The World Federalist Institute serves as Citizens for Global Solutions' internal research group and promotes debate, discussion and the sharing of innovative research on the principle of federalism and its applicability to contemporary and long-range global governance challenges. Through its select body of Fellows, policy experts and CGS staff, the Institute promotes innovative solutions to some of the more fundamental policy challenges facing the world today.

The Institute's fellows explore contemporary and anticipated developments in global governance in the coming decades and offer structural recommendations in each of CGS' program areas: preventing war, law and justice, human rights, and the United Nations system. In addition to ongoing semi-formal conversations on U.S. foreign policy and the applicability of federalism in global governance, the Institute offers advisory proposals to CGS policy and program staff in major areas. Recent projects have included the potential of a rankings index to measure governments' responsibility in complying with international norms (still in development) and the continued viability of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), on which an interim report was released in 2007.

The Institutes also hosts open discussion panels and workshops at CGS's annual forums. Topics include the viability of weighted voting proposals, Southern perspectives on global issues, development of the ICC and enforcement norms, and others. 

Institute Fellows identify and produce innovative proposals to policy global governance challenges being explored by Citizens for Global Solutions and other leaders research groups. Our current Fellows include: 

The Institute continues the study of federalism in addressing contemporary policy challenges in global governance that Citizens for Global Solutions' predecessor organizations has pioneered for decades.

Though the terminology has evolved in recent decades, federalism is still evident in contemporary intergovernmental relations. The use of federal and quasi-federal structures in the regional unions or in intergovernmental organizations extend and provide structure to democratic accountability and legal responsibility for national governments.  In more contemporary parlance, federalism is often described as interdependence and subsidiarity and is used to improve economic integration, global justice and collective security efforts that affect not only governments but individual citizens. The International Criminal Court and the European Parliament are two examples of contemporary global federalist structures. An accused individual may be indicted and prosecuted at the International Criminal Court, but only where national judicial systems are unable or unwilling to do so. European citizens can hold accountable policymakers and bureaucrats through regular and direct elections to the supranational European Parliament. 

The continued applicability of federalism in global governance is the focus of discussions and publications by many of the the Institute's Fellows. Emerging global concerns are identified by CGS policy and program staff, Board members and WFI Fellows, who collaborate in examining these concerns and proposing innovative policy and institutional solutions. Proposals by the Institute may include recommendations for new international norms, the development of regional or multilateral structures, or the establishment of entirely new global institutions.