Preventing Political Violence in America

"It’s time for philanthropy to understand political violence as a central trend in American public life, and join the diverse Americans mobilizing to address it," write Rachel Brown, Sadia Hameed, and Heather Hurlburt in Inside Philanthropy.

This working paper for philanthropy, written with our partners Over Zero and Thought Partnerships, briefly summarizes current trends that, in light of global experience, suggest heightened risks of violence. Against this worrisome backdrop, we propose specific recommendations to integrate violence prevention and mitigation into existing work.

This report highlights insights and lessons learned from social science and international peacebuilding—positioning them amidst the specific U.S. experience—to identify and discuss those areas most likely to bolster U.S. resilience in the face of escalated risks for political violence.

Lee Drutman co-authored an op-ed in Politico on Americans' shifting attitudes toward political violence.

This op-ed in the New York Times by Heather Hurlburt and Future Frontlines initiatives' Candace Rondeaux explains the escalating threat from platform migration, as far-right insurgents migrate from one platform to the next.

"Parler, Gab, and other alt-tech media maintain outsized influence on a right-wing social movement that is increasingly intertwined with efforts to undermine democratic institutions," writes Candace Rondeaux, director of Future Frontlines.

Future Frontlines' Candace Rondeaux writes about the role of Big Tech and the January 6th insurrection in World Politics Review.

Ilyse Hogue and Natalia Mehlman Petrzela wrote for MSNBC on the connection between RFK Jr.'s rise and the political and cultural dislocation of young men.

In collaboration with the Institute for Research on Male Supremacism, this policy brief explains and provides recommendations for addressing violence by misogynist incel perpetrators.

"The super-majority of Americans across the political spectrum who reject the extremism need to come together," writes Lee Drutman in Time.

Hollie Russon Gilman and Elena Souris write for Next City about new models for bringing residents into the governing process.

A letter organized by Political Reform that was signed by more than 150 top scholars of U.S. democracy urges the Senate to temporarily suspend the filibuster to pass voting rights protections. "Defenders of democracy in America still have a slim window of opportunity to act. But time is ticking away, and midnight is approaching," they warn.

"With a once-in-a-generation investment in infrastructure just passed by Congress and awaiting the president’s signature, we have a unique opportunity to ensure these dollars are spent in a participatory and inclusive capacity," Hollie Russon Gilman, Darshan Goux, and Elizabeth Youngling write in The Hill.

Lee Drutman explains how the structure of the American party system itself laid the groundwork for the a politics defined by hatred of political opponents in FiveThirtyEight.

Lee Drutman is quoted in this Vox article that asks where the crisis in American democracy might be headed.

Is good governance essential to accountable democracy? Read Mark Schmitt's recommendations to strengthen this feedback loop.