Yo, Renovators.
You’ve probably noticed: American democracy is at a crossroads. Our institutions aren’t solving the problems we face—and haven’t for a long time. Captured by polarized politics and insulated elites, they’ve lost public trust and governing capacity. Some people respond with despair or disengagement. We choose renovation.
I’m Danielle Allen—part Harvard professor, part democracy advocate, wholly a citizen and a freedom lover. I’ve written books (like Justice by Means of Democracy) and won prizes (including the Kluge Prize). But what really animates my work is a belief that democracy should deliver: freedom and equality that translate into real opportunity, dignity, and flourishing.
In 2013, the U.S. Congress had an approval rating of just 9 percent. That was my red alarm bell. As a constitutionalist, I take seriously that the legislature—the people’s branch—is meant to synthesize our diverse voices and anchor our freedom against arbitrary power. When only 9 percent of Americans approve of their own voice, democracy is in a fragile place.
Since the 2009 death of my youngest cousin, Michael, in a homicide, I had been working on criminal justice reform. I was frustrated by how hard it was to move common-sense, cross-partisan solutions through a polarized Congress. After reading that poll, I pivoted and began working on democracy renovation.
Democracy renovation has three parts: revitalizing civic culture; redesigning institutions to be more representative, responsive, and effective; and shaping public policy across domains so it supports healthy democracy. This is the mission of my two labs: the Democratic Knowledge Project at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education and the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation at Harvard’s Kennedy School.
Doing this work, and taking it outside of the ivory tower, I’ve been fortunate to build a growing network of allies—students, fellows, educators, and democracy experts—working on efforts like the Educating for American Democracy roadmap, Our Common Purpose blueprint, and the 360° Standard for Healthy Democracy from Partners In Democracy. This broader Democracy Renovation ecosystem has achieved real reforms: ranked-choice voting in New York City, Maine, and Alaska; independent redistricting commissions in multiple states; and campaign finance reforms nationwide. Policymakers are also beginning to recognize that economic, education, and social policy directly affect democratic legitimacy.
I want to make this world visible, invite you in, and help you find a way to take part. There’s a lot of hopeful, inspiring, pragmatic renovation being done right now, even if it’s not highlighted by traditional media. That’s where The Renovator comes in. The Renovator exists to help you plug into this galaxy of brilliant, wonderful people.
I am grateful that former Washington Post deputy opinion editor, Michael Larabee; former state legislator and party leader, Beth Fukumoto; deeply experienced civic educator, Joanna Kenty; and talented writer and hitchhiker, Aidan Fitzsimons, have joined me as the founding team for The Renovator.
I hope you’ll join us, too, by subscribing. Whether you’re a policymaker or a high school teacher, a democracy nerd or a curious newcomer, a conservative reformer or a progressive pragmatist, you are heartily welcome.
Our mission is to build the largest pro-democracy coalition we can, so we’re keeping all of our essays, news roundups, and articles free.
But—we’ve also gotta be honest—to do this work, we rely on support from readers.
If you can, please become a paying member of our renovation community to help support pro-democracy writers and keep this space open to all.
Or, give a gift subscription to help someone else join the Democracy Renovation Community!
~Paid Subscriptions~
As a Paid Subscriber, you’ll be able to connect more deeply with the Renovator Community.
You’ll gain access to our Subscriber Chat, where you can talk directly with Danielle, the Editorial Board, and other Paid Subscribers about all things Democracy Renovation. We’ll open new discussion threads every week!
You’ll also be invited to join our Renovator Assembly on the first Thursday of every month. Renovator Assemblies will help us transform the Renovator community into a genuine community of practice. Get inspired by Renovator stories around the country, connect with other Renovators in breakout groups, and find potential collaborators for your own local Democracy Renovation projects.
The Renovator is a unique Substack; we don’t just complain about the news— we’re here to roll up our sleeves and do the hard work of Renovating Democracy.
AI policy
Democracy is the work of human beings communicating with one another. The Renovator Editorial Board is committed to publishing that human conversation. We are committed to transparency, truthfulness, accuracy, and attributable human judgment in our commentary and reporting. We also support the integration of AI as an assistive technology in the research and publishing process in alignment with these standards:
We ask authors to disclose to us any use of AI in their writing when submitting their piece for publication.
We publicly disclose with publication any uses that go beyond research assistance or brainstorming.
We require that any use of AI to support research be supplemented by fact-checking.
We will not employ AI to generate images, video or visual works that purport to represent reality.
