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.

However, 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?

Join Future Tense and TechCongress 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. 

Lunch will be provided. 

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University. This event will be livestreamed. Follow the conversation online with #FTDemocracy and @FutureTenseNow. 

Agenda:

Noon to 12:15 p.m.
The Crisis of Expertise

• Sheila Jasanoff: Pforzheimer Professor of science and technology studies at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government; founder and director, Program on Science, Technology and Society at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government 

12:15-12:45 p.m.
Our Democracy's Knowledge Infrastructure

• Sylvia Mathews Burwell: @SylviaBurwell, president, American University; former director of the Office of Management and Budget, 22nd Secretary of the U.S.; Department of Health and Human Services 

• Cecilia Muñoz: @cecmunoz, vice president of policy and technology, New America; director, New America National Network; former director of the White House Domestic Policy Council 

•Moderator: 
David Leonhardt: @DLeonhardt; op-ed columnist and associate editorial page editor, The New York Times 

12:45-1:15 p.m.
Can Government Keep up with Technology?

• Ari Ratner: @amratner; founder and CEO, Inside Revolution; New America fellow, class of 2014 

• Lorelei Kelly: @loreleikelly; senior fellow, Georgetown University Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation; 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; former director of the U.S. Census Bureau 

• Travis Moore: @travismoore‏; founder and director, TechCongress, Open Technology Institute 

1:15-1:45
The Challenge of Democratizing Expertise

• 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; founder and director, Program on Science, Technology and Society at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government 

• David Guston: Founding director and professor, School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Arizona State University 

• Megan E. Garcia: @meganegarcia‏; senior fellow and director of growth, New America National Network

Tonya Riley

Future Tense

riley@newamerica.org

https://www.newamerica.org/