Ash Center logo

News and Analysis

Read the latest news, commentary, and analysis from the Ash Center.

Graphic of two men yelling at each other.

Commentary

Ten ways to take down the political temperature

The intensification of political polarization in recent years has raised pressing concerns about the health of democratic discourse and the rise of political violence. Ash Center Senior Fellow Stephen Richer shares ten principles he believes provide a framework for fostering more constructive engagement: encouraging self-reflection, prioritizing substantive dialogue over hyperbole, and creating incentives that reward integrity and ideas rather than division.

Read The Story

Filter by

  • Issue Areas
  • Programs
  • Format

Filters

Close

Filters

Issue Areas
Programs
Format

516 Items

of 58

Newest

The Real Numbers: Tracking Crowd Sizes at Presidential Rallies

Commentary

The Real Numbers: Tracking Crowd Sizes at Presidential Rallies

This post uses the Crowd Counting Consortium’s data on U.S. protest activity since 2017 to estimate and compare the average size of the crowds at political rallies featuring Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and, since late July 2024, Kamala Harris.

Political Violence in America: Causes, Consequences, and Countermeasures
Police walking in riot gear

Feature

Political Violence in America: Causes, Consequences, and Countermeasures

In the wake of this most recent incident, the Ash Center convened a panel of experts to discuss Americans’ attitudes toward political violence and explore strategies for counteracting and de-escalating future violent acts to prevent them from becoming an accepted social norm.

Episode 5: Independent Protest Journalism
A man photographs a black lives matter protest happening behind him

Podcast

Episode 5: Independent Protest Journalism

Host Jay Ulfelder sits down with journalists Talia Jane, Raven, and Sean Beckner-Carmitchel to discuss the impact of independent journalism on protest activity and social movements.

Arrest student protesters, wait or negotiate? Colleges can use ‘ladder of harm’ to determine appropriate response to Gaza protests on campus
Student encampments on the front lawn of Columbia University

Commentary

Arrest student protesters, wait or negotiate? Colleges can use ‘ladder of harm’ to determine appropriate response to Gaza protests on campus

In his latest article for The Conversation, Archon Fung presents two key questions at the heart of these debates: Should campuses allow civil disobedience, suppress dissent, or seek peaceful solutions? And when, if ever, should police force be used against protests?

Episode Four: The Movement to Stop Cop City

Podcast

Episode Four: The Movement to Stop Cop City

Host Jay Ulfelder sits down with Joseph Brown, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts Boston, to discuss a mass mobilization in Atlanta to stop a new a police training center amid environmental and community rights concerns.

What led to the rise — and then fall — of participatory democracy in Colombia?
A ballot box reads

Feature

What led to the rise — and then fall — of participatory democracy in Colombia?

Research by Democracy Postdoctoral Fellow Jamie Shenk highlights how referendums in Colombia served as a powerful tool to block the expansion of mining and oil enterprises before the practice was curbed by the country’s Supreme Court.