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Democracy demands new ideas.

Harvard’s hub for research and teaching on democracy

The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation develops ideas and fosters practices for equal and inclusive, multiracial, and multiethnic democracy and self-government.

Read more about our pillar programs here. 

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From sovereignty and civil resistance to technology and elections, we are advancing democracy today while imagining a better version for tomorrow.

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California Writes Public Deliberation Into Law

Commentary

California Writes Public Deliberation Into Law

Engaged California is the nation’s first state-run deliberation program, and a new law aims to make it last.

Do Social Media Platforms Make People Happier?

Video

Do Social Media Platforms Make People Happier?

Social media has become one of the primary ways that families, communities and societies stay connected. As its use becomes increasingly embedded in everyday life, opting out can feel difficult for those who want to remain connected to others. At the same time, critics argue that people may be better off using social media less, or perhaps not at all. Why, then, do people continue to use products they may believe are ultimately harmful to their well-being?

The Program on Democracy and the Informed Public hosted a seminar with Cass Sunstein, Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard University and founder and director of the Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy at Harvard Law School.

We Surveyed 50,674 Americans. This Is What Brings Them Together.
Fans at a Boston Legacy game.

Commentary

We Surveyed 50,674 Americans. This Is What Brings Them Together.

In this opinion piece, Audrey Feldman, Todd Rogers and Ben Valenta — participants in the Sports, Democracy and Civic Health project — describe their findings showing that shared fandom can soften partisan animosity and make political opponents more willing to connect.

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