The Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation hosted After Neoliberalism: From Left to Right, convening 300+ scholars, journalists, policymakers, and civic innovators from across the spectrum to think out loud together about how to make the political economy work for all Americans.

In a recent episode of the National League of Cities' CitiesSpeak with Clarence Anthony Podcast, Stephen Goldsmith discusses how city leaders and policymakers can use data to inform and improve local governance. Learn more here ⤵️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZlIZZFb-sU

Erica Chenoweth and Steve Levitsky discuss key indicators of democratic backsliding and top signs of democratic defense in the United States on the latest session of their webinar series "The Breakdown with Erica Chenoweth and Steve Levitsky." https://bit.ly/3N9mtMl

"While global cooperation and national resource mobilization will be necessary to address the challenges we now face, it is local action that offers the most promising path forward," share Gordon Hanson, Dani Rodrik and Rohan Sandhu. https://bit.ly/3N5jaWB

George Greenidge Jr., Democracy Visiting Fellow at the Ash Center, will be appointed commissioner and chair of the City of Cambridge's new American Freedman Commission. Learn more here ⤵️ https://baystatebanner.com/2025/12/31/in-the-news-george-greenidge/

Following the removal of Nicolás Maduro, Freddy Guevara shares that Venezuelan opposition leaders' priorities will be securing the release of political prisoners and reestablishing the rule of law. "We know that the job is not done.” Learn more ⤵️ https://on.wsj.com/3N7hThH

Eric Maskin assesses ranked-choice voting initiatives across Maine, Alaska, New York City and San Francisco, highlighting the initiatives as examples of research effectively translated into action. Learn more here ⤵️ https://thefulcrum.us/electoral-reforms/ranked-choice-voting-study

In a recent article, Ash Center Democracy Visiting Fellow Freddy Guevara speaks to the United States' operation in Venezuela resulting in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Learn more here ⤵️ https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/05/metro/harvard-fellow-venezuela/

Justin de Benedictis-Kessner comments on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's ability to enact his ambitious policy agenda. "I'm really optimistic about the chances for local government to do big things." https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-02/zohran-mamdani-inaugurated-as-new-york-mayor/106193766

A new essay by Erica Chenoweth and Matthew Cebul assesses Gen Z's protest activity across the globe, exploring motivations for action and key movement characteristics. https://eastleighvoice.co.ke/national/264458/gen-z-protests-likely-to-intensify-over-unmet-promises,-study-finds

"AI should be applied in ways that decentralize rather than concentrate power. It should be used to empower individual human actors rather than automating the decision-making of a central authority." https://www.merionwest.com/are-we-ready-to-be-governed-by-arti/

“The internet has become … a major enabler of human rights. … Ultimately, the question comes down to whether or not governments will enshrine both a right to access information and freedom of expression in law and practice.” gizmodo.com/how-governme...

“Americans must sustain a kind of double vision, recognizing that their country is confronting authoritarianism while not forgetting that avenues for democratic contestation remain open,” share Steve Levitsky, Lucan A. Way, and Daniel Ziblatt. www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

“Democracy isn’t something you have, it’s something you do. It’s a practice. Practiced involve concepts, skills, and values, but they are dynamic. There’s always new learning to be had,” shares Marshall Ganz, on organizing amidst democratic erosion. wagingnonviolence.org/2025/12/mars...

Cornell William Brooks comments on the National Park Service’s new list of free admission days, which now excludes Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth from this benefit. Learn more here ⤵️ apnews.com/article/nati...

Tune in to the season finale of "Terms of Engagement," live on YouTube at 12pm ET! Watch here ⤵️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=odk0...

“Democracies everywhere—not just in Thailand—are under strain. … In this political climate, the Southeast Asian tradition of “neutrality”—a diplomatic posture of indifference or refusal to take sides—may no longer suffice.” Learn more here ⤵️ www.nytimes.com/2025/12/06/s...

“All over this Commonwealth, I have met people who are so frustrated because they do not have choices on their ballot, because they feel that their votes are taken for granted by politicians. All-party primary will change that,” shares Danielle Allen. www.statehousenews.com/news/politic...

In an episode of “The Current” podcast, Norm Eisen, chair of the Anti-Corruption, Democracy, and Security project at Brookings, discusses the forthcoming fourth edition of the Democracy Playbook, to be edited in partnership with Archon Fung. www.brookings.edu/articles/ins...

“If we think about adapting to climate change, we think about adapting to AI, the other shocks that are coming along down the line we need to make sure we have the investments and the institutions in place to help us redeploy labour,” notes Gordon Hanson. insurancenewsnet.com/oarticle/deb...

“The more AI is adopted by individuals and institutions, the more the concentration of its control threatens democracy. … AI that works for democracy needs to actually be democratic, and that requires something more than today’s corporate AI systems.” contrarian.substack.com/p/how-to-bui...

Vanderbilt Law School’s Respectfully Dissent debate series hosted Nicholas Stephanopoulos, Kirkland & Ellis Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, to explore arguments in Louisiana v. Callais and examine the future of the Voting Rights Act. law.vanderbilt.edu/louisiana-v-...

“Just as social media users have faced platform choices with a range of value propositions and ideological valences—ad diverse as X, Bluesky, Mastodon—the same will increasingly be true of AI,” share Bruce Schneier and Nathan E. Sanders. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/like...

Tune in to today’s episode of “Terms of Engagement,” on YouTube at 12 pm ET. www.youtube.com/live/ymNUbeY...

