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

Picture of Paige Swem at Harvard.

Feature

Believing in the Power of the People

Paige Swem MC/MPA 2026 has built her career around a simple but powerful belief: meaningful change happens when institutions share power with the people they serve. From leading democracy reform efforts in Michigan to studying public leadership at Harvard Kennedy School, she has championed grassroots, participatory approaches that bring citizens into decision-making and strengthen democratic systems from the ground up, earning her the Ash Center’s Martha H. Mauzy Award this spring.

This article was originally written by Carol Kerbaugh for Harvard Kennedy School’s website. 

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Acknowledging and Reckoning with History
Mural titled “We Are Here” by VivaLaFreedpdx, Alex Chiu, A’Misa Chiu, Justin Phillip, Kiana Chelew, Layna Lewis, and Ameya Marie Okamoto. Photo attributed to Chris Christian (under a Creative Commons, CC BY-NC 2.0 license).

Q+A

Acknowledging and Reckoning with History

Historical reckoning, truth-telling, and new traditions of memorialization acknowledging the legacy of slavery are all critical to moving towards restorative and reparative change says Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project Director Khalil Gibran Muhammad.

Lessons from and for Indian Country
Joel Chastain stands outside of Harvard Kennedy School facing the camera

Feature

Lessons from and for Indian Country

Joel Chastain MC/MPA 2022 is taking lessons learned from the Chickasaw Nation and Harvard Kennedy School to promote tribal economic development.

Decentralized Society: Finding Web3’s Soul

Decentralized Society: Finding Web3’s Soul

Web3 today centers around expressing transferable, financialized assets, rather than encoding social relationships of trust.