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participation • deliberation • democracy
My research and teaching aim to understand how participation, deliberation and transparency can make contemporary public governance more fair and effective. Take a look at what innovative citizens, officials, and reformers are doing to improve public education, policing, public services, the condition of the environment in America and abroad.
These ideas of participation and deliberation seem straightforward, but they are complex, even daunting, in both theory and practice. But the real virtues of democracy shine when citizens and leaders figure out how to practice democracy more effectively in their own corners of social and political life.
I have been on the faculty of the Harvard Kennedy School since 1999. I am the Winthrop Laflin McCormack Professor of Citizenship and Democracy at HKS, and I direct the Ash Center for Innovation and Democratic Governance there.
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I am a co-founder of participedia.net, a wiki-project that I'm working on with Mark Warren, Paul Daniell, and many others to open up the process of building knowledge around democratic innovation. Contribute an article!
Some Recent Work…
“How Artificial Intelligence Could Take Over Elections — and Undermine Democracy” in The Conversation, with Larry Lessig (June 2023)
“Democratic Responsibility in the Digital Public Sphere” in Constellations, with Joshua Cohen (March 2023)
“Progress for People of Color Doesn’t Come at White Folks’ Expense” podcast with Heather McGhee, author of The Sum of Us in Boston Review (April 28, 2021).
Books
I have written nine books and edited volumes about participation, transparency, and democracy.
Papers
Check out my published articles, book chapters, review essays, and commentary on democracy and participation.
Courses
I teach courses on participation, deliberation, politics, ethics, and social innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School.