Erica Chenoweth
Frank Stanton Professor of the First Amendment
Nonviolent Action Lab
Understanding how nonviolent action can achieve democratic aims.
Related Programs
Crowd Counting Consortium, Nonviolent and Violent Campaigns and Outcomes Data Project, Women in Resistance Data Project
Nonviolent resistance movements defended democratic values and institutions throughout the 20th century and into the 21st. However, the trend seems to have shifted. Over the past decade, authoritarian backsliding has occurred across the globe, and mass movements demanding democracy have been defeated in about 90% of cases since 2010.
The Nonviolent Action Lab is an innovation hub for activists, researchers, and supporters who share common goals around defending and advancing democracy worldwide through civil resistance — protests, demonstrations, and other actions. The Lab produces and disseminates up-to-date knowledge on nonviolent action, how it works, and global trends in success and failure.
“Authoritarianism is winning — particularly against pro-democracy movements. Movements need a new playbook for responding to these developments![]()
Erica Chenoweth
Frank Stanton Professor of the First Amendment
Meet the Team
Freddy Guevara
Research Assistant, Nonviolent Action Lab;
MC/MPA 2024;
Ford Foundation Mason Program Scholarship in Democracy Recipient
Soha Hammam
Nonviolent Action Lab Research Associate and Democracy Visiting Fellow, AY2023-2024
Shady ElGhazaly Harb
Research Assistant, Nonviolent Action Lab;
MC/MPA 2023
Thomas Hayes
Fellow, Nonviolent Action Lab
Gal Jaacobi
Research Assistant, Nonviolent Action Lab;
MC/MPA 2023
Jeremy Pressman
Fellow, Nonviolent Action Lab
Jay Ulfelder
Research Project Manager, Nonviolent Action Lab
The latest news, resources, and research
Video
Confronting Dictators: Lessons from Egypt, Russia, and Venezuela
Panelists from the Nonviolent Action Lab discuss their experiences, lessons learned, and perspectives on their respective struggles, nations, and roles have evolved during their time at Harvard.
Video
Crowd Counting Consortium – Data on Pro-Israeli and Pro-Palestinian Protests in the U.S.
On Tuesday, December 5th, 2023, experts from the Crowd Counting Consortium, a network of researchers tracking political demonstrations across the U.S., shared their most recent data on the multitude of pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian protests held nationwide since October 7.
Q+A
As youth and LGBTQ+ protestors increasingly take to the streets, are their voices being heard?
In a new study, Erica Chenoweth and Zoe Marks examine youth and LGBTQ+ nonviolent protest participation rates and the impact they might be having on evolving patterns of civil resistance around the world.
Feature
Hope Persists for Champion of Egyptian Democracy
Shady ElGhazaly Harb MC/MPA 2023, a prominent youth activist during the 2011 uprising, finds new ways to understand the continuing struggle for democracy in Egypt during his time at Harvard Kennedy School.
Video
Reinvigorating People Power: Lessons Learned from Civil Resistance Leaders
The Ash Center invites you to watch a panel discussion with civil resistance leaders from around the world discussing their experiences and lessons learned from fighting dictatorships over the past ten years.