Our faculty are leading the way in understanding and strengthening democratic norms, institutions, and civic participation. From public policy to the arts and creative expression, from fairness in the criminal justice system to good governance in boardrooms, from languages to foreign policy, scholars explore how societies govern themselves, the role of cultural engagement in democracy, and strategies for fostering more equitable, inclusive communities. Their research and creative activity inform civic and political life and make societal impacts at local, state, national, and global levels.
Democracy, Governance, + Cultural Engagement
Research stories
Deadly disease outbreaks don’t just challenge public health, they undermine public trust in government institutions, according to new research by political scientists at Indiana University Bloomi... Read more about IU political scientist co-authors study revealing infectious disease outbreaks undermine public trust in governments, political leaders
Shannon Gayk, Professor of English in the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington, has been named a finalist for the 2025 Book Award from the Association for the Study of Lit... Read more about IU professor’s book, Apocalyptic Ecologies, shortlisted for prestigious environmental literature prize
The longstanding “publish or perish” culture in academia is coming under renewed scrutiny, as a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences argues that current incent... Read more about IU researchers co-author study challenging ‘publish or perish’ culture, call for overhaul of academic publishing
IU Professor Jason Baird Jackson elected president of the American Folklore Society
Jason Baird Jackson, the Ruth N. Halls Professor of Folklore and Anthropology in the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington, has been elected President of the American Folkl... Read more about IU Professor Jason Baird Jackson elected president of the American Folklore Society
Author and Professor Samrat Upadhyay publishes dystopian novel
Author of Arresting God in Kathmandu and The City Son, Professor of English Samrat Upadhyay published his latest novel, Darkmotherland, in January. The novel follows intertwining plots set in the c... Read more about Author and Professor Samrat Upadhyay publishes dystopian novel