Stephanie McNulty, the Honorable & Mrs. John C. Kunkel Professor of Government at Franklin & Marshall College, has earned a prestigious Fulbright Global Scholar Award to explore an enduring question: How have citizens shaped democracy through direct participation across cultures and throughout history?

The award will allow McNulty to complete a book on the history and global expansion of participatory democracy while also generating new ideas for the recently funded Global Democracy Lab at F&M. She will conduct research in Greece (summer 2026), India (summer 2027), and Peru (fall 2027).

Fulbright Scholar Awards provide opportunities for recipients to teach and conduct research abroad while strengthening their professional development. Among the achievements of Fulbright alumni are 63 Nobel Prizes, 98 Pulitzer Prizes, and 83 MacArthur Fellowships.

“This is one of the most exciting honors I have received, both professionally and personally,” said McNulty, who also earned a grant from the National Science Foundation in 2024 for her work. “The award supports shorter research visits over a two-year period, allowing me to continue teaching while conducting research abroad. I’m excited to learn from each of the three countries and to build relationships with my institutional partners.”

“One of my goals is to bring greater attention to these lesser-known democratic traditions and show that meaningful citizen participation has deep roots around the world.”

— Stephanie McNulty, the Honorable & Mrs. John C. Kunkel Professor of Government

McNulty says the countries each have rich and distinct histories of participatory democracy. She will begin in Athens, often considered the birthplace of direct democracy, before exploring both historical and contemporary forms of village governance in India and Peru.

“While many people are familiar with ancient Athenian democracy because of its extensive written record, far fewer know about participatory governance traditions that developed in other parts of the world,” she said. “One of my goals is to bring greater attention to these lesser-known democratic traditions and show that meaningful citizen participation has deep roots around the world.”

McNulty is encouraged that ordinary people around the world continue to work every day to strengthen democracy.

“Much of our media focuses on elections and representative democracy—campaigns, elected officials, and national politics,” she said. “Around the world, people are also coming together in their neighborhoods and communities to help make decisions, shape public policy, and co-govern. My hope is that this research will help share those stories and remind people that democracy is something that we do all of the time, not just when we vote every few years.”

Jordanna Enrich, director of the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, says Fulbright experiences lead to greater international co-publication and sustained scholarly exchange, positioning scholars as contributors on the global stage.

“We hope Franklin & Marshall can leverage Dr. McNulty’s engagement abroad to build new research and exchange relationships and to connect with prospective applicants to the institution,” Fritsch said.

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