2014

2014 Jun 05

Ash Center Hosts Former President of Indonesia Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie (1998-1999)

5:00pm to 6:30pm

Location: 

L-130, Littauer Building, Harvard Kennedy School

BJ HabibieFormer President of Indonesia Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie (1998-1999)
Tarek Masoud, Associate Professor of Public Policy

Watch a Video Recording of the Event

Event Description

Earlier this June, the Ash Center’s Indonesia program played host to former President of Indonesia Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie for an event entitled “Democracy and Pluralism: What Can we Learn From Indonesia.” Having held office for two years in the late 1990s, Habibie oversaw Indonesia’s post-Suharto transition from an authoritarian state to an emerging democracy, which HKS Professor and Ash faculty affiliate Tarek Masoud called “one of the world’s most improbable democracies.”... Read more about Ash Center Hosts Former President of Indonesia Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie (1998-1999)

2014 May 28

Facilitating Technology Innovation in Human Services

2:00pm to 3:30pm

Location: 

Online Webinar

The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School, Freedman Consulting, the American Public Human Services Association, and the National Governors Association are excited to present a webinar on facilitating technology innovation in public human services. As the challenges facing public human services agencies continue to grow, the potential exists for technology to serve as a powerful to tool to support well-being among the most vulnerable children and families. This webinar will illustrate the opportunities and rewards for human service agencies leveraging technology innovation, as well as highlight relevant strategies to assist would-be innovators seeking to take advantage of the opportunities provided by technology.

Presenters in this webinar will discuss the number of ways human services agencies stand to benefit by successfully leveraging technology innovation. Following information from each of the presenters there will be the opportunity for webinar attendees to pose questions to the presenters.... Read more about Facilitating Technology Innovation in Human Services

2014 May 15

Ash Center Professors Discuss Social Media, Data, and Startups at IDEASpHERE

(All day)

Location: 

Harvard Kennedy School of Government

Ash Center professorsBy: Maisie O'Brien, HKS Communications

The IDEASpHERE event on May 15-16 brought together HKS faculty, alumni, and students as well as global leaders to discuss the world's most pressing challenges and powerful ideas to address them.

Ash Center professors participated in three IDEASpHERE seminars focused on a range of topics, including social media's impact on political mobilization, the potential for data to make government more efficient, and the burgeoning field of start-up democracy.... Read more about Ash Center Professors Discuss Social Media, Data, and Startups at IDEASpHERE

2014 May 01

Crossing Boundaries: How Local Innovations in Immigrant Integration are Expanding our Notions of Democracy

4:10pm to 5:30pm

Location: 

Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, 124 Mt. Auburn St., Suite 200-North, Cambridge, MA

Child with flagKamal Essaheb, Immigration Policy Attorney, National Immigration Law Center
Tricia Farley-Bouvier, Massachusetts State Representative (D-Pittsfield)
Kica Matos, Director of Immigrant Rights and Racial Justice, Center for Community Change
Carlos Saavedra...

Read more about Crossing Boundaries: How Local Innovations in Immigrant Integration are Expanding our Notions of Democracy
2014 Apr 30

Harvard University’s #Tech4Democracy Movement, with Harvard innovation lab

4:10pm to 6:30pm

Location: 

124 Mt. Auburn St., Suite 200-North, Cambridge, MA

Blue-green handsPanel Discussion and Tweet Chat

Mat Morgan, ShoutAbout
Cristina Garmendia, OpportunitySpace
Seth Flaxman, TurboVote
Gaurav Keerthi, Dialectic
Archon Fung, Ford Foundation Professor of Democracy and Citizenship (Moderator)

About the Event
Mainstream efforts in the arena of democratic reform include campaign finance reform, election administration, and reform of the electoral college. But the next democratic revolution may be driven by much smaller operators – especially start-ups riding the digital technology revolution. And Harvard University students, alumni, and faculty are launching some of the most compelling and promising tech start-ups that find creative ways to deepen democracy by mobilizing citizens and empowering them to influence the critical public and private decisions and policies that affect their lives.... Read more about Harvard University’s #Tech4Democracy Movement, with Harvard innovation lab

