SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University

SNF Agora is now accepting applications for our faculty grant program! Faculty grants typically provide grants of around $5,000 to support faculty work, but it also may provide one larger grant per year with up to $20,000 in funding. Learn more about the application by scanning the QR code or at https://buff.ly/4gZUNm8.

Now Accepting Applications: SNF Agora Visiting Fellowship on US-China Relations We welcome practitioners from both public and private sectors to apply! This non-residential fellowship offers opportunities to engage with the SNF Agora community at Johns Hopkins’ campuses in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Learn more at https://buff.ly/3F91i8Y https://buff.ly/3ERxtdg

India’s deep inequalities have shaped the recent fluctuations in its democracy. In The Perils and Promises of Unequal Democracy, Rina Agarwala (Johns Hopkins) and Poulami Roychowdhury (Brown University) explore how efforts to balance elite privilege with social welfare fueled rising frustrations that paved the way for nationalism and authoritarianism. Read more in the Annual Review of Sociology (2025)

The Political Minds of Humans and Other Apes Join Dr. Chris Krupenye for a fascinating discussion on the psychology behind human politics and its evolutionary roots in our closest primate relatives. Thursday, February 27, noon – 1:30 pm SNF Agora Conference Room, Wyman N325F, and Zoom https://buff.ly/4ifIx1V

Join Us for a Conversation That Matters – with Free Dinner How can we engage in meaningful conversations across our differences? How do we build stronger, more connected communities—both personally and professionally? Join us Wednesday, February 26, from 5:30–6:45 PM in the Great Hall for an interactive session exploring discourse, its limitations, and practical strategies for inclusive and productive dialogue. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn, connect, and engage. See you there.

At the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, our research team is working on the Unbundled Corruption Index (UCI) 2.0. The UCI is a multi-dimensional, multi-country measure of corruption and integrity issues, using perception-based surveys of country experts and professionals. The UCI 1.0 debuted in my book, China’s Gilded Age (2020, Cambridge University Press). It was featured in an interview in Freakonomics Radio with Stephen Dubner and a panel on transparency with former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark. It is also taught in leading business schools, including the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and Stanford Graduate School of Business. We're now working on UCI 2.0. Please support our research efforts by taking only 15 minutes to take our survey. You qualify as a respondent if you have at least 5 years of professional experience in any country, in one or more of these roles: - Researcher or analyst specializing in this country - Journalist covering this country - Lawyer, accountant, or auditor - Professional in a company or business owner - Professional in the public sector - Professional in a civic organization Please sign up by clicking the link below and we will send you a personalized link. This survey has received IRB (institutional review) approval from JHU and is anonymized, meaning we will not know the identity of any response. Your support will be very much appreciated! CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP: https://lnkd.in/gDQnZyQX Follow UCI at LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/gkfzkt7B For more information, please check out our webpage: https://lnkd.in/gN9mE53H

Join us Friday evening for a debate and dinner, discussing the Trump administration's actions on immigration, the Department of Government Efficiency, and more. This event is co-hosted by the SNF Agora Institute, the Hopkins Political Union, Hopkins Votes, and the JHU College Democrats and Republicans. Dinner is included. February 28,7:30pm - 9pm Gilman 132

As part of our Spring 2025 Pizza and Politics series, Professor Adam Sheingate will present his new data-science-meets-political-science project: The Election Spending Dashboard. February 26 @ 11:30 am – 1:00 pm Free Pizza at 11.30am. Talk begins 12.00pm.

Anne Applebaum, senior fellow at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins and staff writer for The Atlantic, recently appeared on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross to discuss her latest article, "There's a Term for What Musk and Trump Are Doing." Applebaum unpacks the concept of regime change, how it applies to U.S. politics, and the broader global shifts toward authoritarianism—topics she has long examined in Europe and beyond. She also provides insights from the Munich Security Conference, where U.S. officials' dismissive stance on NATO left European leaders alarmed about the future of transatlantic alliances. Her latest book, Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World, dives deeper into these themes. If you missed the interview, it’s worth a listen.

The SNF Agora Institute and the Hopkins Bloomberg Center invite you to an in-depth conversation with David Smolansky, SNF Agora Institute Dissident in Residence and exiled political leader, alongside president-elect Edmundo González and democratic opposition leader María Corina Machado. Drawing from their frontline experience resisting Nicolás Maduro’s dictatorship, these leaders will discuss ongoing efforts—both within Venezuela and in the hemisphere—to uphold the will of the overwhelming majority who voted for a democratic transition. They will also explore the broader implications of Venezuela’s struggle for democracy, including the regime’s threat to U.S. and hemispheric security. This vital discussion bridges academic and political analysis with on-the-ground realities, offering unique insights into what a free Venezuela represents globally. Don't miss this opportunity to engage with experts at the intersection of policy, democracy, and human rights. RSVP at this link: https://buff.ly/4hGbowt @Johns-Hopkins-University-Bloomberg-Center