Additional Resource
Democracy demands new ideas.
Commentary
California Writes Public Deliberation Into Law
Video
VIDEO—Democracy 250: The Impact of Sports on the History of Civil Rights in America
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 flagship programs here.
Our Work
From sovereignty and civil resistance to technology and elections, we are advancing democracy today while imagining a better version for tomorrow.
Latest News
Commentary
Field Report: How AI is Being Used in the 2026 Midterms
Allen Lab Policy Fellow Hillary Lehr provides a late-October 2026 snapshot of the multiple ways that AI and the midterms are intersecting, including campaign use cases, policy issues, and voters’ use of LLMs.
Feature
Law Enforcement and Election Officials: Building Partnerships to Protect Elections
Amid rising threats, harassment, and political polarization, panelists at a recent Ash Center webinar discussed how law enforcement and election officials can collaborate to protect voters and election workers while safeguarding public trust.
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.
Upcoming Events
Journalist Dai Qing and Deng Xiaoping in 1989: A Conversation between Ms. Dai Qing and Professor Rana Mitter
In-Person Event
Ash Center Seminar Room 225, Suite 200, 124 Mount Auburn Street
12:00 pm – 1:15 pm EST
Fall Study Group: How Should Democracies Govern Scarce, Life-Saving Resources? The Case of Organ Transplantation
In-Person Event
Harvard Kennedy School
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm EST
What Just Happened? A post-election conversation
In-Person Event
K262, CGIS Knafel Building, 1737 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
4:00 pm – 5:15 pm EST
