Our Mission

The University of Virginia’s Karsh Institute of Democracy is committed to addressing the urgent challenges facing democracy today and creating a future where democracy’s aspirations and its reality are unified. The institute focuses on three interrelated pillars that shape the meaning and possibilities of democracy: democratic culture, laws and institutions, and social and economic conditions. Through innovative approaches to research, teaching, programs, and partnerships, the institute actively engages in public conversations and aims to influence the agendas that shape a thriving democratic future.

Uniquely situated in one of the nation’s most esteemed public institutions, the Karsh Institute is a catalyst for action and impact that builds upon UVA’s expertise in the study of democracy, public policy, and leadership, and its history as a university founded to prepare citizen-leaders to serve as active participants in democracy. The institute accelerates collaboration among the work of several schools and centers already dedicated to the study of democracy at UVA, including UVA’s Center for Politics, the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, the Karsh Center for Law and Democracy, the Miller Center of Public Affairs, the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service and the teaching and research of many faculty members across Grounds.