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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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Additional Resource

How Americans Navigate Voting Information Ahead of the 2026 Midterm Elections

The Shorenstein Center’s 2026 Voting Information Trends project—developed in collaboration with the National Internet Observatory at Northeastern University, the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation’s Program on Democracy and the Informed Public, and The Civic Health and Institutions Project—provides new insights into the voter information landscape in the United States ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Among the resources, an interactive dashboard maps where Americans are finding voting information and learning about key aspects of the voting process—from sourcing polling locations to voter registration. Also included are a series of trends reports gauging perceptions of voting in the lead up to the 2026 midterm elections.

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Can We Talk? An Argument for More Dialogues in Academia
A chat bubble with three typing dots surrounded by yellow notecards

Additional Resource

Can We Talk? An Argument for More Dialogues in Academia

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

Ensuring We Have A Democracy in 2076
Photo of the capitol building

Additional Resource

Ensuring We Have A Democracy in 2076

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

Resonance, Not Scalability

Additional Resource

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

Additional Resource

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

Additional Resource

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

Additional Resource

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.

“This Ancient Atrocity”: The Return of Child Labor in the United States: Why Now? What Should be Done?
Child labor illustration

Policy Brief

“This Ancient Atrocity”: The Return of Child Labor in the United States: Why Now? What Should be Done?

In 2023, federal investigators found nearly 5,800 children employed in violation of labor law — 2.5 times the number just five years earlier — cleaning “skull splitters” and “brisket saws” on meatpacking kill floors, running equipment in Hyundai and Kia supply plants, and working overnight shifts in bakeries supplying Frito-Lay and General Mills. Every case traces back to the same business model: major brands outsourcing labor through layers of contractors and staffing agencies, then professing outrage when children turn up on the factory floor. The Fair Labor Standards Act has banned this exact kind of work since 1938. So why is it the contractors, not the Fortune 500 names on the label, taking the blame?