Policy & Issues Research
Canaries in the Coal Mine: COVID-19 Misinformation and Black Communities
June 24, 2020, 4:05 pmBrandi Collins-Dexter, Shorenstein Center Fellow
Even as Black people are disproportionately dying from the virus due to systemic racism, harmful inaccuracies about COVID-19 are metastasizing in Black online spaces. Using multi-site digital ethnography, Shorenstein Center Fellow Brandi Collins-Dexter tracked and identified the spread of this disinformation, and makes recommendations on how to combat it.
Access to and belief in accurate COVID-19 information varies, according to new survey
June 8, 2020, 4:00 pmThe COVID-19 Consortium for Understanding the Public’s Policy Preferences Across States’ latest survey results show decreasing trust in government institutions and the police to handle the COVID-19 outbreak, and increasing partisan divides in opinions about the response. In a new…
State Results of May Survey Show 60% of Americans Support Expanding Vote by Mail
May 28, 2020, 12:28 pmThe second round of a multi-university project to survey people in all 50 states about their opinions on the COVID-19 pandemic response focused on public opinion around increasing access to vote by mail (VBM) for the upcoming Presidential elections. 60%…
Understanding Misinformation on Mobile Instant Messengers (MIMs) in Developing Countries
May 27, 2020, 2:58 pmIrene V. Pasquetto, Shorenstein Center, Harvard Kennedy School; Eaman Jahani, MIT Institute for Data, Systems and Society; Alla Baranovsky, Harvard Department of Government; and Matthew A. Baum, Shorenstein Center, Harvard Kennedy School
This mixed-methods research project in Nigeria, India, and Pakistan consisted of surveys, survey experiments, and semi-structured interviews, designed to better understand the spread and impact of misinformation, and in particular of misinformation on mobile messaging apps (MIMs).
New Round of COVID-19 Survey Shows Continued High Support for Policies, Increasing Partisan Divides
May 22, 2020, 3:03 pmThe second round of the multi-university project to survey public opinion on COVID-19 response measures in all 50 states was released today. It shows continued high rates of support for state government responses to the crisis, as well as for…
New survey shows U.S. public is ‘firmly opposed’ to reopening the economy immediately
April 30, 2020, 8:22 amDavid Lazer (Northeastern), Matthew Baum (Harvard Kennedy School), Katherine Ognyanova (Rutgers University), John Della Volpe (Harvard Kennedy School)
A new national survey conducted by researchers from Harvard Kennedy School, Northeastern University, and Rutgers University shows broad support for COVID-19 response measures, and trust in expertise during the pandemic.
The Commercialization of Decision-Making: Towards a Regulatory Framework to Address Machine Bias over the Internet
April 24, 2020, 3:04 pmDipayan Ghosh
This paper was originally published by the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Dipayan Ghosh is a Shorenstein Fellow and co-director of the Center’s Digital Platforms and Democracy Project. He has served as an economic policy advisor in the White House…
Key Elements and Functions of a New Digital Regulatory Agency
February 12, 2020, 5:03 pmGene Kimmelman, Senior Fellow, Digital Platforms and Democracy Project
This Policy Paper is part of the Digital Platforms & Democracy Project’s efforts to explain and disseminate ideas about regulation of major technology and digital platform companies. Click here to read more of their research and commentary. This paper is an…
On the Trail of Xi Jinping: a new Podcast by Jane Perlez
December 19, 2019, 6:41 amU.S./China relations have seen huge shifts over the past decade. Jane Perlez, former Beijing Bureau Chief for The New York Times, witnessed much of it during her seven years reporting from China. Listen to her new podcast below. You can…
Countering Underinvestment in Prevention by Platform Companies
October 31, 2019, 11:17 amBy Philip Verveer, Senior Fellow, Digital Platforms and Democracy Project
This Policy Paper is part of the Digital Platforms & Democracy Project’s efforts to explain and disseminate ideas about regulation of major technology and digital platform companies. Click here to read more of their research and commentary. The views expressed in…
