New MIT fellowship supports student research on governance innovation with Global South governments

A new cross-institute initiative between MIT Governance Lab, MISTI, and the Priscilla King Gray Public Service Center to support graduate student work in public sector innovation.

Seongkyul Park | MIT Governance Lab • mit
June 5, 2023 ~5 min

How AI could take over elections – and undermine democracy

Artificial intelligence looks like a political campaign manager’s dream because it could tune its persuasion efforts to millions of people individually – but it could be a nightmare for democracy.

Lawrence Lessig, Professor of Law and Leadership, Harvard University • conversation
June 2, 2023 ~12 min


Facing up to democratic distrust

Study: False assumptions about election malfeasance could create a “death spiral” for democracy — but also provide some hope for bipartisan repair.

Peter Dizikes | MIT News Office • mit
May 30, 2023 ~8 min

Government’s invisible hand in developing countries

Political scientist Noah Nathan’s new book, “The Scarce State,” explores the deep impact government can have even when it is seemingly absent.

Peter Dizikes | MIT News Office • mit
May 11, 2023 ~7 min

Podcast: Curiosity Unbounded, Episode 2 — Bureaucracies, dictatorships, and the power of Africa’s people

President Sally Kornbluth talks with Associate Professor Mai Hassan about public administration in Africa and how people mobilize against repressive regimes.

MIT News Office • mit
May 9, 2023 ~38 min

Study offers a new view of when and how governments distribute land

In Kenya, property rights are granted more often by democratic regimes than by autocrats — but decisions tend to be politically motivated regardless of who’s in charge.

Peter Dizikes | MIT News Office • mit
April 27, 2023 ~7 min

Are people getting better at avoiding misinformation?

Fewer Americans visited unreliable websites in the run-up to the 2020 US election than in 2016, researchers report.

Melissa De Witte-Stanford • futurity
April 27, 2023 ~8 min

Fretting about election stress is bad for your health

Just thinking about being stressed about future elections can harm your health. But there's something you can do about it.

Matt Shipman-NC State • futurity
March 22, 2023 ~5 min


Book probes the politics of Marvel movies

A new book explores the political messages in the Marvel cinematic universe, including ideas about gender, power, and inequality.

Duke University • futurity
March 20, 2023 ~4 min

Rewarding accuracy instead of partisan pandering reduces political divisions over the truth

Researchers argue that the findings hold lessons for social media companies and the “perverse incentives” driving political polarisation online.

Cambridge University News • cambridge
March 6, 2023 ~6 min

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