DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE
The role of constructive disagreement in society and civic life
HKS faculty experts Archon Fung, Cornell Brooks, Danielle Allen, Arthur Brooks, Eliana La Ferrara, and Erica Chenoweth all agree on one thing when it comes to disagreement and dissent in society—we need to collectively get better at it. In a recent discussion at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum that was a keynote event for the “Candid and Constructive Conversations” initiative at HKS, they explored both how crucial it is to democracy for citizens to have such conversations, and how difficult it is to actually have them. In a frank exchange moderated by Chenoweth, the panelists explored how to overcome challenges like polarization and social media bubbles, and how academic institutions like Harvard can provide more opportunities for constructive dialogue on controversial topics to improve leadership training and public policy. |