Tag Archives: Albania

Witnessing History in Albania

By Trinity Elkins, Graduate student at the UT LBJ School of Public Affairs

Përshëndetje! This summer I had the incredible privilege of working with the National Democratic Institute in Tirana, Albania, a country with a deeply complex political history. Between 1944 and 1985, the reigning dictator, Enver Hoxha, completely closed Albania off to the rest of the world. Citizens were not allowed to cross the border (in or out), own property, practice religion, or express any sort of individualism. Given his isolationist agenda, Hoxha was immensely paranoid that Albania was on the brink of a foreign invasion, so he ordered the construction of 173,000 bunkers to be built over the 10,500 square miles within the country. He idealized and aligned himself with Albania’s 15th century national hero, Gjergj Kastrioti (Skanderbeg), in order to legitimize his rule.

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NDI Albania Interns Wrap-up Parliamentary Work in Tirana

Two 2026 Embedded Scholars spent their summer internships supporting democracy programs with the National Democratic Institute in Tirana, Albania. Their summer work focused on democratic research in transparency and anti-corruption initiatives, as well as the relationship between civic education and public participation in democratic institutions.

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Civic Education and Prospects for Democracy: Reflections from Albania

By Elizabeth Donaway, PhD student in the UT Government Department

This summer I had the opportunity to work with NDI Albania, where I focused on the relationship between civic education, civic participation, and democratic institutions. Much of my work centered on the Albanian Parliament and its Parliamentary Institute, a nonpartisan institution that supports members of Parliament through research, library services, and civic education programming. Through this work, I came to appreciate that democracy assistance is not only about elections, parties, or formal institutional reform. It is also about helping citizens understand that democratic institutions belong to them and helping institutions create meaningful ways for citizens to participate.

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2026 Embedded Scholars Head to Balkans, Eurasia, Latin America

The University of Texas at Austin’s Embedded Scholars program is sending its 2026 cohort to the Balkans, Eurasia, and Latin America this summer to support democracy and electoral assistance programs abroad this summer. In Latin America, the fellows will work in the CID Gallup headquarters in Panama, and in International IDEA’s Chile Country Office. In the Balkans and Eurasia, the fellows will work with the National Democratic Institute’s offices in Albania, Armenia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Ukraine.

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