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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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How Maduro’s Dictatorship Plans to Survive
Someone holding the Venezuelan flag.

Additional Resource

How Maduro’s Dictatorship Plans to Survive

Even with Nicolás Maduro gone, the fight for Venezuela’s future is far from over. Freddy Guevara warns that Maduro’s successors are more interested in regime survival than democratic reform.

Allen Lab Fellow Spotlight: The Case for Building an AmeriCorps Alumni Leadership Network

Additional Resource

Allen Lab Fellow Spotlight: The Case for Building an AmeriCorps Alumni Leadership Network

In a new essay, The Case for Building an AmeriCorps Alumni Leadership Network, Allen Lab Policy Fellow Sonali Nijhawan argues that the 1.4 million Americans who have completed national service represent an underleveraged civic asset. Drawing on her experience as former Director of AmeriCorps, Nijhawan outlines a roadmap for transforming dispersed alumni into a connected leadership network capable of reinvigorating public service, rebuilding trust in government, and strengthening civic participation.

The Ecosystem of Deliberative Technologies for Public Input

Additional Resource

The Ecosystem of Deliberative Technologies for Public Input

Ensuring public opinion and policy preferences are reflected in policy outcomes is essential to a functional democracy. A growing ecosystem of deliberative technologies aims to improve the input-to-action loop between people and their governments.

Why Gen-Z Is Rising
Young people protesting

Policy Brief

Why Gen-Z Is Rising

In this essay, originally published in the Journal of Democracy, Erica Chenoweth and Matthew Cebul analyze the global surge of Gen Z-led protest movements, showing how economic insecurity, exclusion from power, and corruption are driving youth mobilization worldwide.

Ethical-Moral Intelligence of AI

Occasional Paper

Ethical-Moral Intelligence of AI

In a new working paper, Crocodile Tears: Can the Ethical-Moral Intelligence of AI Models Be Trusted?, Sarah Hubbard, Associate Director for Technology & Democracy, David Kidd, an Allen Lab member, and Andrei Stupu, a former Allen Lab fellow, introduce a framework for evaluating the ethical-moral intelligence of AI models across dimensions of moral expertise, sensitivity, coherence, and transparency.

Sunset Section 230 and Unleash the First Amendment

Open Access Resource

Sunset Section 230 and Unleash the First Amendment

Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation Senior Fellow Allison Stanger, in collaboration with Jaron Lanier and Audrey Tang, envision a post-Section 230 landscape that fosters innovation in digital public spaces using models optimized for public interest rather than attention metrics.

Nonviolent Action Against Democratic Erosion: The United States in Comparative Perspective
A cover photo of the report.

Occasional Paper

Nonviolent Action Against Democratic Erosion: The United States in Comparative Perspective

In this report, Matthew Cebul, Lead Research Fellow for the Nonviolent Action Lab, examines the effectiveness of nonviolent action movements in supporting democratic resilience globally. Identifying challenges faced by nonviolent pro-democracy movements, Cebul offers key takeaways for combating accelerating democratic erosion in the US and abroad.