The CEU Democracy Institute provides a new, academically ambitious and socially responsible platform for research and public engagement. The Institute’s six research areas address some of the biggest challenges to democracy in our world today, key themes to support and enable democracy to thrive. Each is addressed from the perspectives of several disciplines. 

Each research workgroup is led by a senior researcher, with permanent researchers residing in Budapest cooperating with affiliated researchers from CEU in Vienna. Each workgroup also welcomes visiting scholars, research fellows, doctoral students  and post-docs working on individual projects housed by the Institute. 

The Institute builds on CEU’s 30 years of experience in interdisciplinary academic and policy research. It incorporates the Center for Policy Studies, which was established in 2000 to expand public policy teaching at CEU and to promote social science research in the policy process. The Center is known for research that is comparative, methodologically diverse and policy oriented, and provides critical perspectives on the formulation and implementation of public policy. It has historically been focused on cross-cutting themes such as equality and social justice, territorial development, social cohesion, governance and policy actors.   
 
The Institute also incorporated the Center for Media, Data and Society, founded in 2004 for the study of media, communication, and information policy and its impact on society and practice. Conducted through independent investigation as well as partnerships with thinktanks and journalists, the center’s research included analysis of political changes, regulatory and policy developments, country profiles and comparative reports, and data-based reports on funding and ownership in media and journalism. Researchers participated in policy debates and forums, shared expertise with practitioners, experts and civil society actors, and taught and explained media policy in workshops, lectures and conferences. As per October 2022, CMDS commenced its operations independently of CEU.