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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.

Additional Resource

Self-Evident Truths: The 250-Year Pursuit of Human Rights in the United States of America

Published as the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary, the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights’ essay collection “Self-Evident Truths” gathers faculty and fellows across Harvard’s schools including the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, to examine how well America has fulfilled its promise that all people are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights.

The included essays span democracy, technology, public health, immigration, climate, and more, providing a nuanced look at what is required to fully realize the nation’s founding ideals today.

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Bootstrap Blackness: Black Men, Conservatism, and Party Politics
A man voting.

Article

Bootstrap Blackness: Black Men, Conservatism, and Party Politics

A new research article by Dr. Christine Slaughter, Research Fellow at the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation and co-authors examines the narrative of black men’s political “shift right”. The study finds Black men remain overwhelmingly Democratic, despite growing public attention to ideological divides.

 

AI for Democracy Movements: Toward a New Agenda
A cover photo of the report.

Policy Brief

AI for Democracy Movements: Toward a New Agenda

A new report summarizes key insights from the Nonviolent Action Lab’s December 2025 convening on how artificial intelligence can empower pro-democracy movements.

New Forms of Targeted Transparency
An outstretched hand holding up graphics of paper and a gavel.

Article

New Forms of Targeted Transparency

A summary of the March 30, 2026 event that welcomed Gerrit von Zedlitz to present on new and less-studied forms of targeted transparency—how they work, when they emerge, and whether they actually make a difference.

VIDEOS: After Neoliberalism From Left to Right

Additional Resource

VIDEOS: After Neoliberalism From Left to Right

After Neoliberalism: From Left to Right brought together hundreds of leading economists, political scientists, journalists, writers and thinkers from across the political spectrum to explore and debate emerging visions for the future of the political economy.

Panel videos below.

The Necessary and Valuable Partnership: Law Enforcement and Election Officials
A photo of police car lights on top of a police car.

Paper

The Necessary and Valuable Partnership: Law Enforcement and Election Officials

This report by Christine Cole, Kim Wyman, and Tina Barton examines the complicated historical relationship between voting and law enforcement in the United States, highlighting how policing experiences can influence public attitudes towards the presence of law enforcement at voting locations.

Crocodile tears: Can the ethical-moral intelligence of AI models be trusted?

Open Access Resource

Crocodile tears: Can the ethical-moral intelligence of AI models be trusted?

Allen Lab authors Sarah Hubbard, David Kidd, and Andrei Stupu introduce an ethical-moral intelligence framework for evaluating AI models across dimensions of moral expertise, sensitivity, coherence, and transparency in their recently published paper, Crocodile Tears: Can the Ethical-Moral Intelligence of AI Models Be Trusted? in Springer AI & Ethics.

Storytelling Pathways to Civics Engagement

Additional Resource

Storytelling Pathways to Civics Engagement

Watch Roadtrip Nation’s Living Civics documentary and hear from leading universal civic learning experts on the power of narrative for civic engagement.

AI & Democracy: Perspectives from an Emerging Field

Additional Resource

AI & Democracy: Perspectives from an Emerging Field

The Allen Lab is proud to have contributed to this timely landscape report from The David & Lucile Packard Foundation mapping the emerging field of AI and democracy.