Media Release
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — As communities across the country grapple with declining trust in government and rapidly evolving technology, the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School is launching the Digital Civic Infrastructure Initiative, a new effort to explore how technology can strengthen democratic participation, improve government transparency, and help governments better serve residents. The initiative launched through collaborations with local governments across Massachusetts. It is led by Professor Danielle Allen, whose work to renovate democratic institutions for the twenty-first century has helped launch a national conversation around using technology to make democracy more responsive, accountable, and inclusive. The Digital Civic Infrastructure Initiative is a resource for local governments, academics, and the public alike, helping to strengthen engagement with local government. Specifically, the initiative has developed a suite of research, policy briefs, and an open-source budget transparency tool.
“Democratic resilience in the age of AI requires government that people experience as working for them, and most people experience government locally,” said Danielle Allen. “Technology isn’t only a challenge for governance. Used well to enhance citizen voice and transparency, it can restore legitimacy to the project of self-government.”
The Allen Lab has partnered with Massachusetts municipalities to develop a new, free, interactive budget visualization tool called Open Book, designed to make local budgeting more transparent and accessible. The budget transparency platform lets towns publish their budgets online so residents can explore expenses, revenues and capital projects online in an easy-to-read format. Open Book also enables town managers to review internal capital submission requests. Sutton, Carlisle, and Tyngsborough have collaborated with the Allen Lab to help pilot the rollout of Open Book across Massachusetts.
The Alleb Lab launched its inaugural report, The Landscape of Digital Civic Infrastructure in Massachusetts, offering the first comprehensive analysis of how Massachusetts municipalities are using digital tools and technology to support civic engagement, government decision-making, and public service delivery. Drawing on interviews with municipal leaders and analysis of 58 municipalities across the Commonwealth, the report identifies both promising innovations and persistent barriers to strengthening local democracy. “Local government touches people’s lives most directly, and technology offers real opportunities to make it more open and responsive to the people it serves,” said Lead Researcher Sarah Hubbard.
Among the report’s key findings:
• Just a few technology companies shape how Americans interact with local government. Just one company powers more than eight out of ten of the Massachusetts municipal websites analyzed, creating vendor lock-in, rising costs, and limited negotiating power for municipalities.
• Civic voice has moved online, but outdated rules and social media algorithms keep local officials from joining the conversation. Updating open meeting laws could help local officials meet residents in the digital spaces where civic life increasingly happens.
• Local leaders are proving that innovation doesn’t necessarily require large budgets. Resource-strained municipal leaders are using AI and other creative ways to increase transparency, improve public engagement, and make government more responsive.
• Government transparency is undermined by outdated infrastructure. Public information is often technically available but practically inaccessible. Key documents can be massive, difficult to read PDFs that are unsearchable and hard to navigate or understand.
Looking ahead, the Digital Civic Infrastructure Initiative will continue expanding partnerships with municipalities across Massachusetts, fostering civic technology tools, publishing applied research, and engaging policymakers to help communities build stronger, more responsive democratic institutions in the digital age.
The full report and more resources are available here.
About the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation
The Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation is part of the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School. The Allen Lab works to ensure that public policies, political institutions, and the technologies that support them are designed and judged by how well they strengthen constitutional democracy—expanding freedom and political equality, building fully inclusive institutions, and widening avenues for participation and connection, all rooted in the conditions people need to flourish.
Additional Resource
On campus last week, Allen Lab Fellow Joshua Darr shared his recent report, From Questions to Evidence, with Allen Lab members and Harvard’s Nieman Lab (A new report argues newsrooms need to do more experiments — like, the kind with randomization and results). Darr is the director of the Local NExT Lab at Syracuse University.
Commentary
Engaged California is the nation’s first state-run deliberation program, and a new law aims to make it last.
Additional Resource
In a recent guest essay for The New York Times, Allen Lab Democracy Stack Fellow Beth Noveck argues for putting A.I. behind every public servant.
Additional Resource
On campus last week, Allen Lab Fellow Joshua Darr shared his recent report, From Questions to Evidence, with Allen Lab members and Harvard’s Nieman Lab (A new report argues newsrooms need to do more experiments — like, the kind with randomization and results). Darr is the director of the Local NExT Lab at Syracuse University.
Commentary
Engaged California is the nation’s first state-run deliberation program, and a new law aims to make it last.
Additional Resource
In a recent guest essay for The New York Times, Allen Lab Democracy Stack Fellow Beth Noveck argues for putting A.I. behind every public servant.
