Through our books, case studies, journal articles, papers, and surveys, the Ash Center is home to some of the world’s most advanced research and publications on issues related to democratic governance and self-governance.
To explore all research authored by Ash Center faculty, please visit the Harvard Kennedy School website. You can view the Ash Center’s open access policy here.
Paper
This paper examines the growing role of content creators as information sources in modern society, proposing frameworks for effective collaboration between creators and election officials and offering recommendations for election officials to develop their own social media content.
Newest
Paper
This paper examines the growing role of content creators as information sources in modern society, proposing frameworks for effective collaboration between creators and election officials and offering recommendations for election officials to develop their own social media content.
Additional Resource
This resource provides accessible, reliable information on constitutional history and the roles and responsibilities involved in administering congressional elections in the United States, with the goal of advancing civic understanding among government officials, media, civic organizations, and the American public.
Policy Brief
Technology has enriched the lives of Americans with novel communication choices. It has also made it more difficult to reach everyone in emergencies. In a new policy brief, Mary W. Graham, senior fellow at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, explores this new paradox of the digital transition.
Article
A new research article by Randy Akee, Julie Johnson Kidd Professor of Indigenous Governance and Development and Director of the Project on Indigenous Governance and Development, and co-authors examines enduring consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic among American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) populations.
Policy Brief
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.
Article
A new chapter in APSA Preprints by Archon Fung, Winthrop Laflin McCormack Professor of Citizenship and Self-Government and Director of the Ash Center, Bailey Flanigan, former postdoctoral fellow at the Ash Center and co-authors explores how generative AI is reshaping four dimensions of democratic practice—political campaigns, election administration, social movements, and citizen deliberation. The authors argue that AI’s ultimate democratic impact will depend less on the technology itself, and more on how institutions and leaders implement and regulate it.
Article
A new paper in the Congressional Budget Office’s Working Paper Series, authored by Randall Akee—Director of the Project on Indigenous Governance and Development and Julie Johnson Kidd Professor at Harvard Kennedy School—along with his co-authors, draws on long-term administrative data to examine how immigrant workers’ earnings in the United States evolved between 1981 and 2021.
Article
A new research article by Dr. Christine Slaughter, Research Fellow at the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation and co-authors examines the narrative of black men’s political “shift right”. The study finds Black men remain overwhelmingly Democratic, despite growing public attention to ideological divides.
Paper
This paper explores practical mechanisms for improving the relationship between election officials and news media to increase public confidence in the electoral process.