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Research & Resources

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.

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Policy Brief

Paradise Revisited: Technology Has Enriched the Lives of Americans with Novel Communication Choices. It Has Also Made It More Difficult to Reach Everyone in Emergencies.

A new policy brief by Mary W. Graham, senior fellow at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, explores a paradox of the digital transition: Community residents have new choices about how to communicate their needs and wishes but those choices make it more difficult to reach everyone in emergencies.

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Resonance, Not Scalability

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Resonance, Not Scalability

This essay was adopted from a presentation given by Nick Couldry at the Second Interdisciplinary Workshop on Reimagining Democracy held on the campus of Harvard Kennedy School in December 2023.

The Real Dangers of Generative AI

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The Real Dangers of Generative AI

“The Real Dangers of Generative AI” by Danielle Allen and Glen Weyl was featured in the January 2024 Journal of Democracy.

Abstract: As perhaps the most consequential technology of our time, Generative Foundation Models (GFMs) present unprecedented challenges for democratic institutions. By allowing deception and de-contextualized information sharing at a previously unimaginable scale and pace, GFMs could undermine the foundations of democracy. At the same time, the investment scale required to develop the models and the race dynamics around that development threaten to enable concentrations of democratically unaccountable power (both public and private). This essay examines the twin threats of collapse and singularity occasioned by the rise of GFMs.

Experimentocracy

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Experimentocracy

This essay was adopted from a presentation given by Jon Evans at the Second Interdisciplinary Workshop on Reimagining Democracy held on the campus of Harvard Kennedy School in December 2023.

The Enrichment and Decay of Ionia

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The Enrichment and Decay of Ionia

This essay was adopted from a presentation given by Eugene Fischer at the Second Interdisciplinary Workshop on Reimagining Democracy held on the campus of Harvard Kennedy School in December 2023.

Summit on AI and Democracy

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Summit on AI and Democracy

On November 7, 2023, the Summit on AI and Democracy gathered experts across multiple institutions to discuss ongoing research, policy, and development efforts related to the recent advancements in artificial intelligence.