What Our Democracy Needs to Know


Forget about Silicon Valley, Big Pharma, and our nation’s fabled industrial conglomerates—the most formidable science and tech incubator in the history of the world is the U.S. government. But maintaining, nurturing, and continuing to develop our public “knowledge infrastructure” in and around government has become increasingly challenging. In a time of crippling political divisiveness, when the very notion of expertise has come under siege, how can we ensure that our lawmakers and citizens can continue to rely on the robust research, knowledge, and expertise-enhancing infrastructure built over the past two centuries?

On February 8, Future Tense and TechCongress met to consider whether our democracy will have the capacity in the future to address such complex issues as genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, and climate change adaptation, and whether our quest for technological and scientific advancement continues to be subjected to sound democratic governance. 

Future Tense is a partnership of SlateNew America, and Arizona State University

The Crisis of Expertise featuring Sheila Jasanoff, Pforzheimer Professor of Science and Technology Studies at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and Founder and Director, Program on Science, Technology and Society at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government 

Our Democracy's Knowledge Infrastructure featuring Sylvia Mathews Burwell, President, American University; Former Director of the Office of Management and Budget and 22nd Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Cecilia Muñoz, Vice President of Policy and Technology, New America; Director, New America National Network and Former Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. Moderated by David Leonhardt, Op-Ed Columnist and Associate Editorial Page Editor, The New York Times. 

Can Government Keep up with Technology? featuring Ari Ratner, Founder and CEO, Inside Revolution and New America fellow, class of 2014; Lorelei Kelly, Senior Fellow, Georgetown University Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation and Former "Smart Congress" Research Fellow, Open Technology Institute at New America; Kenneth Prewitt, Carnegie Professor of Public Affairs and Vice President for Global Centers, Columbia University and Former Director of the U.S. Census Bureau; and, Travis Moore, Founder and Director, TechCongress, Open Technology Institute.

The Challenge of Democratizing Expertise featuring Arthur Daemmrich, Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Director of the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the Smithsonian Institution; Sheila Jasanoff, Pforzheimer Professor of Science and Technology Studies at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and Founder and Director, Program on Science, Technology and Society at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government; and David Guston, Founding Director and Professor, School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Arizona State University. 

Date:
February 08, 2018
Run time:
2:11:44
Location:
New America
Presented by:
Future Tense