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Help Us Improve Representation and Governance

The Democratic Innovations Research Fund supports social science that promotes new ideas and rigorous theoretical and empirical research on how to achieve honest, efficient, representative, and effective government.

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Research Funding

Democratic Innovations funding has allowed ISPS to expand its support for research projects conducted by faculty, fellows, and students. Recently launched projects include:

  • Public Perceptions of Using Artificial Intelligence in Policy and Political Processes (ISPS)
  • Understanding Political Selection in Nepal (Economics)
  • Litigation as Democratic Innovation Incentivizing Administrative Response (History)
  • What are the Effects of Monetary Incentives & Gratitude Expression on Governance Participation? Evidence from a Large-Scale Randomized Experiment in Online Governance (Political Science)
  • Cast Vote Record Dissemination (Political Science)
  • The Politics of Militant Democracy (Political Science)
  • Sharing the Vote: Instrumental or Principled Support for Inclusion? (Political Science)
  • Archival Research on Compulsory Voting (Political Science)
  • Shared Values or Collective Efficacy? Mechanisms of Depolarization Through National Identity (Poltical Science)
  • The Electoral Effect of Prison Closures (Political Science)

Democratic Innovations Research Fund

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Undergraduate Research Group

In addition, Democratic Innovations has created a grant program for undergraduate students to conduct projects under the supervision of Yale faculty members. Coordinated by ISPS faculty fellow Josh Kalla, the program’s first student projects are:

The Polis project was launched by Matthew Meyers and built upon by Beata Fylkner.

ISPS also funded Kyle Thomas Ramos to participate in the Hoover Institution Summer Policy Boot Camp. He produced a paper on revitalizing the Government Accountability Office’s power to enforce the Federal Vacancies Reform Act.

Thalsa-Thiziri Mekaouche attended a Democratic Innovations conference organized by Hélène Landemore and postdoctoral associate Antonin Lacelle-Webster on how emotions shape politics and produced a detailed summary of the research presented. She also served as a researcher-observer for France’s third citizens’ assembly, convened in June 2025 to address youth-related violence, abuse, and health concerns. She wrote an account of her experience.

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Literature Review Series

ISPS has awarded three grants for leading scholars to produce jargon-free, scientifically accurate descriptions of key subjects relevant for the promotion of high-quality, honest, and efficient democratic governance. Later this year, we look forward to sharing these papers:

  • How government can effectively leverage AI to enhance public sector performance and transform governance (David Yang, Harvard) 
  • Why governments should build and expand dedicated tech offices centered around improving service delivery, by reducing administrative burdens (Donald Moynihan, University of Michigan) 
  • A practical guide for implementing AI projects in government (Beth Simone Noveck and Dane Gambrell, Northeastern)
Zachary Donnini, Arjun Warrior, Milan Singh, Jack Dozier, Liam Richardson, and Karla Corts pose in a courtyard

Yale Youth Poll

In its second year, the Democratic Innovations-supported, student-run Yale Youth Poll published findings that showed a split in Gen Z political views. Advised by ISPS faculty fellow Josh Kalla, the group has grown to 15 students and recently published results from its spring survey, offering fresh insights into the attitudes and priorities of young voters nationwide.