"Fairness plays an obvious role in democracy. ... Whether we're designing a citizens’ assembly, supporting public decision-making, or helping roommates split rent ... define fairness precisely, then build algorithms that bring that definition to life." seas.harvard.edu/news/2025/11...

“If more citizen watchdogs and litigators use AI to amplify their power to oversee government and hold it accountable, if more political parties and election administrators use it to engage meaningfully … society will be better off.” www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

At the Falling Walls Science Summit 2025, Daniel Ziblatt discusses challenges to academic freedom, emphasizing collaboration between universities, civil society organizations, and the media to protect research institutions. www.volkswagenstiftung.de/en/news/even...

Republican state lawmakers in Michigan recently sent a letter to the Justice Department requesting “comprehensive oversight” for Michigan’s 2026 elections. Alex Keyssar comments on the history of federal involvement in elections in the United States. www.votebeat.org/2025/11/24/m...

Tune in to the next episode of “Terms of Engagement,” live on YouTube at 12pm ET. www.youtube.com/live/rYUI8rY...

Ash Center Democracy Visiting Fellow Nicolás Rodríguez recently co-authored an opinion piece on book bans in school libraries. Learn more here ⤵️ elcomercio.pe/opinion/cola...

“AI is inherently power-enhancing, and it can magnify what the humans behind it want to do. It can enhance authoritarianism as easily as it can enhance democracy,” share Bruce Schneier and Nathan E. Sanders. Learn more here ⤵️ www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

“We need to provide opportunities for recognition and ongoing learning for a much broader group of public servants, and the Harvard fellowship program exemplifies this,” shares Stephen Goldsmith, on the Kennedy School’s American Service Fellowship. www.governing.com/management-a...

A new paper from Matthew Cebul, Lead Research Fellow for the Nonviolent Action Lab, examines the effectiveness of nonviolent action movements in supporting democratic resilience globally. ash.harvard.edu/resources/no...

“As long as Harvard University exists … it will always have a focus on Indigenous governance issues and policy issues because of that endowment.”— Meghan M. Hill, on the 2023 gift to support the Harvard Project on Indigenous Governance and Development. www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...

“Ultimately, the hope is that Indigenous data are used in a respectful, ethical manner,” shares Randall Akee, on the IEEE’s adoption of a new global standard outlining how scientists and technologists should record, apply, and use Indigenous data. www.nyu.edu/about/news-p...

“Black politics have never committed to political violence and if we’re trying to save democracy, then we need to understand a group of people that not only chose against political violence but have been able to embrace the idea of pluralism.” thedig.howard.edu/all-stories/...

“It is patriotic to revisit, reconsider, and revise the work of the Founders. Anyone who suggests otherwise or treats the Constitution as “too sacred to be touched,” needs to go back and read the Framers,” proposes Jeanne Sheehan Zaino. www.thepresidency.org/the-dispatch...

Danielle Allen joins “Scientific Sense” to discuss her book, “Justice By Means of Democracy,” exploring “the idea that a major component of justice is about actually steering your own life … and steering with others in our public lives.” youtu.be/-a17ymxj9ls?...

Joseph Kalt and Randall Akee join “Tribal Business News” to discuss the last 40 years of tribal governance insights from the Harvard Project on Indigenous Governance and Development and sketch a vision for Native governance in the next generation. tribalbusinessnews.com/sections/sov...

Lawrence Lessig joins Vice News’ “Shane Smith Has Questions” podcast to discuss campaign finance regulation and the impact of super PACs on American politics. youtu.be/v9JfvcBPFEA?...

Steve Levitsky speaks to the Democratic victories in last week’s elections, examining how fielding candidates across “multiple wings of the party” could contribute to Democrats’ success in elections at the national level. www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...

“Midterm election candidates will look for any way they can get an edge. For all the risks it poses to democracy, AI presents a real opportunity, too, for politicians to engage voters en masse while factoring their input into their platform and message.” thefulcrum.us/media-techno...

Marshall Ganz suggests that generating power for social movements relies on two key elements: “organized people and organized money.” Learn more here ⤵️ nonprofitquarterly.org/forging-a-pa...

“We need to take a look at our curriculum and make sure that our students have the chance to have what would count as a rich experience of civic learning in higher education,” shares Danielle Allen, on university reforms to strengthen democracy. buckleybeacon.com/2025/11/06/h...

“To understand the potential impacts of AI on democracy, we must always think beyond the capabilities and innate properties of AI, and focus on the systems, incentives, and political forces within which the AI is built, deployed, and wielded over time.” time.com/7331883/how-...

Lawrence Lessig discusses ongoing litigation regarding campaign finance regulation in Maine. “We need to start thinking seriously about how we bring constitutional reform through this process that involves citizens as opposed to lawyers and politicians.” bowdoinorient.com/2025/11/07/h...

Ruth Greenwood joins the Touro Law Review podcast to discuss legal and political responses to gerrymandering and challenges to the Voting Rights Act in recent history. youtu.be/Zibe_ZRkka4?...

Pita Limjaroenrat delivers the State of Asia Address at Asia Society Switzerland and the University of Zurich. “The question now is whether Asia, like Europe once did, can build its own frameworks for peace and cooperation before conflict defines them.” asiasociety.org/switzerland/...

Freddy Guevara comments on Venezuela’s current political atmosphere “amid heightened U.S. military presence near Venezuela and reports that the Trump administration is considering military action in the country.” www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...

Nicholas Stephanopoulos comments on the federal lawsuit filed by California Republicans over the state’s recently approved congressional maps, with the suit claiming “the maps are unconstitutional because they improperly rely on race to draw districts.” www.newsmax.com/newsfront/re...