Feature
Ash Center Fellow Jon Alexander joined a diverse group of speakers at TED Democracy Philadelphia to share bold ideas for revitalizing modern democracy.
What does the future of democracy look like? At “TED Democracy Philadelphia: Founding Futures,” Ash Center Democracy Fellow Jon Alexander joined researchers, activists, entrepreneurs, and civic leaders to examine democracy from multiple vantage points. The June 13 event took place at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, just a mile from where the Declaration of Independence was signed 250 years ago. Reflecting on this legacy, most speakers agreed that while the work of maintaining democracy requires constant effort, we are living through an especially difficult and polarizing period.
While the discussions spanned a range of issues, from artificial intelligence to community organizing, Alexander focused on active citizenship. He pointed to citizen-led assemblies as a vital pathway forward. These assemblies, which bring randomly selected everyday people together to solve local policy issues, are currently being tested in communities worldwide. As Alexander noted, they succeed because “all of us are smarter than any of us.”
Watch the full video here.
Dana Guterman is a content strategist, writer, and editor with the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation.
Podcast
Attorney and criminal justice researcher Matthew Cavedon joins Terms of Engagement hosts Archon Fung and Stephen Richer to discuss the democratic and legal implications of Flock cameras.
Podcast
Amanda Carpenter of Protect Democracy joins hosts Archon Fung and Stephen Richer to examine how today’s alarmingly-high levels of political corruption undermine democratic institutions and public trust, distort policymaking, and make citizens increasingly cynical about the democratic process.
Article
A new article in the American Journal of Political Science, co-authored by Yanilda María González, Ford Foundation Associate Professor of Public Policy and Ash Center affiliate, examines public attitudes toward police violence in Brazil. The authors find that while police discourse can increase public endorsement of violence, counternarratives from marginalized victims can be effective in reducing citizen support for repressive policing.
Article
In a recent American Journal of Public Health essay, Ash Center Director Archon Fung, Democracy Visiting Fellow Aditya S. Pawar, former Non-resident Fellow Jon Alexander, and their co-authors examine how public deliberation and civic engagement can produce more efficient and reliable public health policy.
Feature
Books, reports, and articles exploring the front lines of American politics and democracy, as featured on the Terms of Engagement podcast.
Additional Resource
Published as the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary, the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights’ essay collection “Self-Evident Truths” gathers faculty and fellows across Harvard’s schools including the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, to examine how well America has fulfilled its promise that all people are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights.
The included essays span democracy, technology, public health, immigration, climate, and more, providing a nuanced look at what is required to fully realize the nation’s founding ideals today.
