "products" are scholarly and convening outputs rather than commercial goods: The Rule of Law Post blog, a publications catalog (books, papers, reports, briefs, conference reports, annual reports), a calendar of conferences, book talks, panels and symposiums, and a Summer Internship Program that builds a talent pipeline in ethics and national security. The institute's distribution runs through its website, social media channels, and a notable earned-media footprint including The Guardian, Washington Post, CBS News, Task & Purpose, and Lawfare. It also co-sponsors flagship conferences with peer institutions, most recently the November 2025 Precision Lethality and Civilian Harm Mitigation conference with Perry World House and Georgetown's Center on Ethics and the Legal Profession.

The business model is non-commercial: CERL is funded through University of Pennsylvania institutional support as a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, augmented by grants and research funding. There is no disclosed pricing, no customer-facing revenue stream, and no equity investors. Its "customers" in the functional sense are a horizontal audience of academics, policymakers, journalists, students, and the general public who consume its publications and attend its free events, with monetization occurring upstream via institutional and grant funding rather than at the point of consumption.

Name

Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law (CERL)

Legal name

Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law (CERL)

Website

https://penncerl.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CERL is a non-partisan, 16-person interdisciplinary research institute at the University of Pennsylvania that publishes scholarship and hosts conferences on ethics, rule of law, national security, and democratic governance for academics, policymakers, journalists, and the general public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. University of Pennsylvania Institutional Support: CERL operates as an institute within the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, receiving institutional funding from the university.
2. Grants and Research Funding: The center conducts research funded by grants and publishes papers, reports, and conference proceedings on ethics and rule of law topics.

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CERL is an interdisciplinary research institute at the University of Pennsylvania that conducts research, hosts conferences, and publishes policy analysis focused on preserving and promoting ethics and the rule of law in national security, warfare, and democratic governance. The organization brings together legal scholars, philosophers, and policy practitioners to address issues including counterterrorism, targeted killing, autonomous weapons, and ethical governance.

Product overview

CERL is a non-partisan interdisciplinary research institute at the University of Pennsylvania, not a commercial product company. Its offerings consist of scholarly publications (The Rule of Law Post blog, books, papers, reports, briefs, conference reports), educational programming (conferences, book talks, panels, symposiums), and its Summer Internship Program. These offerings work together to advance CERL's mission of preserving and promoting ethics and the rule of law in national security, warfare, and democratic governance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research and Policy Publications
• Academic Conferences and Symposia

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Perry World HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCERL collaborates with Penn's Perry World House on international policy research, including co-hosting the Precision Lethality and Civilian Harm Mitigation conference in November 2025.
• Georgetown's Center on Ethics and the Legal ProfessioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsored the Precision Lethality and Civilian Harm Mitigation conference in November 2025, bringing together academics and practitioners to address civilian harm mitigation in armed conflict.
• University of Pennsylvania Carey Law SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCERL is affiliated with Penn Carey Law School, with Faculty Director Claire Finkelstein serving as Algernon Biddle Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy. Many events are co-hosted with the law school.
• Annenberg Public Policy CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCERL is housed within the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, providing institutional infrastructure and support.
• Union League of PhiladelphiaminorOthersVenue partner for the public symposium on Threats to the Rule of Law and National Security held on April 11, 2025.
• U.S. Government Accountability OfficeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReference source for conference on civilian harm mitigation; GAO reports on DoD civilian harm mitigation efforts were cited in conference background materials.
• Center for Naval AnalysisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch organization whose work on civilian harm mitigation was referenced at the Precision Lethality conference.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Center for a New American Security (CNAS): Think tank focused on US national security and defense policy, including responsible AI and autonomous weapons; overlapping agenda with CERL on emerging technology ethics in military contexts.

Direct peers

• Lawfare Institute: Independent nonprofit focused on the hard national security questions at the intersection of law, policy, and technology; closely comparable to CERL in mission, non-partisan posture, and audience of legal/policy professionals.
• Lieber Institute for Law & Warfare (West Point): West Point-affiliated institute studying law of war, military ethics, and civilian harm mitigation; directly comparable to CERL's Precision Lethality and Civilian Harm Mitigation conference focus.
• Just Security (Reiss Center on Law and Security, NYU): University-based online forum and research project covering national security law and policy; very close analog to CERL's Rule of Law Post as a non-partisan, academically hosted publication for legal and policy professionals.

Broad incumbents

• RAND Corporation: Large research organization conducting policy analysis for government and military clients, including civilian harm mitigation and military ethics work that overlaps with CERL's Precision Lethality agenda.
• Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): Bipartisan DC policy research organization covering defense, security, and international law; comparable to CERL in producing applied national security analysis for policymakers and media.
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Global think tank with programs on international law, democracy, and security; comparable as a non-partisan, scholarship-driven institution producing policy analysis on rule of law and governance.
• Brookings Institution: Large, established DC-based policy research institution that publishes on national security, democratic governance, and law; overlaps with CERL in topic areas and policy/practitioner audience, though broader in scope.
• Council on Foreign Relations: Long-standing nonpartisan institution producing analysis on US foreign policy, international law, and national security; similar thought leadership and convening role to CERL on national security law topics.
• Hoover Institution (Stanford): Stanford-affiliated policy research center covering national security, rule of law, and political economy with strong media presence; comparable to CERL as a university-housed think tank with similar public-facing policy work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/penncerl
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCf7-oh6dUFQFawtof1DV-Uw
• Facebookfacebook.com/Penn.CERL
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/penncerl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law (CERL)