2014 Apr 28

Cities, Technology and Democracy Study Group Session 4: A Call to Action

4:10pm to 6:00pm

Location: 

124 Mt. Auburn Street, Suite 200-North, Cambridge, MA

Joseph CurtatoneJorrit de Jong, Lecturer in Public Policy and Management and Academic Director for the Innovations in Government Program
Joseph A. Curtatone, Mayor of Somerville, Massachusetts and Senior Fellow, Ash Center

About the Session
In this interactive session, Professor Jorrit de Jong and Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone will help participants develop a set of concrete recommendations for how cities like Somerville might consider the ideas and solutions discussed during the study group, from adopting or scaling tech innovations that will benefit all residents to pursuing policy goals such as tech equity and greater public engagement.... Read more about Cities, Technology and Democracy Study Group Session 4: A Call to Action

2014 Apr 22

The Tea Party and MoveOn: Finding Common Ground?

6:00pm to 7:00pm

Location: 

John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum, 79 John F. Kennedy Street, Cambridge, MA

thought bubblesA Challenges to Democracy Conversation with

Joan Blades, co-founder of MoveOn.org, MomsRising.org, and LivingRoomConversations.org
Mark Meckler, President of Citizens for Self-Governance, Co-Founder and former National Coordinator, Tea Party Patriots
Archon Fung, Ford Foundation Professor of Democracy and Citizenship (Moderator)

Co-sponsored with the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum.

About the Event
There are some who argue that the gridlock and partisanship affecting Washington is simply a reflection of the polarizing discourse and growing divide within the American public. Can we engage in more civil conversations and find common ground between the political left and right in the U.S.? Two great American leaders representing the left and the right, Joan Blades, co-founder of Momsrising.org and Moveon.org, and Mark Meckler, co-founder of Citizens for Self Governance and Tea Party Patriots, have come together to promote and encourage a safe format to build trust, appreciation for other views, and relationships.... Read more about The Tea Party and MoveOn: Finding Common Ground?

2014 Apr 16

Digital Democracy: Is Digital Technology Transforming the US Political Landscape as Expected?

4:10pm to 5:30pm

Location: 

124 Mt. Auburn Street, Suite 200-North, Cambridge, MA

shadow handsMatt Lira, National Republican Senatorial Committee Macon Phillips, U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Information Programs
Archon Fung, Ford Foundation Professor of Democracy and Citizenship (Moderator)

About the Event
This panel will feature a discussion between two of Washington’s best known digital media experts-representing both the right and the left side of the political spectrum – on the potential of digital technology to influence American democracy. There is disagreement about the significance and character of how digital technology is transforming the political process. Panelists will discuss how digital media has transformed the U.S. political landscape, or at least political communication, within both the realm of electoral politics and issue advocacy? Specifically, how have political parties and institutions differed in their attempts to harness the power of digital media to communicate with voters or potential voters?... Read more about Digital Democracy: Is Digital Technology Transforming the US Political Landscape as Expected?

2014 Mar 31

Integrating Immigrant Communities into Civic and Political Life

5:30pm to 7:30pm

Location: 

Qniversity, Union Crossing, 2nd Floor, 50 Island Street, Lawrence, MA

Lawrence, MAA Panel Discussion on the Lawrence Experience
Welcome Remarks by Daniel Rivera, Mayor of Lawrence

Featuring
Jessica Andors, Executive Director, Lawrence Community Works
Sr. Eileen Burns, SNDdeN, Executive Director, Notre Dame Education Center–Lawrence
Zoila Gomez, Immigration Attorney
Eliana Martinez, Teacher, Lawrence International High School
Archon Fung, Ford Foundation Professor of Democracy and Citizenship, Harvard Kennedy School
Asma Khalid, Reporter, WBUR (Moderator)

Reception and Panel Discussion

This event is free and open to the public, no RSVP required.

About the Event
Immigration policy and paths to citizenship are hotly contested topics on the national stage, yet the impact of immigration is most often experienced on the local level. Lawrence and communities like it across the country are on the frontlines dealing with important questions and tensions that immigration can present.... Read more about Integrating Immigrant Communities into Civic and Political Life

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