---
title: Institute for China's Democratic Transition (ICDT)
type: research
status: active
country: CN
website: https://chinademocrats.org/en
logo: /assets/org-logos/icdt.png
contact:
  checked: 2026-07-30
  email: office@chinademocrat.org
  source: https://chinademocrats.org/en
summary: A diaspora research institute focused specifically on constitutional frameworks
  and transition planning for democratic governance in China — studying separation
  of powers, institutional design, and comparative lessons from democratic transitions
  elsewhere.
concepts:
- constitutional-democracy
- democracy
- liberal-democracy
location:
  latitude: 39.9042
  longitude: 116.4074
  name: Beijing, China (origin; operates in diaspora)
  precision: city
events:
- date: '2016-09-01'
  title: Incorporated in New Jersey, USA
  url: https://chinademocrats.org/en
  note: 'The institute''s own site states: "Incorporated in September 2016, the Institute
    for China''s Democratic Transition is based in the State of New Jersey, United
    States."'
  proof_level: medium
  url_checked: '2026-08-17'
- date: '2017-04-15'
  title: Public launch at Princeton University
  url: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/zhuanlan/zhongguotoushi/panel-04212017105345.html
  note: Radio Free Asia's Chinese-language commentary reports the institute was established
    at Princeton University on 15 April 2017.
  proof_level: medium
  url_checked: '2026-08-17'
- date: '2023-01-01'
  title: Launches the China Journal of Democracy
  url: https://chinademocrats.org/en
  quote: Since its launch in January 2023, the journal has quickly become the flagship
    publication for pro-democracy Chinese intellectuals.
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-17'
activity:
  manual:
    checked: 2026-06-07
    date: 2026-06-07
    note: website loaded. Unsure if active... non of the social media links loaded.
      No news or blog.
  dod:
    checked: 2026-07-16
    date: 2026-07-16
    note: China Journal of Democracy issue archive loaded directly; current 2026 Q3
      issue listed (quarterly journal up to date), confirming ongoing publication
      activity
    url: https://chinademocrats.org/?cat=8
  rss:
    date: 2026-08-14
    note: 'Latest post: 李厚辰：反嵌型政治结构跟1990以来的政治经济历史（回应吴国光老师“十大问题”系列其二）'
    url: https://chinademocrats.org/?p=6943
    checked: 2026-08-17
last_checked: '2026-07-16'
---

> **Note:** ICDT operates in diaspora — its focus is China, but its researchers work from outside mainland China where this kind of work cannot be done freely. It is included here because its work is specifically about governance system design, not human rights documentation.

The Institute for China's Democratic Transition (ICDT) conducts research on constitutional frameworks, institutional design, and transition management for democratic governance in China. Rather than pure opposition advocacy, its approach is scholarly and constructive — preparing intellectual groundwork for what a democratic transition might look like and how it could be managed without catastrophic instability.

ICDT's research draws on comparative lessons from successful democratic transitions in other countries, examining what institutional structures consolidate democracy, what sequencing minimises instability, and what economic and legal reforms underpin governance change. It publishes the *China Democracy Quarterly* (launched 2023).

## Why included

ICDT fits DOD's landscape because it is doing system design work — asking specific questions about governance architecture, not just opposing the current system. The question of what governance structure could genuinely serve China's people, and how a transition toward it could be managed, is exactly the kind of question DOD is interested in across all contexts.

## Links

- Website: [chinademocrats.org/en](https://chinademocrats.org/en)

## See also

- [Constitutional Democracy](../concepts/constitutional-democracy.md)
- [Democracy](../concepts/democracy.md)
- [Liberal Democracy](../concepts/liberal-democracy.md)