HARVARD + CONCERNED CITIZEN KENNEDY WHO ARE YOUR PEOPLE? SCHOOL THE ADVOCATE magazine winter 2020 EARLYBIRD PRICING NOW AVAILABLE! 1_HKSmag_wi20_cvr1-4_F2.indd 3 1/14/20 2:48 PM THE SIXTH COURSE FOR ONE EVENING IN NOVEMBER, the Forum was remade into the White House Situation Room. The imagined scenario: a crisis in 2021 as North Korea fires a test missile far into the Pacific Ocean, with experts convinced this advance in the country’s capabilities was funded by a new Chinese digital currency. The assembled group, which included former Cabinet members and presidential advisers such as Lawrence Summers, Meghan O’Sullivan, and Ash Carter, dove deeply into the substance of the matter. Just as valuable, their firsthand knowledge of how personalities, agendas, and imperfect information play vital roles in decision making. PHOTO BY MIKE DESTEFANO winterwinter 20202020 | harvard kennedy school 1 2 HKSmag_wi20_IFC2-11_F2.indd 2 1/14/20 12:13 PM 2 HKSmag_wi20_IFC2-11_F2.indd 1 1/14/20 12:14 PM EXECUTIVE SUMMARY IN THIS ISSUE WHEN I SPEAK TO PEOPLE ON MY TRAVELS, or to people who are visiting Harvard Kennedy School Associate Dean for from across the United States and around the globe, they often ask me what we are doing to Communications and Public Affairs strengthen democracy and democratic institutions at a time when they appear to be under Thoko Moyo threat. In this issue of the magazine, we offer some answers to that important question. Managing Editor Many of our faculty, students, alumni, and staff are committed to making democracy Nora Delaney count. We have efforts underway to increase civic participation, strengthen democratic Editor institutions, train leaders to be more responsive to their citizens, and improve accuracy in the Robert O’Neill media and the public sphere. All of these elements are crucial to a healthy democracy, and Director of Alumni Relations our efforts bring together knowledgeable members of the Kennedy School community with Karen Bonadio concerned political and civic leaders from outside the School. Designers In this issue, you can read essays Janet Friskey Raychel Casey by some of our faculty members Rachel Harris The daughter of Nicaraguan immigrants, whose scholarship and professional voting rights lawyer Christina Fletes mpa 2016 Contributing Writers experience bear on democracy. These Andrew Faught remembers having to translate for her parents essays represent a range of perspectives Mari Megias during parent-teacher conferences. “I’ve always and academic disciplines—covering Ralph Ranalli ALISON YIN had to fight or advocate for people,” she says. redistricting, increased polarization and James F. Smith the rise of populism, racial inequality, Gayathri Vaidyanathan misinformation in the media, and more. Printer We have gathered these wide-ranging Lane Press FEATURES essays together under the title “By the Harvard Kennedy School People,” evoking President Abraham Magazine is published two times By the People Lincoln’s appeal in the Gettysburg a year by the John F. Kennedy Address that “government of the people, School of Government Offi ce of 12 Essays on Democracy by Archon Fung, Nancy Gibbs, Tarek Masoud, Julia Minson, Cornell William Brooks, Communications and Public Affairs by the people, for the people, shall not 79 John F. Kennedy Street Jane Mansbridge, Arthur Brooks, Pippa Norris, and Benjamin Schneer. perish from the earth.” Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 This issue’s alumni stories also underscore the power of civic participation. Nisreen Phone: 617-495-1442 26 Concerned Citizen Working from within the bureaucracy, Manivannan Ponniah mc/mpa 2019 struggles Haj Ahmad mc/mpa 2008 is teaching community groups in the Arab world about organizing— Email: [email protected] to create a democratic forum for citizens and clean up a city. drawing on what she learned from Marshall Ganz, the Rita E. Hauser Senior Lecturer in Copyright © 2020 by the President Leadership, Organizing, and Civil Society at the Kennedy School. Christina Fletes mpa 2016 is and Fellows of Harvard College. 32 Who Are Your People? Nisreen Haj Ahmad mc/mpa 2008 applies Marshall Ganz’s organizing striving to increase democratic participation in the United States as a California-based voting All rights reserved. methodology in the Middle East context and finds hope in hard places. rights lawyer. And Manivannan Ponniah mc/mpa 2019 has found creative ways to increase Magazine Advisory Board Joe Bergantino mc/mpa 1985 citizen participation in Bangalore, India, using his experience as an Adrian Cheng Fellow at 36 The Advocate Christina Fletes mpa 2016 wants to make sure that all Americans, especially those from Phil Cronin mpp 1996 the Kennedy School’s Social Innovation + Change Initiative. Tiziana Dearing mpp 2000 underrepresented