Cindy Skach
Award-Winning Harvard & Oxford Professor
Cindy Skach
Award-Winning Harvard & Oxford Professor
Biography
Cindy Skach, a former award-winning Harvard and Oxford professor, was advising the Iraqis and Kurds on constitutional design when her camp was hit by a 240 mm missile, killing several members. Marked by this experience, she questioned our heavy reliance on constitutions and the law for social peace. As an ‘outlaw’ in her field, she critiqued law and hierarchy as a highly accomplished insider, carving a new path that takes individual citizens and their environment seriously. She’s now committed to helping all of us understand the basics of democratic governance, our rights, and obligations, and developing the capabilities of young people to protect these rights while respecting others, preparing one day to live in a post-constitutional, post-hierarchical world.
Skach currently teaches legal and political theory at the University of Bologna, the oldest university in the world, and is Emeritus Professor of Law at King’s College London. She was previously the Professor of Comparative Government and Law ant Oxford, after teaching at Harvard for nearly a decade. She actively engages with governments, businesses, urban designers and citizen groups worldwide, working to establish more meaningful democratic practice and policy, and challenging existing paradigms that place formal constitutions and hierarchical leadership at the core of governance. Skach served as a constitutional advisor to world leaders and organizations including the Club of Madrid and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq and brings many years of experience as an educator and motivational speaker.
Skach, born in Chicago, received her BA from Northwestern University, MA and MPhil from Columbia University, and DPhil from the University of Oxford. She was an exchange student at the University of Heidelberg and University of Seville, and a research student at the Santa Fe Institute, where she ran lab experiments on social networks, non-hierarchical order and organisation. Skach has held visiting positions in think tanks, law and business schools and conducted research on six continents, supported by organisations including the Harvard Medical School and the Fulbright Commission. She’s the author of many books and scholarly articles, including most recently Outlaw (Bloomsbury 2025), and her research has been published in over a dozen languages.
Speech Topics
Civic Leadership in the 21st Century: What Corporations & Citizens Can Learn From Each Other
In an age of distrust and institutional fatigue, civic and corporate leadership are converging in unexpected ways. Drawing on insights from my recent book, Outlaw, this talk explores how corporations can adopt civic virtues—like reciprocity, transparency, and horizontal accountability—while communities can learn from adaptive business strategies and teamwork. I discuss how citizens and businesses alike can build trust, generate social capital, and lead without hierarchies.
Law & Its Limits
We’ve long looked to law to deliver justice, regulate power, and hold leaders accountable—but what happens when the law itself is no longer trusted or effective? Drawing from experience in constitutional law and my recent book, How to Be a Citizen, I examine moments when law becomes a barrier to democratic renewal. With examples from across time and space, this talk unpacks how legal systems can both enable and hinder democratic agency—and what we can do when the law no longer serves the public good.
Designing the Piazza: Reimagining Public Spaces for Democracy Now!
Spaces shape our politics. Drawing inspiration from Italian piazzas, English allotments, and modern urban design, this talk explores how physical environments can either suppress or ignite civic life. With rich historical examples and practical ideas, I make a compelling case for designing public spaces—from parks to plazas—not just as amenities, but as infrastructure for democracy. What if trust is built not in a courtroom or voting booth, but on a park bench?
Beyond Voting: Building Everyday Civic Muscle
Voting matters—but democracy cannot survive on ballots alone. This talk introduces the concept of “everyday citizenship”: small, consistent acts of community care, mutual trust, and shared responsibility. Based on Outlaw, my recent book, the talk offers a roadmap for cultivating civic muscle—especially in societies where formal politics feels broken. This is a talk for anyone who wants to move beyond cynicism and into action.
Constitutions on Trial: Lessons from Weimar, the US & Beyond
Why do constitutions fail? And what can we learn from those that survive? With deep expertise in comparative constitutional law, I guide audiences through dramatic constitutional turning points—from Weimar Germany to contemporary America. This talk demystifies constitutional breakdown, reveals warning signs of democratic decay, and shares powerful lessons for reforming our most sacred documents — or even going beyond them to do the heavy lifting ourselves, peacefully, democratically, and hopefully with justice for all.
Related Speakers
)
)
Expert In Climate Adaptation & Public Policy, Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Author
)
New York Times Bestselling Author & James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor, Princeton University
)