Paper
Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation authors offer the first comprehensive analysis of how Massachusetts municipalities are using technology to support civic engagement, government decision-making, and public service delivery.
The Landscape of Digital Civic Infrastructure in Massachusetts offers the first comprehensive analysis of how Massachusetts municipalities are using technology to support civic engagement, government decision-making, and public service delivery. Drawing on interviews with municipal leaders and analysis of 58 municipalities across the Commonwealth, the report highlights promising examples of where technology can help support democracy and where significant gaps remain, as well as recommendations for how digital civic infrastructure can strengthen democracy starting at the local level. The findings provide a foundational grounding for conversations about democratic renovation for modern times.
To read the full paper, scroll up and click “Download the PDF” to the right of your screen.
Sarah Hubbard is the Associate Director for Technology & Democracy at the Ash Center’s Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation. Her current work focuses on the governance of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence.
Summer Sun is a research assistant with the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation. She is studying Government with a secondary in Computer Science.
Darshan Goux is the Senior Lab Director for the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation. Previously, she was Chief Program Officer at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate and Director of the American Institutions, Society, and the Public Good program at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Neil Miller is a researcher at Harvard Kennedy School and a former federal government data scientist.
David Riveros García is a Master’s of Public Administration candidate and a Gleitsman Leadership Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Danielle Allen is James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University. She is a professor of political philosophy, ethics, and public policy and director of the Democratic Knowledge Project and of the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation. She is also a seasoned nonprofit leader, democracy advocate, national voice on AI and tech ethics, author, and mom.
Additional Resource
As public officials increasingly turn to digital tools, this guide helps Massachusetts municipal leaders navigate Open Meeting Law and their everyday digital practice while safeguarding transparency.
Policy Brief
As technology reshapes how public officials communicate with their communities, this policy brief offers recommendations for modernizing Massachusetts Open Meeting Law to protect transparency and accountability while enabling the tools that expand access to government.
Feature
As we celebrate America’s 250th, the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation is reflecting on how we arrived at this moment and where we are headed.
Additional Resource
As public officials increasingly turn to digital tools, this guide helps Massachusetts municipal leaders navigate Open Meeting Law and their everyday digital practice while safeguarding transparency.
Policy Brief
As technology reshapes how public officials communicate with their communities, this policy brief offers recommendations for modernizing Massachusetts Open Meeting Law to protect transparency and accountability while enabling the tools that expand access to government.
Commentary
Allen Lab member Charlie Covit reflects on the After Neoliberalism conference and examines the intersection of artificial intelligence and the future of work, arguing that AI forces a democratic reckoning with the meaning of labor itself and that an economy which generates abundance while stripping citizens of purpose and dignity undermines the very foundation of democratic life.
