Archon Fung
Director, Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation;
Co-Director of the Program on Democracy and the Informed Public;
Winthrop Laflin McCormack Professor of Citizenship and Self-Government
Reimagining Democracy Program
Reimagining our political institutions to meet the democratic challenges of today.
Related Programs
Related Topics
Institutional Reforms, Electoral College, Civic Engagement, Multiracial Democracy, Sports and Civic Participation
To confront the growing challenges to democracy around the world, it’s time for new ideas.
Democracy requires deep and structural changes to survive and grow. The Ash Center’s Reimagining Democracy Program provides scholars and those on the frontlines of our democracy with a space for generating ambitious ideas and practices to make democracy more resilient, responsive, and inclusive.
Meet the Team
Tova Wang
Director of Research Projects in Democratic Practice
Christina Marchand
Senior Associate Director, Center-wide Democracy Initiatives
Jose Martinez
Program Manager
Jahaida Hernández Jesurum
Program Administrator
The Latest News and Research
Podcast
Terms of Engagement—How Does Our Civil Rights History Shape the Future of American Democracy?
Archon Fung and Stephen Richer invite Harvard Kennedy School Professor and civil rights advocate Cornell William Brooks to assess the evolution of America’s historical narrative and what implications history has on our contemporary political context.
Podcast
Terms of Engagement— Preparing for the Election Meltdown … Or Not
Co-hosts Archon Fung and Stephen Richer weigh conflicting predictions for the 2026 midterms and explore how to safeguard a free and fair election.
Podcast
Terms of Engagement—Inside Trump’s White House
White House reporter Annie Linskey offers a closer look at how the Trump White House makes decisions and what recent actions reveal about its strategy.
Podcast
Terms of Engagement—So, Is It Fascism?
Jonathan Rauch joins the podcast to discuss why he now believes “fascism” accurately describes Trump’s governing style.
Podcast
Terms of Engagement—Beyond MAGA: What Trump’s Coalition Really Looks Like
Drawing on new data from more than 10,000 Trump voters, this episode of Terms of Engagement unpacks the diverse constituencies behind the MAGA label.
Podcast
Terms of Engagement—Can Venezuela Still Reclaim Democracy?
As Venezuela grapples with authoritarian collapse and a controversial U.S. operation that removed Nicolás Maduro, Freddy Guevara joins the podcast to discuss what Venezuelans are feeling and what democratic renewal might actually look like.
Podcast
Terms of Engagement—What Does January 6 Mean Five Years Later?
In the season 2 premiere of Terms of Engagement, Archon Fung and Stephen Richer revisit January 6 with journalist Mary Clare Jalonick to examine what the January 6 Capitol attack reveals about democratic trust, accountability, and political violence.
Podcast
Terms of Engagement—What Does the MAGA New Right Think?
In the season finale, author and political theorist Laura Field joins co-hosts Archon Fung and Stephen Richer to unpack the ideas and beliefs of the New Right and their impact on elections, race, and public debate.
Podcast
Terms of Engagement—The Politics of the Epstein Files
Co-hosts Archon Fung and Stephen Richer unpack the latest developments in the Epstein saga and explore what they reveal about shifting political alignments, growing demands for accountability, and the relationship between power and public trust.
Podcast
Terms of Engagement—Wait, Wait—What Happened?
Co-hosts Archon Fung and Stephen Richer look back at the last five months of headlines as they celebrate the twentieth episode of Terms of Engagement.
Podcast
Terms of Engagement—Is America Ready to Vote by Phone?
Archon Fung and Stephen Richer are joined by Michelle Feldman, political director at Mobile Voting, a nonprofit, nonpartisan initiative working to make voting easier with expanded access to mobile voting.
Podcast
Terms of Engagement—Is Fusion Voting Fair?
Archon Fung and Stephen Richer discuss whether fusion voting expands representation and strengthens smaller parties—or whether it muddies party lines and confuses voters.
Podcast
Terms of Engagement—How Will a Lapse in Federal Food Assistance Impact Millions of Americans?
Archon Fung and Stephen Richer are joined by Jennifer Lemmerman, Chief Policy Officer at Project Bread, to discuss the impact the lapse in SNAP funding is having on individuals and families.
Podcast
Terms of Engagement—From Congress to Kitchen Tables: Understanding the Impact of the Government Shutdown
Archon Fung and Stephen Richer are joined on Terms of Engagement by Air Traffic Controller Jack Criss to discuss the real-world impact of the ongoing shutdown.
Podcast
Terms of Engagement—Just How Powerful Are Protests?
Archon Fung and Stephen Richer are joined by University of Pittsburgh’s Lara Putnam to discuss the recent No Kings protest movement.