Ask David Lazer what he thinks about the current state of American democracy, and he’ll show you a picture of a burning dumpster. He can tell you why: Polarization is on the rise, trust in the news media is down, and the disparity between rich and poor has intensified.
But unlike some, when Lazer peers into the fire, he sees an opportunity for change.
Lazer, the Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Computer and Information Sciences as well as the founding co-director of the NULab for Texts, Maps, and Networks at Northeastern, has written extensively on the topic of democracy. He co-authored with colleagues a book, Politics with the People: Building a Directly Representative Democracy, that offers a solution for improving representative government by directly connecting citizens and elected officials.
