By Rendon Reinarz, Graduate of the UT LBJ School of Public Affairs
This summer, I am lucky to experience multiple cultures during my summer internship for the National Democratic Institute (NDI). While I am working with the NDI Ukraine team, I was unable to travel to Ukraine for my internship due to the ongoing war and have been placed in Kosovo for the summer. In many ways, I get the best of both worlds: I have had the privilege to live and experience Balkan culture and hospitality while contributing to work that I find particularly relevant to help Ukrainian democratic institutions as they continue to fight for their future in the context of war and Russian aggression.
Continue reading Reflections of War on Democracy in Ukraine and Kosovo →
By Angela Fraioli, PhD student in the UT Government Department
This summer, I had the privilege of completing a two-month long internship for the National Democratic Institute (NDI) in Pristina, Kosovo. This experience greatly developed my academic and professional careers and was incredibly useful so early on in my doctoral degree. As I reach the conclusion of this experience, I feel gratitude for the many communities that have welcomed me, pride for the work I’ve completed during my time here, and excitement for the many ways in which I will apply what I have learned from this experience to my studies, professional career, and personal life.
Continue reading Supporting Women’s Participation in Kosovo →
UT Government PhD student Angela Fraioli and LBJ School 2026 graduate Rendon Reinarz spent this summer in the Embedded Scholars Program, gaining experience in democracy building in Kosovo and Ukraine while garnering a deeper understanding of how conflicts shape political institutions and civic life during and after those conflicts.
Continue reading Students Reflect on Democracy, Resilience, Legacy of War in Kosovo and Ukraine →
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.
Continue reading 2026 Embedded Scholars Head to Balkans, Eurasia, Latin America →
By Avin French, Undergraduate student in the UT Government Department
I cannot say that North Macedonia was the place I thought I would spend my summer last year, but after spending six weeks in this alluring place, engaging with the people, exposing myself to the culture, and studying the nation, I could not be more grateful for the opportunity Embedded Scholars has given me at the National Democratic Institute (NDI) in North Macedonia.
Continue reading Supporting Parliamentary Strengthening in North Macedonia →
UT’s Embedded Scholars program—led by UT Government faculty members Zachary Elkins and Ashley Moran—doubled in size this year to offer internships in more countries with more international organizations working in democratic development abroad.
Started three years ago as a partnership with International IDEA and the Comparative Constitutions Project in Latin America, the program combines in-depth classroom training in the spring with summer internships in democracy assistance abroad. This year, the program continued its work in Panama and Chile, and expanded to additional countries—Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, North Macedonia, and Sweden—as well as additional international organizations—CID Gallup, International IDEA’s Democracy Assessment team, the National Democratic Institute, and Transparency International.
Continue reading New Democracy Internships at Gallup, IDEA, NDI, and TI →
A research exchange program at the University of Texas at Austin supporting student work abroad in democratic and constitutional development