The ICEDD was founded in 2011 as part of the Department of Political Science at Libera Università degli Studi Sociali (LUISS) in Rome, Italy. The center studies the democratization process in different areas of the world and also looks at other, more specific topics, such as evaluating the quality of democracy. It follows in the footsteps of the International Center for Transition Studies, established in 2002. Its research is mainly of a multi-disciplinary nature, with a special focus on political science and contemporary history. It takes a multi-method approach that is at once quantitative and qualitative, comparative and centered on individual cases. Our researches include political scenario and political risk analysis, public policy evaluation, studies on institutional development and historical thinking in public policy development.

Research is conducted by LUISS faculty members and by other scholars who are affiliated with universities both in Italy and abroad. The center is part of a wider network of international centers, all of which are dedicated to studying the democratization process, political systems and political history.