Open Access Resource
Open Book: Open-Source Budget Transparency for Municipalities
With a majority of municipalities publishing their budgets as PDFs, Open Book offers a free alternative that towns own and run themselves.
Additional Resource
Reimagining Democracy for AI
“Reimagining Democracy for AI” by Aviv Ovadya was featured in the October 2023 Journal of Democracy.
Abstract: AI advances are shattering assumptions that both our democracies and our international order rely on. Reinventing our “democratic infrastructure” is thus critically necessary—and the author argues that it is also possible. Four interconnected and accelerating democratic paradigm shifts illustrate the potential: representative deliberations, AI augmentation, democracy-as-a-service, and platform democracy. Such innovations provide a viable path toward not just reimagining traditional democracies but enabling the transnational and even global democratic processes critical for addressing the broader challenges posed by destabilizing AI advances—including those relating to AI alignment and global agreements. We can and must rapidly invest in such democratic innovation if we are to ensure that our democratic capacity increases with our power.
By:
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Aviv Ovadya
Issues
Related Resources
Open Access Resource
Open Course: Designing Democratic Engagement with AI
This free, self-paced course equips public officials with the skills to design, run and learn from meaningful engagement with communities.
Commentary
The Hidden Cost of Cord Cutting: Losing Access to Civic Life
As cord-cutting erodes the funding that sustains local cable access channels, this piece from the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation offers recommendations for preserving vital sources of community information, government transparency, and civic participation.
Additional Resource
Massachusetts Municipal Leader Guide: Open Meeting Law in the Digital Age
As public officials increasingly turn to digital tools, this guide helps Massachusetts municipal leaders navigate Open Meeting Law and their everyday digital practice while safeguarding transparency.
Policy Brief
Update Massachusetts Open Meeting Law for the Digital Age
As technology reshapes how public officials communicate with their communities, this policy brief offers recommendations for modernizing Massachusetts Open Meeting Law to protect transparency and accountability while enabling the tools that expand access to government.
Paper
The Landscape of Digital Civic Infrastructure in Massachusetts
Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation authors offer the first comprehensive analysis of how Massachusetts municipalities are using technology to support civic engagement, government decision-making, and public service delivery.