The Research Group on Socialism and Democracy is an academic organization dedicated to promoting socialism and Marxism in the United States and worldwide.

The organization publishes its journal, Socialism and Democracy, three times per year. Annual subscriptions cost $766 for institutions and $53 for individuals. ¹ As of April 2024, its last issue was published in February 2023 and covered writings from July to November 2021. ² The first issue was published in 1985. ³

The organization employs editors in Sweden, India, Cuba, Denmark, France, South Africa, Pakistan, and Brazil. ⁴

History

The Research Group on Socialism and Democracy was founded in 1984 in the sociology department of the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY). The organization was seeded with a $15,000 grant. The group was founded on two premises: that successful “modernization” required socialism and that “socialism” and “democracy” are inherently intertwined concepts. ^{5 6}

In 1989, the organization hosted a conference that featured speakers discussing the future prospects of the Communist Party USA. ⁶

Ideology

The Research Group on Socialism and Democracy describes itself as “socialist” and “broadly Marxist,” with a commitment to incorporate non-class groups like “race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity and nationality” into traditional Marxist class analysis. ⁴

The organization often publishes articles that praise the government of Cuba and condemn U.S. policy toward Cuba. ⁷ A 2007 article describes the unrest of Cuba’s “civil society,” which had resulted in the arrest of 75 political activists and the execution of three individuals in Cuba, as “continuing U.S. efforts to overthrow the Cuban government and destroy the work of the revolution.” ⁸ A 2010 article praised the Cuban government for allegedly nearly eliminating racism and inequality. ⁹ Another 2010 article described the Cuban government as “a triumphant political revolution” “that had been confronting and resisting US imperialist aggression for nearly five decades.” ¹⁰

Leadership

Victor Wallis is listed as the president of the Research Group on Socialism and Democracy in the organization’s 2022 tax forms ¹¹ and as the editor-at-large on the group’s website. ² Wallis is a professor in the liberal arts department at the Berklee College of Music. He is the author of Socialist Practice: Histories and Theories as well as the series “Marx, Engels, and Marxisms.” Wallis has argued that that American culture has an irrational aversion to socialism that has suppressed the benefits of socialism’s history to the public, such as Cuba’s alleged positive record on health and education. Wallis labels U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) as one of the moderate socialists who have failed to defend socialism philosophically to the American public. ¹²

Ron Hayduk is listed as the vice president of the Research Group on Socialism and Democracy in the organization’s 2022 tax forms. ¹¹ Hayduk is a political science professor at the San Fransisco State University. He was the co-founder of the Coalition to Expand Voting Rights, a group based in New York City. From 1993 to 1996, Hayduk worked as a coordinator at the New York City Voter Assistance Commission. ¹³

Funding

The Research Group on Socialism and Democracy is funded entirely by charitable donations. From 2011 to 2022, the group’s revenues ranged from $7,500 to $18,600. ¹⁴

In 2008, the organization received a $1,622 grant from the CUNY Research Foundation, which was established by the state of New York. ¹⁵

1. “Subscriptions.” Research Group on Socialism and Democracy. Accessed April 25, 2024. https://sdonline.org/subscriptions.
2. “Homepage.” Research Group on Socialism and Democracy. Accessed April 25, 2024. https://sdonline.org/.
3. Socialism and Democracy, Volume 1, Issue 1 (1985).” Taylor and Francis Online. 1985. Accessed April 25, 2024. https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/csad20/1/1?nav=tocList.
4. “About Us.” Research Group on Socialism and Democracy. Accessed April 25, 2024. https://sdonline.org/about-us.
5. “The research group on socialism and democracy: An introduction.” Taylor and Francis Online. 1985. Accessed April 25, 2024. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08854308708427939.
6. Rosengarten, Frank. “Looking back in order to look ahead: Twenty years of research and publishing by the research group on socialism and democracy.” Taylor and Francis Online. August 20, 2006. Accessed April 25, 2024. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/08854300500468347.
7. “Search results: Cuba.” Research Group on Socialism and Democracy. Accessed April 25, 2024. https://www.tandfonline.com/action/doSearch?AllField=cuba&SeriesKey=csad20.
8. Agee, Philip. “Terrorism and civil society as instruments of U.S. policy in Cuba.” Taylor and Francis Online. December 13, 2007. Accessed April 25, 2024. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08854300308428363.
9. Prieto, Rodrigo Espina; Ruiz, Pablo Rodriguez. “Race and Inequality in Cuba Today.” Taylor and Francis Online. March 30, 2010. Accessed April 25, 2024. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08854301003619600.
10. Paz, Juan Valdez. “Cuba: The Left in Government, 1959–2008.” Taylor and Francis Online. March 30, 2010. Accessed April 25, 2024. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08854300903533119.
11. “Research Group on Socialism and Democracy Inc Form 990.” ProPublica. Accessed April 25, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/201817437/202321279349201117/full.
12. “Politics in Practice.” Palgrave McMillan. Accessed April 25, 2024. https://www.palgrave.com/gp/blogs/perspectives-in-politics-international-studies/victor-wallis-blog.
13. “Ron Hayduk.” LinkedIn. Accessed April 25, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-hayduk-7276b0/.
14. “Research Group On Socialism And Democracy Inc.” ProPublica. Accessed April 25, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/201817437.
15. “2008 Award Recipients.” CUNY Research Foundation. Accessed April 25, 2024. https://rfcuny.org/annualreport/2008/college8.aspx.