Archon Fung, Academic Dean and Ford Foundation Professor of Democracy and Citizenship, Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Harvard Kennedy School

Archon Fung is Academic Dean of Harvard Kennedy School and Ford Foundation Professor of Democracy and Citizenship. His research examines the impacts of civic participation, public deliberation, and transparency upon public and private governance. His Empowered Participation: Reinventing Urban Democracy examines two participatory-democratic reform efforts in low-income Chicago neighborhoods. Current projects also examine initiatives in ecosystem management, toxics reduction, endangered species protection, local governance, and international labor standards. His recent books and edited collections include Deepening Democracy: Institutional Innovations in Empowered Participatory Governance; Can We Eliminate Sweatshops?; Working Capital: The Power of Labors Pensions; and Beyond Backyard Environmentalism. His articles on regulation, rights, and participation appear in Political Theory; Journal of Political Philosophy; Politics and Society; 
Governance; Environmental Management; American Behavioral Scientist; and Boston Review. Fung received two SBs and a PhD from MIT

Research Assistant Skills: Research assistant will help with research and writing on cases of participatory democracy. These cases will be used in participedia.net. See site for more information.

Working with Professor Fung's Participedia team provided a one-of-a-kind peak into how academia can make a difference in application to the real world. As part of the team, I was given the chance to 
write up new (and fortify existing) case studies on examples of participatory democracy throughout the world, as well as consulted on key discussions surrounding project outreach, website redesign, 
and user experience.

-Jenny Choi '16

My RA experience with Archon Fung has been beyond amazing! I've worked on developing a new website called Participedia, a Wikipedia-like database for case studies in participatory democracy and 
governance. We already have hundreds of cases from around the world (and even in various languages), ranging from citizen participation in Icelandic constitutional reform, to transportation focus groups in the US, to civic meetings on municipal renovations in Latin American cities. Through this RA experience I've really come to understand and appreciate the role of citizen involvement in all levels of government; I find it truly remarkable and inspiring. And as part a small team of other enthusiastic students, my work on Participedia is always super fun.  As an RA I've spent lots of time reading and editing dozens of case studies and grading them so that we can begin improving the quality of content on Participedia. I've also worked on improving outreach, such as substantially increasing our online presence and brainstorming ways to reach out to Harvard's academic community.
-Sietse Goffard ‘15

I have thoroughly enjoyed my research assistantship experience, which has allowed me not only to gain a deeper understanding of participatory democracy, but also to learn about website development and democratic innovations from a profoundly knowledgeable expert in the field. I have had the privilege of partaking in a hackathon, engaging in research on topics about which I am passionate, and cultivating my analytical and writing skills and academic interests. By working for approximately six hours a week on a fairly independent basis, but with collective team goals clearly delienated, I have been able to immerse myself in research highly pertinent to both my interests and to the global landscape of participatory democracies. I am extremely grateful to the IOP and Professor Fung for giving me this research opportunity.
-Eliza Pan ‘15