A hub for research, insights, and analysis from across Harvard University, addressing critical issues of democracy and self-government in the United States and around the world
Book
In Race/Class Conflict and Urban Financial Threat, political scientist Jennifer L. Hochschild analyzes key policies in four major U.S. cities to explore when race and class influence urban politics, when they don’t, and what other factors can drive city policy decisions.
Additional Resource
In his working paper, Eric Maskin and Partha Dasgupta show that, among all voting rules, majority rule is uniquely characterized by strategy-proofness, the Pareto principle, anonymity, neutrality, independence of irrelevant alternatives, and decisiveness.
Article
As threats to democracy grow globally, Julie Battilana’s recent essay — marking ASQ’s 70th volume — calls for organizational research to more deeply examine how democratic or authoritarian organizations themselves are, and the consequences of these differing models.
Book
In Race/Class Conflict and Urban Financial Threat, political scientist Jennifer L. Hochschild analyzes key policies in four major U.S. cities to explore when race and class influence urban politics, when they don’t, and what other factors can drive city policy decisions.
Book
From leading thinker Danielle Allen, a bold and urgent articulation of a new political philosophy: power-sharing liberalism.
Article
Maya Sen argues that federal courts are unlikely to protect democracy from threats posed by Trump and Musk, as the judiciary’s power to check executive overreach is limited and increasingly challenged.
Article
In his latest article for The Conversation, Archon Fung defines “conflicts of interest,” highlights their risks to good governance, and outlines strategies to mitigate their impact.
Article
Erica Chenoweth shares a brief addendum to the Nonviolent Action Lab’s workshop held in December 2024 on how AI can influence social mobilization, for better or worse.
Policy Brief
Tova Wang and Melina Geser-Stark argue that while grassroots advocacy has been pivotal in advancing voting rights, it remains overshadowed by the perception that voter reform is the domain of political elites — a view this paper challenges by examining how grassroots efforts mirror modern social movements and drive the push for a more inclusive democracy.
Occasional Paper
The study examines the influence of family history on U.S. lawmakers’ views on immigration policy, finding that legislators with immigrant ancestry tend to support more permissive immigration laws and speak more positively about immigration. It examines personal background, including family history and identity, and how that plays a significant role in shaping policymaking.