populations, participate in the democratic process. I hope you enjoy reading about the varied ways that Harvard Kennedy School is Melodie Jackson mc/mpa 2001 examining and improving democracy and democratic institutions in the United States David King, faculty and across the world. Chris Olver mpp 2012 DEPARTMENTS I wish you all the best for 2020. Craig Sandler mc/mpa 2000 4 Ideas Democracy | Research 40 Bully pulpit George Will, Jeff 44 Alumni voices Classnotes | Janice Saragoni mc/mpa 1989 briefs Flake, Arthur Brooks | David King | From the field: Zeenith Ebrahim mc/mpa Dean Doug Elmendorf Jeffrey Seglin, faculty Ken Shulman mc/mpa 2004 LaTosha Brown | Mark Carney | Tara 2019 | Jennifer Kao phd 2019 | Hoang Bui Don K. Price Professor of Public Policy 8 Profiles Joe Goldman mpp 2003 | Steven Singer mc/mpa 1986 Westover | Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala | mpp 2019 | Maria Soledad Rueda January 2020 Maia Sandu mc/mpa 2010 Scott Talan mc/mpa 2002 Lech Walesa mc/mpa 2019 Donald Tighe mc/mpa 1999 9 Faculty Dan Levy 42 In print The Education of an 62 Ways and means Jill Wagner mpa 1983 Idealist | Legitimacy | How America Lost Its Mind | Valuing 64 Exit poll U.S. National Parks and Programs | This magazine is printed on 100 percent Do Morals Matter? Cover: March for Our Lives, 2018 postconsumer waste paper (text) and by Shannon Finney; type treatment 30 percent postconsumer waste paper by Delane Meadows MARTHA STEWART MARTHA (cover) and is fsc® certifi ed. 2 www.hks.harvard.edu winter 2020 | harvard kennedy school 3 2 HKSmag_wi20_IFC2-11_F2.indd 2 1/14/20 12:16 PM 2 HKSmag_wi20_IFC2-11_F3.indd 3 1/16/20 1:51 PM IDEAS Efforts to MAKE DEMOCRACY COUNT are underway across Harvard Kennedy School. Many faculty MAKE members and programs focus on increasing citizen participation, strengthening democratic DEMOCRACY institutions, training leaders to be more responsive to their citizens, and improving transparency and faculty class COUNT accuracy in the media and the public sphere. project Archon Fung Winthrop Laflin Organizing: People, Power, The Politics of the Press The Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative trains mayors Alex Keyssar Matthew W. Stirling Jr. Professor of McCormack Professor of Change class taught by class taught by Nancy Gibbs and senior city leaders from across the country and around the History and Social Policy studies the history of Citizenship and Self- Marshall Ganz world to be more responsive to citizens’ needs voting and elections Government studies public Arthur Applbaum Democracy, Politics, Adams Professor of class participation, deliberation, Miles Rapoport and Institutions The Legislative Negotiation Project teaches legislators to work History of the U.S. for Policymakers, Activists, Political Leadership and taught by Thomas and transparency Senior Practice Fellow in together effectively across the aisle and Citizens class taught by Alex Keyssar American Democracy and Democratic Values studies Patterson Harvard Votes Challenge visiting faculty member political legitimacy and civil Pippa Norris Paul F. Benjamin Schneer Joan Donovan Adjunct increases voter registration E.J. Dionne explore disobedience McGuire Lecturer in Assistant Professor of Lecturer in Public Policy on campus universal participation Comparative Politics Public Policy studies studies how social policies such as Dissent and Disobedience focuses on democracy, political representation movements, political Khalil Muhammad compulsory voting in Democracies class taught public opinion and in the United States Professor of History, Race by Arthur Applbaum parties, governments, elections, political and Public Policy examines Cornell Williams Brooks and corporations shape communications, and How Decision Makers Associate the intersections of race, Professor of the Practice Julia Minson media narratives gender politics Translate Public Opinion into Policy Action Professor of Public Policy democracy, inequality, of Public Leadership and class taught by Benjamin Schneer studies how people engage and criminal justice in Social Justice explores Media Manipulation and The Rise of Authoritarian with opinions, judgments, Tarek Masoud Professor of Public Policy and Sultan modern U.S. history making democracy more Disinformation Campaigns Populism class taught by class taught by Joan of Oman Professor of International Relations racially inclusive and decisions that are Pippa Norris Jane Mansbridge different from their own Donovan focuses on political development in Arabic- Adams Professor of The Making Democracy Arthur Brooks Professor speaking and Muslim- Marvin Christopher Robichaud Political Leadership Count Seminar Series Matthew Baum of the Practice of Public majority countries Kalb Professor of Global Senior Lecturer in Ethics and Democratic