Feature
Navigating Democracy’s Next Chapter at the “Founding Futures” Conference
Ash Center Fellow Jon Alexander joined a diverse group of speakers at TED Democracy Philadelphia to share bold ideas for revitalizing modern democracy.
Policy Brief
DOCE Beats DOGE: The Case for Meaningful Government Transformation Through Citizen Empowerment
A new policy brief by Jon Alexander, Non-resident Democracy Fellow at the Ash Center, argues for the development of a Department of Citizen Empowerment (DOCE) at all levels of government around the world.
In a new policy brief, Jon Alexander, Non-resident Democracy Fellow at the Ash Center, proposes creating a Department of Citizen Empowerment at every level of government with the goal of transforming public institutions from service providers into facilitators of collective intelligence and civic participation.
Drawing comparisons with the Department of Government Efficiency, the report argues that governments must fundamentally rethink their role—not as institutions delivering outcomes to citizens, but institutions that empower citizens to achieve those outcomes themselves.
Feature
Reimagining Democracy 2026 Summer Reading List
Tova Wang, director of research projects in democratic practice at the Ash Center, shares her top picks for summer reads focused on making democracy more resilient, responsive, and inclusive.
Commentary
Allen Lab Fellow Spotlight: City Charters Are Deliberative Democracy’s Friends
Allen Lab Fellow Tyler Fisher examines the untapped potential of city charters as a vehicle for deliberative democracy, arguing that advocates should work to embed tools like citizen assemblies, participatory budgeting, and town meetings directly into the governing architecture of cities, institutionalizing deliberative democracy one municipality at a time.