A row of voting booths are set up atop a folding table

Reimagining Democracy Program

Reimagining our political institutions to meet the democratic challenges of today.

To confront the growing challenges to democracy around the world, it’s time for new ideas.

Democracy requires deep and structural changes to survive and grow. The Ash Center’s Reimagining Democracy Program provides scholars and those on the frontlines of our democracy with a space for generating ambitious ideas and practices to make democracy more resilient, responsive, and inclusive.

Meet the Team


Archon Fung
Headshot of Archon Fung

Archon Fung

Director, Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation;
Winthrop Laflin McCormack Professor of Citizenship and Self-Government

Tova Wang
Headshot of Tova Wang

Tova Wang

Director of Research Projects in Democratic Practice

Christina Marchand

Christina Marchand

Senior Associate Director, Center-wide Democracy Initiatives

The Latest News and Research


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Trying to Understand Political Violence in the US
Terms of Engagement

Podcast

Trying to Understand Political Violence in the US

This week on Terms of Engagement, Alex Keyssar joins Archon Fung and Stephen Richer to examine the broader issue of political violence in the U.S.

Ten ways to take down the political temperature
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.

Court Blocks Trump’s Freeze of Harvard Funds — What’s Next?
Terms of Engagement

Podcast

Court Blocks Trump’s Freeze of Harvard Funds — What’s Next?

Archon Fung and Stephen Richer are joined by Andrew Crespo, Morris Wasserstein Public Interest Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, to discuss a recent court case that found the Trump Administration’s freeze of over $2 billion in federal grants to Harvard illegal.

 

Terms of Engagement – Election Administration Fight Forms
Terms of Engagement

Podcast

Terms of Engagement – Election Administration Fight Forms

Archon Fung and Stephen Richer discuss President Trump’s assertions about mail-in voting and what they portend for future elections and voter participation.

Terms of Engagement – From Cherry Blossoms to Checkpoints
Terms of Engagement

Podcast

Terms of Engagement – From Cherry Blossoms to Checkpoints

Juliette Kayyem joins Archon Fung and Stephen Richer to discuss the federal takeover of the D.C. police department and deployment of the National Guard in our nation’s capital. 

Stay updated on Reimagining Democracy’s most recent news and events.

From South Texas to Cambridge, Josh Cortez Carries His Story Forward
Josh Cortez taking a picture on stairs at graduation

Feature

From South Texas to Cambridge, Josh Cortez Carries His Story Forward

When Josh Cortez crossed the stage to graduate from Harvard Kennedy School in May 2025 as a recipient of the Roy and Lila Ash Scholarship in Democracy, he carried more than a degree—he carried generations of heritage, grit, and purpose. His story doesn’t begin in Cambridge but hundreds of years earlier, on the banks of the Rio Grande in Starr County, Texas.

Terms of Engagement – Censorship by Settlement?
Terms of Engagement

Podcast

Terms of Engagement – Censorship by Settlement?

What does Columbia’s recent settlement with the Trump administration mean for higher education? Are the First Amendment rights of Columbia and other universities being infringed?

Chicago’s Solution To Public Pension Debt is a Generational Scam
Chicago's skyline with a graphic of hands holding money.

Article

Chicago’s Solution To Public Pension Debt is a Generational Scam

In this op-ed, Jennifer Hochschild explains that Chicago is facing a financial crisis decades in the making — a crushing burden of pension debt that no current resident created but all must bear. Instead she says, it is the result of a century of political promises, underfunded commitments, and systemic avoidance — leaving Chicagoans to reckon with the consequences today.

In Appearance Before Congress, Bruce Schneier Raises Concerns about DOGE Data Handling Practices
Cyber image of a lock on a computer screen

Feature

In Appearance Before Congress, Bruce Schneier Raises Concerns about DOGE Data Handling Practices

In a warning to lawmakers, cybersecurity expert Bruce Schneier testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sharply criticizing the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) handling of federal data. Describing DOGE’s security protocols as dangerously inadequate, Schneier warned that the agency’s practices have put sensitive government and citizen information at risk of exploitation by foreign adversaries and criminal networks.